Divine Comedy: Dante Puts the Hell in Hellenism Essay

In Dante’s Inferno, part of The Divine Comedy, Canto V introduces the torments of Hell in the Second Circle. Here Minos tells the damned where they will spend eternity by wrapping his tail around himself. The Second Circle of Hell holds the lustful; those who sinned with the flesh. They are punished in the darkness by an unending tempest, which batters them with winds and rain. Hell is not only a geographical place, but also a representation of the potential for sin and evil within every individual human soul. As Dante travels through Hell, he sees sinners in increasingly more hideous and disgusting situations. For Dante, each situation is an image of the quality of any soul that is determined to sin in

His serpentine torso and writhing tail connect him with the previous monsters that Dante has encountered.  The twisting movement of Geryon's tail reminds the reader of the manner with which Minos wraps his tail around the sinners, and the description of Cerberus as "il gran vermo" adds to this snaky imagery associated with these beasts.  The power the monsters have in their tails would have been meaningful for Dante's readers as it was commonly noted in medieval times that a beast's tail showed its ferocity and held much of its strength.  This is illustrated by Brunetto Latini's descriptions of the dragon and the lion in his Li Livres dou Tresor, as well as in Revelations where the power of the horses lay...in their tails; for their tails

The Inferno is a tale of cautionary advice. In each circle, Dante the pilgrim speaks to one of the shades that reside there and the readers learn how and why the damned have become the damned. As Dante learns from the mistakes of the damned, so do the readers. And as Dante feels the impacts of human suffering, so do the readers. Virgil constantly encourages Dante the pilgrim to learn why the shades are in Hell and what were their transgressions while on Earth. This work’s purpose is to educate the reader. The work’s assertions on the nature of human suffering are mostly admonition, with each shade teaching Dante the pilgrim and by extension the reader not to make the same mistakes. Dante views his journey through hell as a learning experience and that is why he made it out alive.

While every person has a different depiction of Hell, Dante provides fascinating imagery of his portrayal, so the reader can truly experience the

The monster Minos also warns the character Dante in this scene that Dante should not enter the Hell and he even orders Dante to go back, for the Hell is the place for the dead sinners only – not for the living souls, which simply means that the poet Dante wants to

As Dante and Virgil descend through the underworld they encounter many of the supernatural figures that appear in many of the Greco-Roman texts. Very often these creatures are mentioned in passing, given little more than a line of description. However, in Canto 9, Dante and his guide encounter the three Furies in the sixth circle of Hell and quite a bit of time is given to describing these figures of Greco-Roman mythology. Tobias Foster Gittes explains why the Furies are given more concern by Dante than other mythological characters when he posits that “since the Furies figure prominently in Virgil’s Aeneid, it is only natural that Dante’s Virgil is quick to

   In The Inferno, Dante explores the ideas of Good and Evil. He expands on the possibilities of life and death, and he makes clear that consequences follow actions. Like a small generator moving a small wheel, Dante uses a single character to move through the entire of Hell's eternity. Yet, like a clock, that small wheel is pivotal in turning many, many others. This single character, Dante himself, reveals the most important abstract meaning in himself: A message to man; a warning about mankind's destiny. Through his adventures, Dante is able to reveal many global concepts of good and evil in humanity.

With his writing style and the implementation of some literature firsts, Dante assured his name in history. His mastery of language, his sensitivity to the sights and sounds of nature, and his infinite store of information allow him to capture and draw the reader into the realm of the terrestrial Hell. His vast store of knowledge of Greek mythology and the history of his society assists Dante in the

     Infidelity, murder, betrayal, and conspiracy all play an integral part in the story of the relationship between Jason and Medea. Jason is guilty of all four acts and Medea involves herself in three. Yet, perhaps, in the eyes of Dante, Medea might fall further into the realm of Dis than Jason. But, should she? And, is Dante's view of Jason and his sentence in Hell appropriate?

Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy. Following the first part are Purgatorio and Paradiso. The Divine Comedy is a metaphorical telling of Dante the Pilgrim’s journey through Hell, guided by the poet Virgil. In the Inferno, Hell is depicted as nine circles of suffering located within the center of the Earth traveling down towards the center of gravity.

The beginning lines of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri indicate a pragmatic journey through the dark woods. It is soon evident that The Divine Comedy is in terms of an allegory. Midway through his life, Dante finds himself lost and in darkness. He is confused and unaware of how he has ended up in these dark woods. Dante soon comes across Italian poet Virgil, who will guide him through the Nine Circles of Hell. Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy: Inferno portrays Dante’s life and adventure through Hell which allegorically represents a much broader subject: man’s journey through life to salvation.

The journey through Hell is one many fear and don’t want to experience. It can be thought of as scary or even horrific. A glimpse into this mysterious yet frightening resting place is depicted throughout Dante’s Inferno. The poem describes Dante’s heroic journey into the dark depths of the Inferno and during this journey he meets many different monsters and creatures. These creatures are of large importance on Dante’s spiritual journey since they not only challenge his presence in Inferno, but they also are guards or defenders of Hell. Three of these main creatures, the leopard, the lion, and the she wolf carry large importance with them and represent categories of sin in relation to hell. It is the encounters with these beasts and creatures that create a connecting element from Dante’s Inferno to The Epic of Gilgamesh.

The most prevalent allegory and theme in the Divine Comedy is Dante’s entire journey through the spirit worlds, starting the first focus specifically on his journey through Hell. Dante’s excursion through Hell epitomizes every Man’s passage to weakness and how easily humans can succumb to sin. The flaws and sins of all in Hell are visible to everybody. This is because every sin Man commits, there is an equal place for him in Hell in which Man becomes the literal embodiment of the sin committed. This is shown through the story of Count Ugolino and Archbishop Ruggieri. Ugolino states “but if my words may be a seed that bears the fruit of infamy for him

When you think of Hell, what do you see, perhaps a burning pit full of criminals and crazed souls? Or maybe you’re like Dante and have a well organized system of levels in correspondence with each person’s sins. In Dante Alighieri’s epic The Inferno, Dante and his real life hero, Virgil, go on an adventure through a rather elaborate version of Hell. In this version of Hell numerous thoughts and ideals are brought to the attention of the readers. Through Dante’s use of both imaginative and artistic concepts one can receive a great visual impression of how Dante truly views Hell, and by analyzing his religious and philosophical concepts the reader can connect with the work to better understand how rewarding this work was for the time period.

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.