This dissertation investigates Dante’s reworking of classical myths and tropes connected to Parnassus in the Commedia. References to Parnassian imagery, seemingly scattered throughout the poem, have been studied by Dante’s scholars only on a case-by-case basis and in the context of single cantos. However, these references are not isolated and independent from one another and I propose to look at them as part of a carefully planned metaphorical system.

Through an in-depth analysis of the text of the Commedia and an investigation on classical and medieval sources, this research examines how Dante reshapes the classical idea of Parnassus and adapts it to his needs. My intent is to show how Parnassian imagery fosters some fundamental reflections on the power, the limits, and the purpose of poetry.

Following an Introduction that describes the aims,scope, and method of the dissertation, Chapter 1 analyses the occurrence of Parnassian images in Purgatorio XXII and pinpoints the main lines of reflections conveyed by the presence of Parnassus in the poem. Chapter 2 and 3 focus on the cantos of the Earthly Paradise (which contain the majority of Parnassian allusions in the Commedia) and investigate Dante’s reuse of Parnassian myths and tropes at the end of Purgatorio, proposing a series of parallels between Parnassian and Edenic landscapes. Chapter 4 revolves around the last reference to Parnassus in Paradiso I and reflects on the interaction between classical and Christian poetry at the beginning of the third cantica. Finally, the conclusion summarises the most significant findings of the dissertation and suggests future related lines of research.