While none of these five translations stands out as objectively “better” than any of the others, they each have specific strengths and uses depending on the goal of study.

Boyd’s translation was the first full English translation of The Comedy and is just one of several translation products Boyd undertook. It provides a window into how Dante was first received by the English speaking world and the old ways of writing present in this translation truly demonstrate how long this work has been read for. This particular text is likely best used as a reference and was once the only way to read the full Comedy in English, but today there are many other translations that are more parsible and useful for study.

Wilstach’s translation demonstrates a major difference in the translation field. It is clear that this is just one in a series of translations that have been produced since Boyd’s. Wilstach may have been interested in translating The Comedy due to his previous experience translating Virgil’s poetry. This background also appears to have influenced the manner in which the text itself was translated, especially in relation to the character of Virgil. However, aside from this there is not anything outstanding about this particular translation. It can certainly serve a purpose for study, but unless there is interest in the character of Virgil another translation could easily serve just as well.

Moving on to Langdon’s translation, the lack of rhyme may make this translation more difficult to study in some contexts. However, it appears to be a good mix of prose and poetics. It is easy to read and does not feel like it is being stretched too far in any direction. It was one of my favorites to read as I was comparing translations.

Arndt’s translation, while certainly still a rendition of The Comedy feels more like a combination of translation and art. I think this particular text would be most interesting to look at in the context of theatre or another art form. There is certainly expansion that can be done from having the text in this form, but at times it feels as though too much was stretched out or cut short in order for it to represent a completely accurate translation. It is certainly easy and enjoyable to read, but it makes for a different experience than the other translations.

Kline’s prose translation, similar to Arndt’s, is easy to read, yet once again it is easy to be put off by the structure. This version of the text is helpful to read alongside other, more poetic, translations, as the simplicity of the prose allows for a more direct description of characters and their actions. However, since The Comedy was originally written in a poetic style it seems difficult to truly understand it when that core trait of the text is gone.

In short, each of these translations may serve a good purpose depending on the intentions for reading the text, but I do find that Langdon’s is the best to meet in the middle of prose and poetry, and represents the text’s age while still remaining digestible for modern audiences.