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Dante's Inferno Justice

Decent Essays

In Dante Alighieri's The Inferno, the themes of justice and eternity are interwoven throughout Dante's journey. As he wrestles with questions of pity, grace, and forgiveness, readers do the same. With each encounter with sinners, views of justice and God's mercy are questioned.

Dante's Hell judged people in terms of their actions, not their hearts. Just because they had affairs or were hypocritical, they were sent to Hell. Their judgement was not weighed by whether or not they believed in Christ, but what they had done in their lives. To stay away from Hell, one would have to be absolutely perfect. Heaven would be empty. Of course, Dante's view differs from modern Christian theology due to historical and societal changes over time, but Christ …show more content…

He interweaves political bias in his journey. In his life, Dante himself struggled with lust and the loss of the woman he loved, Beatrice. The lustful are barely punished and actually pitied. Dante includes several known politicians, friends, and members of the church. Dante maligns the people he doesn't like and praises those he does. Popes are seen as hypocrites and members of family rivalries are torn to shreds. Dante's Hell is easy on him and his friends, and unforgiving to those he disliked. When he approached a member of a rival family, Dante proclaims, "'Master, it would suit my whim to see the wretch scrubbed down into the swill before we leave this stinking sink and him'" (VIII 49-51). Dante's enemy is then ripped to shreds by the other sinners. This sends a political message and advertises that as a Christian, believers will be able to see those they despise tortured in Hell. This is biased and unfair writing. Man's version of justice is not God's version. God wants evil demolished, but he also longs for his children. To add to the punishment of another sinner is wicked and advertising a "warrior God", so to speak, is dishonest. Dante's Hell is not biblical, rather riddled with propaganda-like misinformation and inaccurate displays of God and his

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