medieval arts architecture andl literature
TRANSCRIPT
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Medieval Arts: Mortal Body, Immortal SoulThe theme of salvation dominates the arts,
architecture, and literaturePrototype of medieval themes: Dante’s The Divine
Comedy, a symbolic epic poem on the three levels of the afterlife.
Architecture symbolizes the grandeur of the Christian God
Plays emphasize biblical theology and the morality derived from it
The arts depict the saints and the divinity itself
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Medieval Verse and PoetryPoems tended to be long, and were divided into main
divisions called cantosSeveral themes includeAccounts of fighting nobility (Song of Roland)Code of courtly love: de Troyes’s LancelotTheological epics, such as Dante’s Divine Comedy
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Medieval Arts: The Divine ComedyDante Aligheri’s The Divine
Comedy is a prototypic classic of the medieval era
It describes the pilgrimage of a Christian soul through Hell (Inferno) and Purgatory (Purgatorio)
Then to salvation (Paradiso) (Ed. Note: If this epic poem
doesn’t scare the living bejasus out of you, nothing will. )
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Symbolism of Divine ComedyEvery aspect of Divine Comedy has symbolic meaningNumerology of three: Trinity, three levels of the
afterlife, Aristotelian division of human psyche into reason, will, and love—and three guides
Nines: nine levels of Hell, spheres of heaven, and circles of penitents in Purgatory
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Medieval Arts: The Divine ComedyDante Aligheri’s The Divine
Comedy is a prototypic classic of the medieval era
It describes the pilgrimage of a Christian soul through Hell (Inferno) and Purgatory (Purgatorio)
Then to salvation (Paraidiso) The poem is rich in symbolism,
especially the numerology of threes (Trinity, three levels of the afterlife) and their multiples
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Virgil the PoetVirgil, the Roman poet,
accompanies Dante in Hell and Purgatory
Virgil represents Reason, but as a pagan he can never enter paradise
Here, Dante and Virgil are seen in the background in the Inferno
As tormented souls writhe in the foreground.
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Paradise with Beatrice as GuideHis beloved Beatrice
accompanies him through Paradise
This is a study of unrequited love; in real life, Beatrice was uninterested in him
At a more abstract level, she was the personification of wisdom
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Divine Comedy: InfernoThere are nine levels of Hell,
punishment varying with the sinLowest (ninth) reserved for those
accused of treachery (Judas, Brutus)
Sins of passion (sex) receive the lightest
Punishment is carried out by the sin itself:
Gluttons are punished with their own excrement
The violent are immersed in boiling blood
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Divine Comedy: PurgatorioSins are also hierarchically
arrangedLeast serious sin is
lasciviousnessThe most serious: the
lethargic, considered worse than the wrathful or the proud
Purged of their sins, the souls may enter paradise
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Divine Comedy: Il ParadisoIs there a hierarchy in heaven?To Dante, yes: there are nine circles of heavenThe lowest circle: souls who abandoned their
vows and so were deficient in fortitudeIntermediate circles: souls with less defects
then with various degrees of gloryThe highest (ninth) circle: the abode of angels
and the primum mobile of all creationAbove: Dante and Beatrice at the gate of the
Empyrean ParadiseBelow: Artist’s conception of Paradise
according to Dante.
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The Empyrean ParadiseFinally, Beatrice leaves him to
his final guide, St. Bernard, because theology has reached its limits
The Empyrean Paradise is the abode of God Himself, represented by three circles
The circles represent the TrinityThe story ends with Dante
experiencing God’s love while trying (and failing) to understand his ways.
The Empyrean Paradise exists beyond space and time
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Divine Comedy: ConclusionThe Divine Comedy encapsulates the Augustinian
conception of Christianity and the Church.All the world of the afterlife is hierarchical, from
Hell through Purgatory to Paradise itselfThe entire epic is a engaging story, yet it is full of
symbolism that requires several readings to adequately understand it.
Theme of all aspects of medieval life appears in the Divine Comedy: theology, hierarchy of the Church, fear of damnation, Church doctrine
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Medieval Arts: Morality PlaysDefinition: A type of play dramatizing moral
themesConflict between good and evil is a recurring
motif The qualities are personified and engaged in
dialogue—Everyman, Death, KnowledgeIn Everyman, the protagonist realizes that Death
has come to take him to the Last JudgmentNo one—Wit, Knowledge, even Kindred—can
save him but Good Deeds (with the aid of the priesthood, of course)
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Mystery and Miracle PlaysMystery Plays (left): Plays
originating in Church liturgy
Dramatized biblical history
Among the themes: fall of Satan, Last Judgment
Miracle Plays: Plays depicting the miracles of Christ, the Virgin, and the Saints.
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Medieval Music: PolyphonyWithin the church, choirs sang in a pattern of
polyphony, in which two or more lines of melody of equal importance are sung
Organum refers to a generic variety of polyphoneIn parallel organum, the two voices move exactly
parallel with each otherIn free organum, the second voice moves in
contrary motionMelismatic organum involves the use of multiple
notes for the individual syllables of the text
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Medieval Architecture: Romanesque ChurchSize of nave enlarge to accommodate
pilgrimsEastern part of the church enlarged for
chapels where small parties could worship undisturbed
Salient features: rounded arches, thick walls, large towers, and decorative arcading
Most of them were abbey churchesThey generally dominated the
countryside
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Medieval Architecture: Gothic CathedralsThey were abstract, symbolic, and expressive
linearityColorful and highly decorativeThe rounded arch was replaced by the pointed
arch (upper left, Riems Cathedral, France)The ribbed vault appears at the ceiling of the
church (lower left; San Zanipolo, Venice)The flying buttress transfers the weight of the
vault to a buttress outside the buildingThey involved the extensive use of stained glass
windows
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ConclusionGenerally, the arts reflected the principles of
hierarchy, Christian salvation, and Church doctrine that dominated medieval society
Dante’s Divine Comedy reflected the Augustinian influence of the medieval world view
The architecture, art, and music were dedicated to the glory of a God as seen through medieval eyes.
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