Corruption In Dante's Inferno

The sinner Ciacco the Hog, a Glutton in Circle Three, has a brief unplanned, compassionate moment with the character Dante as demonstrated with diction in his conversation with Ciacco. Dante’s first sighting of Ciacco, he did not know who Ciacco was by his distorted face that had risen, but respectfully talked to him and reasoned with him as he shown with his diction, “And I; ‘Perhaps the pain you suffer here distorts your image from my recollection I do not know you as you now appear.’”(VI 42-45). In the quote, Dante is unable to recognize Ciacco due to his pain and suffering and Dante recognizes Ciacco is suffer and treats his with respect, but he is trying to treat Ciacco with respect out of pity with the words “the pain you suffer”, but also is polite with his phrasing as evident in his use of “perhaps”telling that Dante cares and takes his time to think about Ciacco’s punishment and pain that has been done to him. Further

Dante's "Inferno" is full of themes. But the most frequent is that of the weakness of human nature. Dante's descent into hell is initially so that Dante can see how he can better live his life, free of weaknesses that may ultimately be his ticket to hell. Through the first ten cantos, Dante portrays how each level of his hell is a manifestation of human weakness and a loss of hope, which ultimately Dante uses to purge and learn from. Dante, himself, is about to fall into the weaknesses of humans, before there is some divine intervention on the part of his love Beatrice, who is in heaven. He is sent on a journey to hell in order for Dante to see, smell, and hear hell. As we see this experience brings out Dante's weakness' of cowardice,

We begin in the 14th century, at the start of the Italian Renaissance. From 1308 to 1320, Dante Alighieri began and completed his Divine Comedy, a three part poem entailing his visionary journey through the realms of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. It intertwines aspects of Roman Catholic doctrine with Classical philosophy and contemporary politics, all in the dialect of Florence. He wrote this for a myriad of reasons, ranging from the inspiration of his muse to the politics of late 13th century Florence. The biggest political concern at the time was the struggle between church and state for secular power. The pope, along with other characters from Florentine politics, are represented in Hell, or the Inferno. Dante incorporates many references

Dante has a complaint with the current Pope Boniface. Dante believed Boniface was getting too involved and taking control over Florence. Dante believes Boniface was trying to take over with secular power. Dante in The Portable Dante uses different levels of Hell to show his view of the Catholic Church and what he thinks of the Pope.

Dante had different thoughts when seeing the good and the evil sinners. As Dante goes through the Inferno, he sees sinners who are tearing up and looking terrible. In circle eight, he witnessed sinners who have committed fraud and rape, yet also saw some who were accidently accused of those crimes and did not deserve to be in Hell. “Here pity, or here piety, must die if the other lives; who’s wickeder than one that’s agonized by God’s high equity?” (Aligheri, Canto 20). He felt pity for some, in which Virgil had to tell him to bear with it and that there is no pity in Hell. Dante was biased about his thoughts of good and evil when determining which sinner was good and which sinner was evil. Sinners are also in Purgatory and are considered good too, since they repented their sins.

Dante Alighieri went on a journey that was motivated by acrimony, revenge and retribution. The Divine Comedy is a story of Dante’s expedition through the afterlife with the help from a Roman poet, Virgil. In the Divine Comedy living in Hell is the same as living on earth in poverty today. Today, there are many politicians who are trying to help with the welfare of poverty, but they never follow through with their goals. Throughout Dante’s life on earth he witnesses the corruption of the church and power given to higher authorities because of their image. Many of the journeys that Dante has experienced in his journey through Hell are just like what we have experienced on earth whether you are rich or poor. However, there are significant differences between the two through symbolic signs and other non-religious meanings.

For instance, in the Second Circle of Hell where the sinners of lust reside, Dante sympathizes deeply with the tale of the two lovers Paolo and Francesca where their scandalous love affair lead to their demise. As Francesca concludes her harrowing tale, Paolo sobs “piteously,” and because of this sobbing Dante feels his “senses reel and faint away with anguish” (Canto V, Line 135-138). Dante treats these souls with a tenderness that is not seen in any circle of Hell below them. In contrast, in Caïna, the first round of the Ninth Circle of Hell that is comprised of those treacherous to kin, Dante’s interaction with a sinner is apathetic and bitter. In this round where the sinners are frozen in ice up to the neck, Dante’s “foot struck violently the face of one” (Canto XXXII, Line 77-78).

