Dante, Vergil and a New View of The Afterlife

This essay considers the ever changing notion of the Afterlife while exploring the nature of Dante's guide, Vergil; a complex character immersed in mythology, imbued with classical reason, yet in denial of his divine right to heaven. Can Vergil be considered a Messianic character when placed along side Beatrice? This is Vergil's rite of passage as much as that of Dante as they traverse the various levels of Hell and on to the Garden of Eden. In so doing the essay asks if the Afterlife is still evolving with a new vision of spirituality which is yet to be revealed.