The Divine Comedy?

Question

Does anyone know why Dante always end each division with the word "stars?"

Answer 1

You can preview a discussion of the phenomenon here:

http://www.jstor.org/pss/1215586

Answer 2

interesting question. i hope you find the answer. if you don't have any luck with yahoo answers you could try calling the literature department at your local university and asking if someone there could help with your enquiry

Answer 3

As light shines in the darkness, the star is the symbol of the spirit. However the star very rarely carries a single meaning - it nearly always aludes to multiplicity.

In which case it  stands for the forces of the spirit struggling against the forces of darkness.

As far back as in the days of Egyptian hieroglyphics it signified 'rising upward towards the point of origin' and formed part of such words as 'to bring up', 'to educate', 'the teacher' etc.

The inverted five-pointed star is a symbol of the infernal- as used in black magic.