Consequently, Dante transformed in verses his anger for the disastrous political situation existing in Italy: "Ah slavish Italy! thou in of grief,/Vessel without a pilot in loud storm,/Lady no longer of fair provinces,/But brothel-house impure! this gentle spirit,/Ev'n from the Pleasant sound of his dear land/Was prompt to greet a fellow citizen/With such glad cheer; while now thy living ones/In thee abide not without war; and one/Malicious gnaws another, ay of those/Whom the same wall and the same moat contains,/Seek, wretched one! around thy sea-coasts wide;/Then homeward to thy bosom turn, and mark/If any part of the sweet peace enjoy (Purgatory VI, 76-87). In describing the political scenario of the Italian cities, Dante said: "For all

Dante’s Inferno is an epic poem that is clearly centered on his hate for Pope Boniface VIII. Dante’s “circles of hell” described so vividly in his poem are the result of Dante’s angst toward Boniface as he was once on top of the world until Boniface exiled him only because of his political opinions. Although, he does not clearly name Boniface in the epic he makes sure to include him in five obscure allusions. The first instance alludes to the incumbent pope before Boniface, Pope Celestine V, as the one “who made the great refusal” in the circle of neutrals; as he allowed Boniface to plant seeds of doubt in the months before he suddenly and unexpectedly resigned, leaving Boniface the Pope. The second allusion would place Boniface perfectly in the eighth circle, sixth pouch as the fraudulent sinner he was to prey on Celestine with his utter gift of fraudulent gab to gain a political position of power. The third, fourth, and fifth instances all point to his questionable practice of selling indulgences or absolution. So, therefore, just because he cannot directly mention Boniface in his epic due to him still being alive during the time of his writing, he still manages to make it a point to let him know there is a place for him in Hell.

Dante also shows which sins he sees as the worst of sins, putting betrayers in the lowest circle of hell. Dante employs some common sense while discussing hell, putting obvious sinners in the lower circles and prone to harsher punishments, but he also puts the not-so obvious sinners in hell. Even though one may think he is doing the right thing, all motives are evaluated upon judgment and even a trace of selfishness or greed may threaten one’s chance in heaven. This is why Dante’s hell is rife with politicians and leaders. Although they may have the community’s best interests at heart, politicians become obsessed with fame and glory, often forgetting that they are representatives of the people.

Dante Alighieri’s influential Late Medieval epic, The Inferno, informs the modern view of Hell and the nature of sin, especially treason, damning historical traitors and two-faced politicians to the horrors of Hell’s lowest circle. In this highly allegorical journey, Dante, as a pilgrim, descends deeper and deeper into Hell, witnessing the plight of sinners fated to eternal damnation. Since Dante Alighieri was both a politician and a poet, he placed numerous politicians into The Inferno in order to demonstrate the devastating effects of the political schisms created by these individuals. Marcus Junius Brutus, a member of the Roman Senate and one of the main assassins

In Dante’s inferno, the author makes various references to the political scene that was occurring in Florence, Italy around the 1200s. When he discusses certain political figures, or racial groups, it is often with an extreme disdain

What causes trouble in this world simply comes down to human nature, really, who’s on top. In this eternal fight to the pinnacle of the societal pyramid, there are bound to be those that suffer more than others. Dante Divine Comedy brings into question: “Which life should I care about more, the one on Earth or the one in the afterlife?” For those who may not believe in Heaven or Hell (an ever increasing number today) the choice is quite easy. In effect, Dante condemns anyone that he feels violates this “divine” order of sanctity (those that prefer the Earth life) by putting them in different circles of Hell. The different sins in Inferno are divided into those of pleasure/ambition, and those of intention to harm. Both are evident in the corruption of society with the former focusing on “improving” oneself at the expense of the individual and the latter “improving” oneself at the expense of others. Take the gluttons for example. People such as Ciacco indulged too much in lively pleasures such as

Around 1314, Dante Alighieri completed the Inferno, the first section of what would make up The Divine Comedy, a collection of three poems reflecting Dante’s imaginative journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. In these poems, Dante the poet describes the pilgrimage that Dante the pilgrim must complete to attain salvation. With the Roman poet Virgil as his guide, Dante the pilgrim must purge himself of his own sinful nature, which can only be achieved by observing and learning from those that have landed themselves in either Hell, Purgatory, or Heaven. Described in Inferno, his excursion begins in Hell where Dante learns about the stories and the sufferings of many sinners. As Dante the pilgrim progresses through Hell it is clear that he assumes different personas. In some instances, Dante the pilgrim is portrayed as an empathetic man who pities the sinners while on other occasions, Dante the pilgrim is portrayed as a callous and indignant being in regard to the sinners. While Dante the pilgrim is depicted in these two completely different ways, it is the insensitive portrayal that more precisely depicts Dante the pilgrim, as that is his true identity when he leaves Hell. His journey affected him so greatly that by the end of his pilgrimage, Dante the pilgrim has transformed from a compassionate man into an impervious and even cruel individual.

Dante was a poet in Italy in the 13th century and the events in Dante's life shape Dante's Inferno. There were political problems in Florence, Italy, and there were two groups, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines.