Epilepsy in Dante's poetry

• Dante Alighieri is one of the most important poets in Western literature.
• Dante was aware of epilepsy and its Hippocratic explanation.
• The epilepsy metaphor mirrors the power of love that takes possession of the intellect.

Dante Alighieri is the greatest Italian poet and one of the most important writers in Western literature. He is best known for the epic poem “Commedia”, later named “La Divina Commedia” that has profoundly influenced not only poetic imagination but also all subsequent allegorical creations of imaginary worlds in literature. This paper examines the poetic description of some episodes of loss of consciousness in Dante's poetry discussing how and why typical elements of epileptic seizures have been used. On the 750th anniversary of Dante's birth, his poetry still remains to be an inspiring source of debate and reflection.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “Epilepsy, Art, and Creativity”.