Homer

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Homer is the poet whom Dante, through the words of Virgil, designates with the title of «Homer, sovereign poet» in Limbo. Together with him are gathered Horace of the Satires, Ovid of the Metamorphoses, and Lucan, each representing one of the principal styles – humble, comic, and tragic – and cited in chronological order. Virgil calls them «the noble school», the small group of poets who honor him because they too bear that name of poet, whose excellence the mysterious voice of Limbo had caused to resound. The notes specify that the five names appearing in this scene are the same ones Dante cites in the Vita Nuova as authority and example for those who rhyme of love. The condition of Homer and of the other greats of Limbo is described as a suspension of desire: their human greatness is recognized and honored by Dante, yet it remains devoid of the beatitude reserved for the saved, representing the fate of the ancient world and of the righteous who lived outside revealed faith.