Dante Satiro: Satire in Dante Alighieri’s Comedy and Other Works

As Virgil leads Dante through Limbo, the uppermost portion of Hell, they are joined by four classical poets, and Virgil describes one of them as Horace the satirist ( Orazio satiro, 4:89). This collection of essays applies the expression to Dante himself in order to emphasize the satirical elements of his works. Although Dante is not typically described as a satirist, anyone familiar with his works will recognize the strong satirical element in his many writings. By exploring the satiric elements in Dante’s literature, these essays explore the primary literary tool at his disposal for his prophetic objectives: the castigation of vice. This collection of essay is the first comprehensive study on Dante and satire within his entire corpus that has ever been published.