I Am the Greatest and Most Modest Poet in the World (3/8)

"And far more honor: that fair company then made me one among them..." (Canto IV. 84-85)

Dante obviously makes use of a character relaying the events of the tale in first-person to us as the audience. However it can easily be asserted that this character is undoubtedly a reflection of Dante himself. That is why the line above drew several questions for me. Was Dante speaking more about his created character, or was he alluding to himself? Was he being humble or modest at all, or were his comments arrogant and hubristic?
The first part of the line - "And far more honor" - suggests that he indeed does hold respect and reverence for these great poets. It implies that in fact he is not as divinely wise as they are, because otherwise it would not be such an honor to be in their company. However the next phase of the phrase - "that fair company then made me one among them" - suggests that Dante believes himself as great a poet as Homer or any others. That statement, sandwiched between terrible imagery of Hell and its souls, seemed to me at first to be almost out of place. It seemed simply a bit of hubris slipped in amongst a humbling description of Hell. However, amidst these times of sin, it may be that Dante felt it necessary to separate himself from the world he lived in, and therefore place this work on a pantheon of literature that would survive past his time. If this was in fact his intention, than it can be said without doubt that he succeeded. His terribly effective imagery and complex rhyme scheme alone mark him as a master of language. He is indeed one among the greats.