Dante Today
Citings & Sightings of Dante's Works in Contemporary and Popular Culture
Consumer Goods Archive
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"Dante Beatrix"
http://www.dantebeatrix.com/shop.htm
Dante Cigar Label (circa 1900)
http://www.cigarlabeljunkie.com/Html/Archives_F2.html
Contributed by Richard Abrams
"The Literary Sources of Dungeons and Dragons" (roleplaying game) by Aardy R. DeVarque
A few references from Aardy R. DeVarque's essay:
Planes: Nine Hells: Caina
The name used for the first part of the ninth circle of Hell in Dante Alighieri's Inferno, Canto XXXII. Dante describes it as a completely frozen lake formed by the river Cocytus.
Planes: Nine Hells: Dis
In Greek mythology, a synonym for Hades--both the place and, in Virgil's Aeneid (VI, 358 & 524), the god Hades/Pluto. In Dante Alighieri's Inferno, Cantos VIII-IX, Dis a large, walled city in Hell with a well-guarded gate, which is the origin of the D&D plane's description. In Canto XXXIV, Dis is another name for Lucifer.
Planes: Nine Hells: Malbolge
The name is derived from Malebolge, the term used for the Eighth Circle of Hell in Dante Alighieri's Inferno, Cantos XVIII-XXX, and means "evil pouches."
Planes: Pandemonium: Cocytus
The name for one of the major rivers in Hell in Dante Alighieri's Inferno. Dante's description of the river bears no similarity to that of the D&D outer plane.
Devil, Dispater
In Dante Alighieri's Inferno, Canto XXXIV, Dis is another name for Lucifer. "Pater" is Latin for "father," so it is not much of a stretch from there to call the ruler of the city of Dis the "father of Dis" and thereby avoid the possible confusion from calling both the city and the character just "Dis."
Devil, Geryon
Originally a three-bodied monster from Greek mythology. However, the D&D version is taken directly from Dante Alighieri's Inferno, Cantos XVI-XVII.
Devil, Horned (Malebranche)
Inferno, by Dante Alighieri, Cantos XXI-XXII.
http://www.geocities.com/rgfdfaq/sources.html
Contributed by Sam Donovan (Bowdoin, '07)
"Devil May Cry" videogame
"The game revolves around P.I. (Private Investigator) Dante and his one-man devil hunting agency "Devil May Cry", which he runs in hopes of finding and killing the demons that killed his mother. Dante also has a twin brother named Vergil, whom we learn very little about during the course of the game. The story alludes to The Divine Comedy in the game's areas (roughly resembling and representing inferno, purgatorio, and paradiso) as well as in some of the character names; however it is purely an aesthetic similarity, and indeed the game borrows from a very wide range of sources for inspiration. After a less than proper introduction, a woman named Trish, who bears a striking resemblance to Dante's mother, convinces Dante to help her defeat Mundus, the Emperor of the Underworld, who is the leading antagonist of the game. The duo then sets off to Mallet Island, where Mundus's resurrection is about to take place, and where the majority of the game plays out." (from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_May_Cry )
http://www.devilmaycry.org/
http://www.devilmaycry.com/
Contributed by Charlie Russell-Schlesinger (Bowdoin, '08)
"The Lost" videogame, IGN
"The Lost is the story of Amanda Wright -- a waitress that has struck a deal with the devil to bring her daughter back from the dead. During her journey through hell, Amanda is granted the ability to transform into three unique characters with differing abilities, and is forced to fight through the nine circles of hell inspired by Dante's Inferno. Along the way, players can earn more than 50 different kinds of weapons, 24 diverse skills, and various other power-ups to help them. Unfortunately, legal troubles with the original publisher Crave Entertainment permanently ended the game's chances at shipping to retail. Tragically, The Lost had already been completed when the decision to shelve it was made."
http://ps2.ign.com/objects/015/015041.html
"Afterlife" videogame, Lucas Arts, 1996
"As a semi-omnipotent being, you are responsible for laying out a functional heaven and hell to reward or punish the denizens of a strange planet. Afterlife represents one of the most unusual videogame concepts to ever make it to store shelves. As a semi-omnipotent being (I know that's a bit of an oxymoron, but this game's full of things like that), you are responsible for laying out a functional heaven and hell to reward or punish the denizens of a strange planet. To do so, you must keep an eye on the most common sins and virtues of your people (who look a lot like the monsters from Critters), the balance of temporary to permanent souls in each of your buildings, and more mundane tasks like the building of roads and training facilities. For each soul you process you are rewarded with pennies from heaven, which may in turn be used to purchase more edifices and services."
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/afterlife/index.html?q=afterlife
Contributed by Ted Reinert (Bowdoin, '05)
"Dante's Inferno" boardgame
"Dante's Inferno is a new boardgame from Twilight Creations. The object of the game is to rescue enough sinners (resources) to gain entry to the 9th Circle of Hell and defeat Lucifer while preventing the other players from doing so first."
http://www.twilightgamesinc.com/p-632-dantes-inferno.aspx
"Dante's Inferno" Iris
http://www.rebloomingiris.com/list_of_iris_-_2.htm
Dante Tarot Cards
"Wickedly Whimsical Jewelry"
Vogue, September 2006
http://www.style.com/vogue/
Atonemints
"For each of your sins"
http://www.santosha.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=462
Dante's Infurniture, Brattleboro, Vermont
"Beautiful furniture with soul"
Work by Suzanne and Dante Corsano
http://www.gallerywalk.org/GalWoods.html
Contributed by Roy Young (Bowdoin, '03)
Background Image: Domenico di Michelino, Dante and His Comedy, 1465
