Beginning of Essay
Dante wants two things: immortality in art and in heaven. But he realizes that he might not have the necessary ability to write his Commedia and still go to heaven. Despite his criticism of those figures who attempt the impossible, Dante may be one of them. He may ....

Middle of Essay
.... God. For Arachne "neither for place of birth nor birth itself had the girl fame, but only for her skill."[1] The same is true for Dante. His fame derives from his skill as a writer, not from a privileged birth. Arachne demonstrates her artistic ability when, in a competition with Minerva, she weaves a piece, which depicts the gods unfavorably. But in her piece, "not Pallas, nor Envy himself, could find a flaw."[2]As a punishment, Minerva turns Arachne into a spider. Arachne does three things to try to upstage the gods: she claims to be Minerva's equal by competing with her; she creates a piece which showed unscrupulous stories of the gods; and her f ....