Personality In Dante's Inferno

In the novel by Benjamin Alire Saenz titled, “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe,” the novel is written in a first person perspective from the eyes of Aristotle, taking place during the 1980’s in El Paso, Texas. The novel itself has no direct plot, and it is mainly about Aristotle, a boy who is curious, angry, and solemn at the world, and his struggles about his adolescence and teenage mentality, along with his friend, Dante. Dante offered a unique perspective in contrast to Ari’s perspective; he was philosophical, outgoing and slightly dark mannered, as well as open and honest about his emotions. Dante “understands the world,” but mostly himself, unlike Aristotle, who doesn't understand anything about himself, his life, his family, or what manner he should undertake his life in. I really relate to the main character and his struggles with growing up, adolescence, and culture, as well as his overall loneliness. I can’t say the same for Dante however.

But Virgil comes to the poor, powerless Dante. He will never really do anything alone from this point on, which is good because in order for Dante to understand and learn he must have a teacher, t here must be some authority for Dante. There is a grey hound that is mentioned (canto 1, line 78-88, Alighieri). I think that this grey hound is Virgil, because he represents the savior of Dante. He is said to represent intellect, and in Dante's mind that is what is needed to be reasonable, and reason conquers all desires and weaknesses.

Who is Dante? He was a man that had a desire to find the truths of heaven and earth even from a very young age; his goal was to understand the three worlds in his mind of hell, purgatory and paradise so that he could find the true everlasting happiness. In Dante’s age there was not really a separation between church and state. “Dante 's philosophical view was also a political view. In Dante 's time, there were two major political factions, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. Originally, the Ghibellines represented the medieval aristocracy, which wished to retain the power of the Holy Roman Emperor in Italy, as well as in other parts of Europe. The Ghibellines fought hard in this struggle for the nobility to retain its feudal powers over the land and the people in contrast, the Guelphs, of which Dante was a member, were mainly supported by the rising middle class, represented by rich merchants, bankers, and new landowners. The enemy was politically, philosophically, and theologically wrong — and thus a Heretic” He was a supporter of the papacy which was a direct opposition to the Holy Roman Emperor, therefore putting himself in danger of his beliefs.

Faria, a priest, completely changes Dantés' perspective on life when he helps Dantés figure out who put him in prison and why. Faria regretted what he had done to Dantés' innocent mind. Dumas writes, "Faria looked at him [Dantés] steadfastly and said, 'I regret having helped you clarify your past and having told you what I did.' 'Why?' 'Because I have instilled in your heart a feeling that wasn't there before: vengeance" (Dumas 58). When Faria dies, Dantés considers killing himself, but ends up vowing to get revenge instead. After a dramatic escape, Dantés sets out to destroy the lives of those who turned on him using his riches, important friends, and vast amount of knowledge. Dantés states, "He doomed these unknown men to all the tortures his fiery imagination could contrive, but even the cruelest ones seemed too mild and too short for them, for after the torment would come death, which would bring them, if not rest, at least the insensibility which resembles it" (Dumas 42). After life in prison, Dantés was no longer recognizable. He had been changed from the innocent, carefree, living life to the fullest boy of nineteen to a hardened and cynical adult man. Dantés' path of life had now become reversed the second he hits the water. He now lies to and uses everyone around him to further his own agenda of gaining revenge similar to the way

When Dante first begins in this story he was lost and clueless physically and mentally.  Dante was located in a forest with his life ruined and not knowing what was in store for him. Dante had given up on his future and had given up on finding the correct path of life for himself. However, when he sees a sunset and a very important mountain that represent Heaven he will soon change. Dante is given an opportunity to change and turn his life around but to do so he must first experience the darkness of Hell with the assistance of Virgil who helps him and guides him through what is right and wrong.

