me been wounded. Both set out in answer to what can be interpreted as a divine call, Dante though divine light and love and Guillaume though the commands of the sacred albino stag-doe. In many ways, both are ordered to set out as a form of penance, Dante find his way to the "True faith" and Guillaume to find true love, in order for them to be whole once more. For Dante the wholeness is mental but for Guillaume it is physical.
             The dialogue with Ulysses brings up some interesting ideas about the journeys in middle ages. After all, does it not appear strange that Dante's journey is blessed even as he journeys further than anyone had ever gone before to be saved? First of all, we must understand that in Dante's time there was no salvation without God's grace. In fact, even the best representative of men of the ancient world are banished to the realms of the virtuous pagans and, even Virgil, Dante's divinely appointed guide, cannot enter the gates of heaven. Why then is Ulysses not in the realm of the virtuous pagans? I think it is because Dante's journey came about because Beatrice thought that she still had some duty towards him and Dante undertook the journey because he, himself, has a duty to her and also to God. This is evident as we recall that Dante's mission is one of divine love. However, as Ulysses makes it clear when he undertook his journey, it defines his duty to his Family. As he tells Dante "not fondness for my son, nor reverence for my aged farther, nor Penelope's claim to the joys of love could drive from my mind the lust to experience the far-flung world." In that line, we see the key difference between Dante, who is fearful of undertaking the journey but does so anyway because of love, and Ulysses who undertakes the journey for his own gain despite the love of his wife. While Dante's jo
             ...