Why is Dante's Divine Comedy titled as a comedy?

Answer 1

Dante called the poem "Commedia" (translated as "Comedy" with the adjective "Divine" being added later in the 14th century) because poems in the ancient world were classified as High ("Tragedy") or Low ("Comedy").

Low poems had happy endings and were of everyday or vulgar subjects, while High poems were for more serious matters. Dante was one of the first in the Middle Ages to write of a serious subject, the Redemption of man, in the low and vulgar Italian language and not the Latin language as one might expect for such a serious topic.

Our word comedy has moved on and does not equate to the commedia of Dante.

Answer 2

It is not funny, to be sure. But back in the 1400 when the book was originally written comedy meant a story or in the books case a poem which turns out well in the end. Dante starts out in Hell, but he works his way up to heaven which you might say is an improvement.

Answer 3

Dante's Divine Comedy is considered a comedy because it follows the classical structure of a narrative that starts from a state of suffering and confusion (Inferno), moves through a process of seeking answers and reflection (Purgatorio), and ends in a state of clarity and joy (Paradiso). The term "comedy" in this context refers to the journey's positive resolution and the ultimate triumph of good over evil.

Answer 4

because it is about love and a cat who never gives up on being a cat.