The Divine Comedy, written by Dante Alighieri, is one of the most famous works of Italian literature. What makes this particular work so unique is that it was written using the vernacular—that is, the everyday language and speech patterns used by ordinary people—rather than Latin. But why did Dante choose to use the vernacular rather than Latin?
In medieval Italy, Latin was considered the language of scholars and elites. It was the language used for official documents and religious texts, as well as for most literary works. Writing in Latin ensured that your work would be taken seriously; however, it also had its drawbacks. Because Latin was not an everyday language for many of those living in medieval Italy, many books and works written in Latin were only accessible to those who had received a formal education—which made them inaccessible to most people.
By writing his masterpiece in the vernacular instead of Latin, Dante took a revolutionary step forward. Not only did this make his work more accessible to more readers; it also opened up a new world of possibilities when it came to poetic expression. By using everyday language instead of Latin, Dante was able to communicate more directly with his readers and create vivid images with his words. As a result, The Divine Comedy remains one of the greatest works of literature ever written.
