Characters
Characters of the Divine Comedy
Explore the protagonists and figures Dante meets on his journey.
| Personaggio | Tipologia | Menzioni | Versi collegati | Descrizione |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guittone | Poets and thinkers | 1 | 2 | Poet cited by Bonagiunta in Purgatorio as one of the masters of vernacular lyric poetry prior to the Stil Novo. |
| Iacopo Rusticucci | Unclassified | 2 | 2 | A Florentine knight and politician of the thirteenth century, recalled by Dante among the sodomites of the seventh circle and already mentioned alongside other illustrious citizens. |
| Icarus | Mythological | 1 | 1 | Son of Daedalus evoked by Dante in Canto XVII of the Inferno as a term of comparison for the fear experienced during the descent of Geryon. |
| the Decii | Families and factions | 1 | 1 | Roman family recalled by Justinian among the heroes who served the imperial eagle; mentioned alongside the Fabii to indicate the sacrifice of Publius Decius Mus and his descendants in battle. |
| Jephthah | Biblical figures | 1 | 1 | Biblical figure recalled by Dante as an example of the danger of rash vows. He is cited in connection with the vow that bound him to sacrifice his firstborn. |
| Iphigenia | Mythological | 1 | 1 | Daughter of Agamemnon remembered in Paradise as the victim of her father's vow, who sacrificed her to the gods to obtain favorable winds for the fleet bound for Troy. |
| Illuminato | Unclassified | 1 | 1 | Name remembered by Dante in Paradise, cited together with Augustine among the spirits that form the second crown of sages in the Heaven of the Sun. |
| Il Notaro (Jacopo da Lentini) | Poets and thinkers | 1 | 1 | A poet indicated by Bonagiunta, together with Guittone d'Arezzo, as one of the exemplary representatives of the lyric in the vernacular that preceded the Stil Nuovo. The note identifies him with Jacopo da Lentini, the first and most authoritative master of the Sicilian school. |
| Importuni | Families and factions | 1 | 1 | Florentine family recalled by Cacciaguida in the Heaven of Mars among those that still bore the fair ensign of Marquis Ugo of Tuscany, together with the Gualterotti. |
| Indians | Families and factions | 1 | 1 | The Indians are mentioned in Par. XXIX, 101 as a distant people who, together with the Spaniards, have received the evangelical announcement according to divine law. |
| Infangato | Families and factions | 1 | 1 | Florentine citizen recalled by Cacciaguida together with Giuda (meaning Giuda Guidi) among the 'fathers' of illustrious families of Florence, in the Heaven of Mars in the Paradiso. |
| Innocenzo III | Popes and clergy | 1 | 1 | Pope who orally approved the Franciscan rule in 1210, as attested by the notes to Canto XI of the Paradiso. |
| Iole | Mythological | 1 | 1 | Iole is recalled by Cunizza da Romano in the Heaven of Venus as she who, locked within her heart, nourished an obstinate feeling of love for Hercules. |
| Hyperion | Mythological | 1 | 1 | Hyperion is recalled by Cacciaguida in the Heaven of Mars as the parent of the Sun, whose luminous appearance during its course along the ecliptic is indicated. |
| Hippocrates | Unclassified | 1 | 1 | Ancient Greek physician from Cos, celebrated as the most famous physician of antiquity, cited by Dante among the scientists of Limbo alongside Euclid, Ptolemy, Galen, Avicenna, and Averroes. |
| Hippolytus | Mythological | 1 | 1 | Son of Theseus, king of Athens, cited by Cacciaguida as a term of comparison for the undeserved exile that awaits Dante, driven from Florence as Hippolytus was driven from Athens. |
| Isaiah | Biblical figures | 1 | 1 | Prophet and author of the verse «in terra sua duplicia possidebunt» (Isaiah 61:7), cited in Paradiso XXV, 91, in support of the interpretation of the double garment of the blessed. |
| Isidore of Seville | Popes and clergy | 1 | 1 | Isidore of Seville, born in Cartagena in 570 and died in Seville in 636, was a bishop and author of theological, historical, and grammatical works. Dante mentions him in Paradise alongside Bede and Richard among the wise spirits of the Heaven of the Sun. |
| Isifile | Mythological | 1 | 1 | A young woman from classical mythology recalled by Dante as the victim of a deception, mentioned in Inferno XVIII among the examples of fraudulent seducers alongside Jason. |
| Ismene | Mythological | 1 | 1 | Daughter of Oedipus, recalled by Statius as the other daughter condemned to death together with her sister Antigone. Dante mentions her in the Purgatorio, presenting her as an image of profound sorrow alongside the other figures of the Theban cycle. |
| the Traversara family | Families and factions | 1 | 1 | A Romagnol family cited by Guido del Duca in Purgatorio among the noble houses whose stamp has been lost, remembered together with the Anastagi. |
| Lachesis | Mythological | 1 | 1 | Lachesis is the Fate who spins the thread of life, cited by Statius in the Purgatorio as a term of comparison for the separation of the soul from the body at death. |
| Lancelot | Mythological | 1 | 1 | Figure from the Arthurian cycle cited by Dante in the context of the lustful: he is linked to Queen Guinevere, wife of King Arthur, and to the love that «bound him». |
| Lanfranchi | Families and factions | 1 | 1 | A Pisan family mentioned by Ugolino in the tower dream, listed among the Ghibelline factions hostile to him and his sons. |