Dante Alighieri came from an influential and wealthy Florentine family - his father was a nobleman. Dante is actually a shortening of the fam

One biographer believes he had the chance to return to Florence in 1316, but refused because his pride would not allow it. Translator and biographer Henry Francis Cary notes, "It would appear from one of his Epistles that about the year 1316 he had the option given him of returning to Florence, on the ignominious terms of paying a fine, and of making a public avowal of his offence" (Alighieri xii). Thus, Dante died in exile. While he was a prolific author, the "Divine Comedy" is his most well known and respected work. That it has lasted for hundreds of years is testimony to the importance it has played in history and in education. However, the book has influenced society in many ways, too.

In 1300, Dante rose to become a high-ranking official in Florence, but his influence did not last long. There were two ruling factions in the city - the "Blacks" and the "Whites." Dante (and his family before him) was a high-ranking member of the Whites, and traveled to Rome as an emissary of the faction. While he was away, the Blacks took over the city and banished Dante from Florence. His punishment if he returned would be death. He lived in exile from the city the rest of his life. Most people believe he began the "Divine Comedy" after his banishment. It was not finished until 1321, and it appeared shortly before Dante's death in September of that year. The book chronicles his own life, including his love for Beatrice (who awaits him in Paradise), his wanderings throughout Italy after his banishment, and even the poverty he faced after he left is homeland.

Dante wrote his work in Italian, which was a noble step for the day, but he also wrote them in a new type of meter, which also was revolutionary and influential. Biographer Gardner continues, "It [The Comedy] is composed of a hundred cantos, written in the measure known as terza rima, with its normally hendecasyllabic lines and closely linked rhymes, which Dante so modified from the popular poetry of his day that it may be regarded as his own invention" (Gardner). Thus, Dante not only popularized the use of common language in his works, he created a new from of poetry that would later influence many other poets. Many critics have called Dante's book the "last" book of the Dark Ages. His inventions helped the Renaissance flower and grow, and opened up new avenues for many other writers. Many critics also believe Shakespeare and Chaucer were only two of the many writers influenced by Dante's works (Gardner).

The first complete English translation of the "Divine Comedy" came in 1802, while the "Inferno" had existed in English since 1785. These translations led to a completely new appreciation of Dante by the poets and scholars of the day, many of whom dedicated works to the Italian poet. Thus, his influence again made a mark in Europe, and even traveled to America with these new translations. Gardner continues, "The eloquent tributes rendered to him by Shelley (in 'Epipsychidion,' the 'Triumph of Life,' and 'A Defence of Poetry') and by Byron (especially in the 'Prophecy of Dante') as after them by Browning and Te

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