Epic Poetry

Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, written in the early 14th century, is an epic poem that stands as one of literature's greatest achievements. This excerpt presents the Inferno (Hell), the first of three parts, where the poet journeys through the underworld guided by the Roman poet Virgil. Readers should expect a richly allegorical vision of sin and divine justice rendered in terza rima verse, where Dante encounters famous historical and mythological figures whose earthly deeds have determined their eternal punishments.

John Milton's Paradise Lost, published in 1667, is an epic poem that retells the biblical account of humanity's fall from grace through the lens of Satan's rebellion against God. Written during the English Civil War and Restoration, the work ambitiously attempts to "justify the ways of God to men" while creating one of literature's most compelling and complex portraits of evil. Readers should expect grand, philosophical verse exploring themes of pride, ambition, free will, and divine justice across multiple books of theological and dramatic intensity.