Beginning of Essay
Michel De Montaigne, a fifteenth century French essayist once said that, "The perpetual work of your life is but to lay the foundation of death. (21st Century Dictionary of Quotation, 1993) In The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri conveys the concept that actions thr ....

Middle of Essay
.... required. As Virgil leads Dante into Hell, he says, "Here you must put by all division of spirit and gather your soul against all cowardice. This is the place I told you to expect. Here you shall pass among the fallen people, souls who have lost the good of intellect." (14-18) With the help of reason, Dante is able to face evil. The author shows that in order to conquer evil, reason, bravery and intellect are required. As he is lead through the Dark Wood of Errors, Dante realizes the circumstances by which souls make their descents into Hell. The manner in which people live their lives determines the state of their eternal existence. Dante sees th ....