The World of Dante Alighieri Webquest

Introduction

This unit will focus the majority of our attention on one of the most influential works of literature that ever grace the page: The Inferno by Dante Alighieri.  As Modernist poet T. S. Eliot once said, "Dante and Shakespeare divide the world between them, there is no third." Dante is widely regarded as not only the father of modern Italian language, but his influence on the world of art and literature was a direct precursor to the Italian Renaissance, a time period that birthed such notable personalities as Da Vinci, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Galileo, Copernicus, and Martin Luther, just to name a few.   Because his work is just as much political criticism as it is moral allegory, it is imperative that before we dive into the nuances of his poetic ability, we must first develop a firm understanding of Dante's life, the socio-political times in which he lived, and the major characteristics of his most notable work La Divinia Comedia (The Divine Comedy), of which The Inferno is the first part.

<<<<<<<CONTROLS ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE>>>>>>>

 

Task

For this webquest, you and one of your closest mates are going to assume the role of a collaborative historical research team and will craft a PowerPoint (or Prezi) that teaches the uneducated masses all of the necessary information needed to begin an indepth analysis of Dante's Inferno, including the pertinent biographical information on Dante Alighieri, pertinient philosphical/political theory of Medieval Europe,  and pertinent information on his most noteable work, The Divine Comedy.  

Process

To achieve the ultimate goal of producing the most eloquent and informative Dante presentation known to man,  your collaborative research partnership is going to divide the task into two distinct & equal roles: researcher & creator.

Researcher: Your job is going to be to research a variety of web sources, scouring the deepest, darkest depths of the internet to find the requried information and relaying that information to your partner so that he/she can create the digital presentation.

Creator: Your job is going to be to focus the researcher's attention to the specific information needed from the resources and to create a PPT (or Prezi) that presents the necessary information in an organized and creative way - don't forget to add some pictures every now and then! 

While I will not expressly tell you how to organize the presentation of your research findings, the types of information that you wil be finding is divided into three distinct sections and should include the information in the bulleted list below each. YOU ARE BY NO MEANS REQUIRED TO HAVE ONE SLIDE FOR EACH BULLET POINT, but each point should be referenced somewhere in your presentation.

Biographical Information 

  • When was he born?
  • Where did he live?
  • What's the deal with Beatrice?
  • To whom was he married?
  • Who were the Guelphs and the Ghibellines?
  • What does Pope Boniface VIII have to do with him?
  • Why was he exiled?
  • When did he most likely write The Divine Comedy?
  • When did he die?

Dante's World

  • Ptolemaic System
  • Catholicsm (basic structure of faith)
    • Venial sin vs. Mortal Sin
    • Hell, Purgatory, Heaven
    • General structure/title of Church officials
  • Role of Catholic Church in Life/Politics 
  • Pope Boniface VIII (Who was he? AND Why might he be important to know before reading?)

The Divine Comedy / The Inferno

  • Why is it called a Comedy?
  • What makes it an EPIC poem?
    • In Media Res
    • Epic Hero
    • Hero Cycle (don't get too in-depth)
  • How is it organized?
    • Canticle
    • Canto
    • Tercet
    • Terza Rima
  • What is the significance of the number 3 in Dante's epic?
  • Why is it considered an moral allegory?
    • Contrapasso
    • Incontinence (think sin, not uncontrolled bodily fluids of old people) 
    • Violence
    • Fraud

Don't forget a few PICs every now and then!!!!

Evaluation

Once you are finished with your presentation, please upload it to our Canvas class webpage under "Dante Alighieri Webquest.”  Your finished presentation will be graded primarily on CONTENT (i.e. does it address all of the necessary information as requested?) and will be given a grade accordingly. Make sure that your presentation does not PLAGIARIZE any of the resources that you use - you should research, read, and then synthesize a new presentation slide out of the information that you have discovered.  Aside from these two criteria, creativity and organization will also be taken into account.  You should make sure to organize the material in a concise way & feel free to take whatever creative license you feel necessary - just make sure that it has the essential info first!