L ' I N F E R N O

DANTE EXCLAIMS WITH FEELING.
DANTE:
INF C2 53 / DANTE INF C2 53 / KLINE
e donna mi chiamò beata… e bella, and a lady called to me, she so blessed, so
beautiful
INF C2 55-57 / KLINE
Her eyes shone more brightly than the stars, and she began to speak, gently, quietly, in an angelic voice, in her
language:
♫BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF * * * * * * * * * *
INF C2 53
Four notes, representing the syllables of the name in Italian: Be – a – tri – ce (‘blessed’).
In later segments the motif may be developed.
THE HEAVENLY SPOTLIGHT..◙..(SEE INTRODUCTION: L’INFERNO) FINDS BEATRICE FACING VIRGIL.
BEATRICE IS A MANIFESTATION FROM HEAVEN AND IN VIRGIL’S MEMORY. BEATRICE DOES NOT LOOK AT
DANTE.
BEATRICE (BICE DI FOLCO PORTINARI) 1266? - 1290 AGE : 24
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BORN IN FLORENCE, BICE DI FOLCO PORTINARI (BEATRICE) WAS FIRST SEEN BY DANTE WHEN SHE WAS 8 YEARS OLD
& HE WAS 9. HIS LOVE FOR HER INSPIRED THE VITA NUOVA & THE DIVINE COMEDY., IN WHICH SHE REPRESENTS
DIVINE PHILOSOPHY. SHE DIED IN 1290, AGED 24.
DESCRIPTION
HER DRESSED IS APPROPRIATE FOR HER ERA. SHE HOLDS A BIBLE. HER EYES SHINE ‘MORE BRIGHTLY THAN THE
STARS’ AND HER VOICE, WHEN SHE SPEAKS, IS ANGELIC [INF C2 55-57].
DANTE SPEAKS WITH SHOCK, JOY AND TENDERNESS.
DANTE:
Bice!…Beatrice! Bea!…Beatrice!
HE RECOVERS A LITTLE AND SPEAKS MORE FORMALLY BUT STILL WITH PASSION.
DANTE:
La donna mia my lady
THIS PHRASE OCCURS IN DANTE’S MOST FAMOUS LYRIC, A SONNET ABOUT BEATRICE. (JOSEPH TUSIANI: “THIS
MOST HARMONIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL SONNET HAS ACHIEVED DANTE’S POETIC GOAL OF THE HIGHEST FORM OF
LOVE POETRY EMBODIED IN THE THE STILNOVISTIC CREDO…”.)
LA VITA NOVA 26 SONNET DANTE / MUSA [INF C34 139] GIVES DANTE’S NOTE
Tanto gentile e tanto onesta pare Such sweet decorum and such gentle grace
la donna mia quand'ella altrui saluta, attend my lady's greeting as she moves
ch'ogne lingua deven tremando muta, that lips can only tremble into silence,
e li occhi no l'ardiscon di guardare. and eyes dare not attempt to gaze at her.
Ella si va, sentendosi laudare, Moving, benignly clothed in humility,
benignamente d'umiltà vestuta; untouched by all the praise along her way,
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