Galileo Galilei once said that “all truths are easy to understand once discovered; the goal is to discover them. However, to understand and discover such truths requires the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue. In Virgil's Aeneid, St. Augustine's Confessions, and Dante's Divine Comedy, all three protagonists are in need of guidance due to a lack of understanding in their respective journeys of discovery. Their guides, who are all characters they admire and respect, in turn possess this understanding and pass it on to the protagonists. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayIn Virgil's Aeneid, the reference figure of the protagonist, Aeneas, is his father, Anchises, notably in the form of visions and nuances after his death. Although Anchises dies during Troy's journey to Italy, he continues in spirit to help his son fulfill the decrees of fate. In book V, shortly after the death of Anchises, Aeneas dreams of his father, who tells him to “obey the excellent advice given by old Nautes” (958-959) to leave some Trojans – the old ones, the weak and the tired women. of sailing – under the care of Acestes, and “takes [his] chosen young men, [his] bravest hearts, to Italy” (959-960). The image of Anchises also prompts Aeneas to visit him in Dis after his arrival in Latium. In the underworld, Anchises “[reveals] the fame that is to come from the Dardan sons and what the Italian children await [Aeneas] – from the bright souls who are about to take [his] name” (VI, 999-11002). Finally, thanks to his father's advice, Aeneas understands the deeper meaning of his trip to Italy and is ready to face the challenges that await him. Anchises is able to serve as Aeneas' guide because of his authority status and his ability to foresee events after his death. On his journey from Troy, Aeneas does not fully understand the significance of his journey. He is uncertain about his departure for Italy and often “his mind is torn by all his worries” (V, 949). However, after his father's vision, Aeneas immediately makes up his mind and “immediately calls his comrades… and tells… what he himself has resolved” (V, 983-986). This illustrates Anchises' seniority and the authority and status that comes with it. Aeneas reveres his father and therefore trusts and willingly follows his advice. In this way, Anchises serves as a wise advisor to his son, as Aeneas heads towards Italy. In Dis, Anchises once again displays his wisdom as Aeneas' mentor when he guides Aeneas through the underworld, showing him what fate has in store for his descendants. As a living human being, Aeneas is unable to understand the future consequences of his journey and actions in Latium. Anchises, for his part, is capable of “[studying] the souls of all his future sons” (VI, 899-900). After leaving the living world, he is able to see the future and thus understand the larger meaning of Aeneas' journey. Aeneas' respect and trust in Anchises and Anchises' ability to see the fatal significance of Aeneas' current exploits make him a suitable mentor for Aeneas. In the Confessions of St. Augustine, the guides on Augustine's journey to Christianity are his mother Monica and Bishop Ambrose. A fervent Catholic who “put great trust in [God]” (I, 17), Monica accompanied Augustin on many of his trips throughout his life. Augustine gives great credit to Monica for being God's instrument for his own salvation. She continues to encourage him to convert to Catholicism: “with a pure heart andfaith in [God] she…[works] at work for [her] eternal salvation” (I, 17). Even in a time of “darkness and lies” (III, 20) in Carthage, “this chaste, pious and sober widow… never [ceases] her hours of prayer to complain about [him] to [God]” (III, 20). 20). In Milan, Monica leads a quiet and pious life, constantly reminding Augustine that perhaps he was destined for Catholicism. During this time, Augustine became increasingly open to Christian doctrine due to the influence not only of Monica but also of Bishop Ambrose: "Every Lord is Day [Augustine] [hears him] 'rightly preaching the word of truth” among the people” and “more and more [his] conviction [grew] that all the thorny problems and slanders which these deceivers… had imagined against the divine books could be dissolved” (VI, 4). Bishop Ambrose's interpretation of the Old Testament had an immense impact on Augustine, who had previously rejected the text because of its simple and seemingly literal language. Bishop Ambrose interprets the Scriptures in a much more abstract and spiritual sense: “the letter kills, the spirit gives life” (VI, 6). This approach allows Augustine to overcome Manichean objections to specific expressions in the Bible and “from that moment on…[Augustine] now [gives] [his] preference to the Catholic faith” (VI, 7). Bishop Ambrose, along with Monica, is directly responsible for Augustine's conversion to Catholicism. Monica and Bishop Ambrose act as reference figures for Augustine in the same way that Anchises does for Aeneas. Monica, being a parental figure to Augustine, demands the same respect as Anchises. Even if at the time Augustine never really heeded his advice, he never dismissed it either. Her role as mother places her as a figure of great influence. Thus, Monica is able to guide Augustine's actions, although much less overtly than Anchises, through her ongoing influence rather than direct