United States Archives - Page 2 of 17

Paolo & Francesca paintings by Derek Overfield (2020)

November 25, 2021 By Harrison Betz, FSU '25

“Immortalized by Dante’s Inferno and Rodin’s, The Kiss, the historical couple of Paolo and Francesca have moved audiences for over 700 years. The young couple fell in love while reading the romance of Lancelot and Guinevere, but their affair was cut short in tragedy. This collection contains 3 paintings, the first of the couple embracing. The second and third capture a moment – perhaps before their embrace, perhaps following their discovery. Twelve preparatory drawings in charcoal also accompany the painting of the embracing couple.” –from the portfolio of Derek Overfield

For more information about Derek Overfield and their work, view their portfolio here.

Seinfeld Season 3, Episode 10 – “The Stranded” (1991)

November 24, 2021 By Harrison Betz, FSU '25

“Seinfeld is an American sitcom television series created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and focuses on his personal life with three of his friends: George Costanza (Jason Alexander), former girlfriend Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and his neighbor from across the hall, Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards). It is set mostly in an apartment building in Manhattan’s Upper West Side in New York City. It has been described as ‘a show about nothing’, often focusing on the minutiae of daily life.” —Wikipedia

In Season 3, Episode 10, entitled “The Stranded”, George remarks that his current office relationship makes it feel as though every day is a date to which Jerry replies, “That’s one of Dante’s nine stages of Hell, isn’t it?”

See our other post involving comedian Jerry Seinfeld here.

Hadestown Musical – Music, Lyrics, and Book by Anaïs Mitchell (2019)

November 10, 2021 By Harrison Betz, FSU '25

“The musical Hadestown (music, lyrics, and book by Anaïs Mitchell) brings a new take on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Much like Dante in the Inferno, the characters of Orpheus in Hadestown travel through an inferno-like factory run by Hades, the god of the underworld. Although the tragic hero Orpheus is mentioned in Canto IV of Dante’s Inferno, the similarities between the Divine Comedy and Hadestown do not stop there.” –Contributor Ava Buchanan

A notable link between the musical and the Inferno is the staging of the piece, which relies heavily on circular motion to move the plot forward (a common motif employed by Dante). Furthermore, the character of Hermes within the musical acts as a Virgil-like guide for Orpheus with the added omnipresent, post-narrative knowledge of Dante “the Poet”.

As a side note, the official Hadestown website notes that it is a “haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.” This statement echoes Peter Hawkins who – in his biographic essay on Dante – states that “no one remains unchanged by the Commedia.”

The original cast Broadway cast recording of Hadestown can be found here.

Contributed by Ava Buchanan (University of Arkansas, ’23)

Purgatory Resort Ski Lodge in Durango, Colorado

November 10, 2021 By Harrison Betz, FSU '25

“Purgatory Resort is located in Durango, CO. It is a ski lodge that is themed around Dante and his Divine Comedy. There are different ski routes and terrain parks named based on difficulty related to hell. For example, there is a route named Limbo and one named Pandemonium. Limbo is a difficult route, but Pandemonium is one the most difficult routes. There is also a called Divinity, which is one of the lightest routes. The most interesting part of Purgatory Resort is its self-pace coaster. It is called the Inferno Mountain Coaster. It is known for the beautiful views it provides and the quick descents. It is a self-pace coaster, so you are able to descend through the Inferno as quickly or as slowly as you would like.” –Contributor Honey Okuneye

See our previous post about the ski lodge in Durango – one of our first on Dante Today – here.

See also the Purgatory trail map (which includes multiple references to Dante) here.

Contributed by Honey Okuneye (University of Arkansas, ’24)

Undertale Video Game (Toby Fox, 2015)

November 10, 2021 By Harrison Betz, FSU '25

The 2015 video game Undertale, created by developer Toby Fox, features implicit references/similarities to Dante’s Inferno. These citings are frequently discussed and debated in online forums by the game’s fanbase.

“In Undertale, your character falls down a hole in a mountain that takes him to a bizarre world full of many unique characters. The characters you encounter are each plagued by their own different vices and you as the player get to choose how to deal with them. If you treat the characters with respect and befriend them peacefully, you lead them all out to the surface at the end, but if you choose violence, you remain in the underworld forever. The character’s similarities with the souls that Dante encounters and the concept of contrapasso are just some examples of how Undertale relates to the Comedy.” –Contributor Tucker Onishi

To see some fan conversations about the link between Undertale and the Inferno, click here.

Contributed by Tucker Onishi (University of Arkansas, ’22)

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