In The Inferno, Dante is the hero of the story. Dante is the man exiled from his home as a result of his political struggles and beliefs with the choice between evil and good. Dante’s heroism is in the form of humanity as he faces the challenge which all human beings struggle with. Dante’s courage is tested as he journeys through the rings of hell. According to Dante, “therefore look carefully; you’ll see such things/as would deprive my speech of all belief” (Alighieri, Dante. 1854). This is in contrast to Odysseus where Dante’s valor doesn’t encompass utmost bodily feats. The courage in Dante is displayed through analyzing his inner power. A vast setting in Inferno includes hell, Purgatory and heaven. Dante meets many shades while on his journey through

Furthermore, those he converses with had impacted Dante in some way during his lifetime. The combination of religion and nationality begin to form the prominent factors of Dante's identity as he commences his journey through Hell in order to reestablish himself as a committed Catholic.

Dante is like the son Virgil never had. This comes to light most apparently in their flight from the two-timing demons. In lifting Dante to his chest and carrying him as he sprints toward safety, Virgil becomes a mother figure to the terrified Dante. Hmmm, father and mother? You’re right in guessing that something bigger is going on here. As an unofficial poet laureate of the Romans, Virgil is a kind of patron spirit of Italy. Moreover, as the consummate speaker and writer of Latin – the ancestor language of Italian – Virgil is, in a sense, the fore-father of Dante’s native language. The two poets’ kinship traces back to their respective languages.

In Dante’s Inferno, the relationship between Dante the Pilgrim and Virgil the Guide is an ever-evolving one. By analyzing the transformation of this relationship as the two sojourn through the circles of hell, one is able to learn more about the mindset of Dante the Poet.  At the outset, Dante is clearly subservient to Virgil, whom he holds in high esteem for his literary genius. However, as the work progresses, Virgil facilitates Dante’s spiritual enlightenment, so that by the end, Dante has ascended to Virgil’s spiritual level and has in many respects surpassed him. In Dante’s journey with respect to Virgil, one can see

And in so doing, we also are running from the only possible way to gain that Joy: The reason and faith that have the power to guide us.

Dante has experienced many different things while exploring the Inferno that help him realize his full potential and his true self. The biggest change Dante made was the amount of courage he had while going through the Inferno. This can be seen through the way he acts throughout the book. This is shown when Dante in the beginning of the Inferno faints due to fear. While in the first circle of Hell after entering the gates of Hell Dante faints after seeing “[a] whirl burst out of the tear drenched earth, a wind that crackled with bloodred light” (III;133). If Dante was more courageous by this point in his journey Dante wouldn’t have fainted. However, as Dante continues on his journey he runs into more things that

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

Edmond Dantes was a 19 year old man who became captain of a ship name the Pharaon. He was much loved by everyone. He is pretty gullible and becomes vengeful when the one guy he considered his friend betrayed him the other two who he was not to fond of ruined his life. He was a respectable young man who showed that numerous times like when he had to leave Morrel while he was talking to him; he said “I beg you excuse me, Monsieur Morrel (Dumas 5). He was to be betrothed to a girl named Mercedes who he’d loved very much but he loved his father most of all. He felt bad when he found out his father was broke from paying his debt causing him to fall to his knees and said “may God forgive me” (Dumas 9). Dantès is a pretty unique character who

Often when we set out to journey in ourselves, we come to places that surprise us with their strangeness. Expecting to see what is straightforward and acceptable, we suddenly run across the exceptions. Just as we as self‹examiners might encounter our inner demons, so does Dante the writer as he sets out to walk through his Inferno. Dante explains his universe - in terms physical, political, and spiritual - in the Divine Comedy. He also gives his readers a glimpse into his own perception of what constitutes sin. By portraying characters in specific ways, Dante the writer can shape what Dante the pilgrim feels about each sinner. Also, the reader can look deeper in the text and examine the

The first sin that Dante describes is heresy. The penalty in the medieval era for heresy was often "public humiliation, imprisonment" or "to suffer death by burning." (Cantor). The punishment for the "arch heretics and those who followed them" was that they be "ensepulchered" and to have some "heated more, some less." (Alighieri). These red-hot sepulchers served as a punishment for the heretics, causing burns. The archheretics firmly believed that everything died with the body therefore there was no soul. So, they were punished with the hot and crowded pokers, but they were also punished with their beliefs and they were allowed to feel what it’s like to die eternally and lie and wait until the apocalypse. This punishment is one in that was more focused on inflicting a physical and bodily pain rather than a mental one.