ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Beatrice, the woman to whom the great Italian poet Dante dedicated most of his poetry and almost all of his life, from his first sight of her at the age of nine (“from that time forward, Love quite governed my soul”) through his glorification of her in La divina commedia, completed 40 years later, to his death in 1321.

Detailed explanation-2: -In the Vita Nuova, Dante told the story of his admiration for a Florentine woman named Beatrice. When seeing her for the first time at the age of nine, Dante fell in love, and he remained in love for the rest of his life. Years later, Beatrice died at the young age of twenty-four and Dante fell into a deep sadness.

Detailed explanation-3: -Metaphorically speaking, Beatrice is a mirror upon which divine love is reflected and, consequently, serves as the pilgrim’s bridge to salvation. She is a powerful character and a woman of action who descends into hell to call upon Virgil for his help and to instruct him to lead the pilgrim on an otherworldly journey.

Detailed explanation-4: -Beatrice is Dante’s muse; his relationship with her is Platonic. She draws him from Purgatorio through the spheres of Paradiso. Beatrice’s role as a guide extends further than Virgil’s because Beatrice originally initiated Dante’s journey and requested that Virgil accompany him.

Detailed explanation-5: -Dante and Beatrice never married. In 1285 Dante married Gemma Donati and together they had four children: Giovanni, Pietro, Jacopo, and Antonia. Beatrice became the wife of Simone dei Bardi, a prominent Florentine banker. Source: Dante Alighieri, and Corrado Ricci.