What are the motifs in Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri?

Closely tied to the themes of education and the correct use of free will is that of literature's power to influence its readers' actions. Dante made the revolutionary decision to write his poem in Italian and not Latin—the language of epic, of the Church and of lofty themes—so that it would reach a wider audience. Among other things, he meant his Divine Comedy to be an example, to focus the reader on the next life and, if necessary, to change the way he or she was living this life. Some scholars have gone so far as to suggest that Dante expected his poem to be read with the same seriousness as Scripture.