The Influence of Dante Aligheri on T.S. Eliot
Dante Aligheri, most famous for his epic ‘The Divine Comedy”, played a major role in influencing the poetic styles of T.S. Eliot. Eliot's introduction to Dante was in his college years at Harvard, where he studied philosophy. Eliot read Dante's works extensively in college and may have meant to "apprentice" himself to learn everything he could from him. Dante’s influences on Eliot include appearances by way of direct quotations, similar styles of imagery, and thematic elements. The direct quotations in Eliot’s work are simple to find because they are written in Italian, but there are also lines from Dante’s works that have been translated and slightly adapted to fit into Eliot’s poetry. Dante’s images are also prevalent among Eliot’s works. Eliot’s view of the world as a cold and desolate place was greatly influenced by Dante and his visions of Hell. Similar themes are also apparent; Eliot often uses themes such as isolation from Dante’s works to express his own inner feelings. At least one of these three elements can be seen in most of Eliot’s works, thusly, proving that Dante influenced Eliot in several ways.
The influences from Dante in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” include direct quotations and thematic elements. In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” the narrator, Prufrock, seems to be addressing a potential lover. However, Prufrock “knows” too much to simply approach the woman; in his mind he can hear other people’s voices mocking and taunting him. Prufrock is very shy about expressing his feelings, and he is only telling the reader under the assumption that no one else will hear him admit to his fear of others judging him. The entire poem is about Prufrock explaining why he cannot express his feelings of love to the woman he admires. Dante’s influence first appears in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” as a direct quotation from Cantos 27, lines 58-63 of The Inferno as the first epigraph. The...