The Circles of Light

Christopher Frayling investigates the art and philosophy of the Middle Ages. The Circles of Light. ForChristopher Frayling, Dante's Divine Comedy is "an evocation of the sights and sounds and thoughts of the Middle Ages" - at one level a political tract about treachery in Florence and at another a celebration of the creative process. Using dramatic special effects to recreate the torments of Dante's Inferno, tonight's programme depicts a journey from the darkness of hell to the blazing light of paradise, Interwoven with this dramatisation of the Divine Comedy is the story of Dante's own life, his love forthe woman idealised as "Beatrice" and the religious and scientific beliefs embedded in the work.