The Divine Comedy cover art

The Divine Comedy

Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso

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The Divine Comedy

By: Dante Alighieri, Stephen Wyatt
Narrated by: Blake Ritson, John Hurt, David Warner, Hattie Morahan, Full Cast
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About this listen

Blake Ritson, David Warner, Hattie Morahan and John Hurt star in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Dante's epic poem.

Inferno: Thirty-five year old Dante finds himself in the middle of a dark wood, in extreme personal and spiritual crisis. Hope of rescue appears in the form of the venerable poet Virgil, now a shade himself, who offers to lead Dante on an odyssey through the afterlife, beginning in the terrifying depths of Hell.

Purgatorio: Dante is led up Mount Purgatory by his guide. They encounter numerous souls who have embarked on the same difficult journey - one that will eventually lead to their spiritual salvation.

Paradiso: Dante's journey comes to a glorious conclusion as he is led by Beatrice, through the spheres of Paradise and into the presence of God himself. As they ascend, they encounter a number of souls who have also achieved blessedness. Many years later, the older Dante reflects on the episodes from his life that have inspired his great poem.

©2014 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2014 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd Epic Poetry Themes & Styles
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Great performance and I like the length of time.
That said I did just play through while distracted and didn’t catch everything that was going on, which is normal for me anyway.

All the best fiction audiobooks I get familiar with in chunks and cunt wait to have a full grasp of the story.

Need To Listen Through Again

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This was the most amazing story I have ever listened to. Glory be to the Lord, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Epic

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feel like a bit of the detail in the book was lost in the translation to a play, but fantastic as none the less

entertaining listen

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Just a joy to listen to. I hope to hear more like this as was such a moving performance.

Just Beautiful

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For a story to survive from the 1300s, you can know that it is universal in its appeal, covering a human’s journey of learning from life’s harsh events, leading to evolution and enlightenment. Excellent direction, performance and sound design.

Extraordinary

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Absolutely loved this rendition of Dante. Imaginative, well acted spoken and wonderful sound effects. Although not necessarily true to text, true IMHO to the intent of the author. Bravo!

Brilliant!

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I listened in awe, even as an atheist I believed that from stories such as these we can gain some insight to the meaning of Love, Hope and Faith. I hope you enjoy it as well.

profound even for the non-religious

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AMAZING! phenomenal performances from the whole cast, the abridged dramatisation really brought the work to life and made the comedia, which can be quite dense and complex, effortless and enjoyable to follow along with.

Paradiso all the way

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Even though I forgot about it halfway through and came back for it later, I'm so glad I did.
It was beautiful. talks about high ideals of the times and I find it fascinating how humanity has changed much in some ways and not so much in others.
I loved this audiobook as I wouldn't have read it otherwise.
Thank you, it will stay with me for years to come.

More beautiful than I imagined

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I think Dante would be speechless for this dramatisation of his epic poem. I thoroughly enjoyed every part especially Hell, definitely had a good dose of British wit. Stellar performance by the cast and immersive experience through music and sound design. Well done to everyone involved in the making.

Absolute masterpiece

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