Mary herself is the ‘first fruit’ of the restoration of human nature through her bodily Assumption into heaven (Par. Through her quiescent acceptance of God’s will at the Annunciation, Mary represents the nexus in which humanity and God are reconciled because her fiat leads to the hypostatic union of the human and divine natures in the incarnated Christ thus opening the way for the Redemption. XXIV, 52-4) Dante, is not displaying an excessive sense of self-worth, as many commentators believe, but laying claim to the virtue of humility because, unlike Arachne, the Pierides, and others, he has not set himself up in competition to God, but instead wishes, like Mary, to be an instrument of the Word.
I shall also propose that in claiming to be God’s scribe (Purg.
I shall argue that Dante’s principal vehicle for doing so is a ‘covert’ Marian programme in which he puts forward the Virgin as the paradigm for the integration of human nature with God’s salvific plan. I, 70) that are the outcome of a relationship with God founded on humility. I shall suggest that Dante subtly contrasts the negative transformation and fragmentation of human nature that ensues from a skewed sense of self in the Ovidian episodes, with the integration and ‘transhumanisation’ (Par. I will show how Dante reworks Ovid’s accounts of attempts by the gods to form unions with women (Callisto, Proserpine, Semele), as well instances of excessive encroachment by mortals into the territory of the gods (Arachne, Marsyas, Phaëthon, the Pierides) in order to illustrate the disastrous consequences of pride, whether in the realm of artistic production or personal salvation. In this paper I shall examine Dante’s rewriting of episodes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses that concern the infelicitous outcome of relationships between the gods and mortals. In fact, this is either an overinterpretation, or a mere misunderstanding of Dante’s text. Carroll (1907): Marsyas would be a “figura Dantis,” representing the liberation from the body by means of divine inspiration so e.g. There is also another widespread interpretation, which goes back ultimately to an observation of S. This is the correct interpretation of the terzina. 1.19-21 is meant to contrast Dante’s humility in his asking God for help with the foolish arrogance of those who presume of singing of sublime matters trusting entirely in their human capacities. (2) The reference to Marsyas and Apollo at Par. 4.23.4, and according to Iacomo della Lana, author of the first commentary to the Paradiso (1324-8), both Marsyas and Apollo/Febo would have played a wind instrument in their contest. A version which explicitly presents Apollo as playing the reed is attested at Agathias, Hist. 6.384-5) as meaning that not only Marsyas, but Apollo too played a reed pipe during their contest: “spira tue” (“inspire”) literally means “breathe” and refers to Apollo “breathing into the reed pipe.” Other passages might have suggested to Dante that Apollo too played a reed during his contest with Marsyas cf. 1.19-21) he most probably understands Ovid’s model (Met. (1) When Dante invokes Apollo saying “Entra nel petto mio, e spira tue | sì come quando Marsïa traesti | de la vagina de le membra sue” (Par.
0 kommentar(er)