instructions. Bishop Ambrose also holds a position of authority in his leadership of Augustine. As a bishop, he is a leader of the Catholic faith and Augustine therefore considers his words and actions exemplary of the religion itself. Furthermore, like Anchises, Monique and Bishop Ambroise have the capacity to understand what Augustine could not understand. As a non-Christian, Augustine could not recognize God as a "spiritual substance" (III, 12) and questions regarding the existence of evil, the form of God, etc. were beyond his understanding. He struggles to understand the idea that true knowledge is based on faith, not reason. As believers, Monica and Bishop Ambrose are able to perceive the truth through their faith. It is this superior understanding of God, along with their positions of authority, that allows Monica and Bishop Ambrose to lead Augustine into the arms of the Church. In The Divine Comedy, the figures who guide Dante on his journey through the world beyond death. are Virgil and Beatrice. In Hell and throughout most of Purgatory, Virgil serves as Dante's “'guide…governor…master’” (Inferno, II, 140). Lost and desperate in the dark forest, Dante encounters the spirit of the great Roman poet Virgil, who offers to “guide him, to take him from this place through an eternal place” (Inferno, I, 113-114). . As they travel through Hell, Virgil guides and protects Dante through various gates and obstacles; for example, Dante is able to overtake Charon and Minos with Virgil's help. As they visit the different circles of Hell and the different terraces of Purgatory, Virgil explains to Dante the different sins that the tormented souls have committed during their lives to deserve their punishment. Virgil serves as a guide toDante, not only showing him the physical path through Hell and Purgatory, but also reinforcing their moral lessons. At the gate of the earthly Paradise, Virgil arrives “at the past place which [his] powers cannot see” (Purgatorio, XXVII, 129); from there, “a soul more worthy than [he] [is] will guide [Dante]” (Inferno, I, 122). Beatrice now takes on the role of Dante's guide through paradise. Beatrice guides Dante through the different spheres of Heaven and answers Dante's many questions, such as why there are dark spots on the moon, whether all spirits live in the Empyrean sky, and what is the true nature of angels . Thanks to Beatrice, Dante learns more about the divine nature of Paradise. Ultimately, Beatrice brings Dante to his glorious vision of God. Like Anchises in The Aeneid and Monica and Bishop Ambrose in Confessions, Virgil and Beatrice are able to act as Dante's mentors because they are characters that Dante reveres and they possess the wisdom and understanding that Dante , as a living being, does not have. Seeing Virgil, Dante is delighted to meet the poet he most admires, “[his] master and [his] author” (Inferno, I, 85). Dante completely trusts Virgil as his guide because of the great respect he has for him. Beatrice is also someone that Dante loved and admired during his lifetime and who remains his object of affection and inspiration after his death. “In her presence, [Dante] had once been accustomed to feeling – trembling – wonder, dissolution” (Purgatorio, XXX, 34-35) and seeing her again in the earthly Paradise, he “[feels] again the powerful power of old love” (Purgatorio, XXX, 39). Beatrice is able to guide Dante because of his love and admiration for her; Many times during his travels through Hell and Purgatory, Dante believes he can go no further, but the promise of meeting Beatrice motivates him to continue, and the same enthusiasm propels him on his journey to Heaven . In addition to being people that Dante admires, Virgil and Beatrice are both inhabitants of the world after death and therefore possess an understanding that living human beings do not possess. As a spirit who dwells in limbo, Virgil is “wise; "[he knows] much more than" (Inferno, II, 36) Dante, because he knows the way through Hell and can act as a competent guide to Dante. Virgil not only possesses knowledge of the Underworld, but he also symbolizes human reason, which Dante currently lacks and yet needs to navigate the world of sin. However, at the gate of the Heavenly Paradise, Virgil becomes as ignorant as Dante because reason is powerless without faith to access Heaven. Here the guide becomes Beatrice, who has the faith and understanding necessary to enter Paradise. Beatrice believes that Dante "is...so lost" (Inferno, II, 65) from the path of justice that she needs to take him on this journey so that he can gain the same understanding of the afterlife as Virgil and herself in order to be saved.In Virgil's Aeneid, Saint Augustine's Confessions and Dante's Divine Comedy, all the protagonists need to be guided due to lack of understanding. They are ignorant because they have not experienced or perceived the consequences of their actions or the meaning of their beliefs. The protagonists' guides and mentors all hold positions of authority and are all people for whom the protagonists have immense respect. Additionally, they are more experienced and have experienced or had visions of what the protagonists are trying to achieve. Such things – the future of descendants, the spirituality of faith, the afterlife – are beyond human understanding without being experienced, either directly or through visions. THE.