Hubris and Prudence

Dante wants two things: immortality in art and in heaven. But he realizes that he might not have the necessary ability to write his Commedia and still go to heaven. Despite his criticism of those figures who attempt the impossible, Dante may be one of them. He may be blasphemous, fraudulent, harmful, or simply wrong. He is contemptuous of those who dare exceed their limits because these characters prove ultimately destructive. Arachne hurts herself, Daedalus …

…a human, artist, and Christian. If he does this, then he might be able to be forever remembered as a great poet and to fly like Elijah: to heaven. The reader must follow Dante's example of prudence. The reader must not exceed his own limits. Because, if the reader goes beyond the limits of the poem, corrupting and' perverting its meaning and message, then he, too, will suffer the consequences of ignorance and hubris: failure.