Dante: A Patriot Through Inferno
Patriotism is respect and devotion toward a state which brings about unity and justice. It is believed to be a positive quality. In the time of Dante, it would have been considered to be a principal quality of a person. Patriotism was held to the highest regard. In turn, the act of being "unpatriotic" was a serious offense. Early scholars such as Machiavelli believed "unpatriotic" acts or beliefs to be evil, even equivalent to the act of murder. Dante is often criticized as being "unpatriotic" toward his home town of Florence in his divine comedy Inferno. Although he does harshly criticize Florence, Dante remains patriotic because he is standing up against evils in the name of justice, which is a patriotic act.
Dante Alighieri was born in Florence, Italy in 1265. At the time of Dante's birth, Florence was a prosperous city-state, full of greedy merchants and warring political factions. The two most influential families in Florence were the......
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Approximate Word Count: 1529
Approximate Pages: 6 (260 words per double-spaced page) |