cope in the work of Homer which stand in contrast to the far more simple approach of Dante. The Iliad begins in this way:
Sing, O Goddess, the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, . . . and many a hero did it yield prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Zeus fulfilled. . . . (Homer Iliad 7).
Here one recognizes the intent of Homer to present a tale of war and violence, heroism and death. The roles of the gods and the destinies of men in the book will be intermingled, and much will be at stake. Lives and great battles and rivalries are to be determined in the style of an epic of morality and adventure. A very similar opening greets the reader of The Odyssey, with a similar invocation of the goddess of song, and immediate reference to the heroism of Odysseus, to battles and the effects of war on human beings, to the moral aspect of behavior and obedience or disobedience to the gods (Homer Odyssey 1).
Dante's Inferno, on the other hand, begins in this way:
Midway in human life's allotted span
Where the straight path I sought in vain.
Ah! hard it is to tell, if tell I could,
How wild the wood, how rough and dour,
Which in my thought renews the fearful mood! (Dante 13).
While Dante clearly has an epic scope in mind as he journeys into Hell, the more personal and psychological style of his work draws the reader into his tale immediately, whereas Homer's almost regal pronouncements distance the reader (or listener) as if the writer (or speaker) were on a stage acting out the work in a more dramatic fashion. This difference in style is present throughout the works.
On the other hand, clear similarities exist in the writing even at this early stage of analysis. Both authors obviously intend to present world views rooted in a moralistic outlook. Both use "fearful" references to inform the...