The interaction between gods and heroes in classical epics took on a Christian twist in medieval transmissions of the ancient texts. In The Inferno, Dante revealed his vision of purgatory and paradise as he accompanies the Roman poet Virgil through the Underworld.
By Dante’s time, the idea of the heroic age, that a god such as Dionysus could act as an escort to the Underworld where redemption and rebirth could be achieved, was long gone. Dante has the journey to the Underworld sanctioned by God and, despite the obstacles met on the way, no one can stop Virgil and the author from completing their mission as God has decreed it.
This edition is illustrated by the nineteenth-century French artist, wood engraver and printmaker Gustave Doré.
