“Before the first light”: An intertextual analysis of Hozier’s Unreal Unearth and Dante Alighieri’s Inferno

Abstract

The Divine Comedy is a narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, completed around 1320, segmented into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Dante’s work became one of the greatest and most influential works of classical literature. His vision of the afterlife impacted literature in such a way that it is still noticeable in the present time, having also spread into visual arts and music. From opera to metal music, Inferno, the first part of Dante’s work, has inspired a significant number of musical works throughout the years. In contemporary music, the Irish singer-songwriter Hozier released his album Unreal Unearth in 2023, drawing inspiration from Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. Created during the pandemic at Hozier’s homeland, Ireland, the album explores the idea of a journey through the nine circles of hell created by Dante, coming out to the other side. This study aims to analyse the lyrics from Hozier’s album Unreal Unearth and the first part of Dante Alighieri’s poem The Divine Comedy, Inferno. Through intertextual analysis, taking into consideration the seven types of intertextuality presented by Robert S. Miola (2004), and close reading, it will examine how Hozier reinterprets the themes presented in the nine circles of hell introduced by Dante, in each song of the album.