Dante: Inferno to Paradise

Explore Dante’s experience in exile, and his completion of the last two parts of the "Comedy," shortly before his death in Ravennain 1321. Interweaving soaring scenes drawn from Purgatory and Paradise, the film goes on to explore the afterlife and literary and cultural fate of Dante’s masterpiece from the time of his death down to today.

Dante with Virgil as his guide begin their descent into Inferno, through the Gates of Hell. We hear one of the lines best known from the Divine Comedy: "Abandon All Hope, You Who Enter Here."

Discover Dante's motivation for writing, the power of The Divine Comedy, and the meaning of the character who travels through Inferno to Purgatory to Paradise.

Explore the historical background of medieval Florence from 1216 to Dante's birth in 1265, dramatic details of Dante’s childhood, education and early literary and political career, culminating in his exile in 1302, and his decision to begin The Divine Comedy in 1306.

Dante: Inferno to Paradise, by acclaimed filmmaker Ric Burns, explores the riveting life and times of Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) and his soaring masterpiece "The Divine Comedy" – one of the greatest achievements in the history of Western literature.