Analysis Of Dantes Inferno English Literature Essay

Analysis Of Dantes Inferno English Literature Essay Dante’s Inferno represents a microcosm of society; that is, laymen, clergy, lovers, wagers of war, politicians, and scholars are all collected into one place and punished for their worst ‘ and most human ‘ attributes. Hell, despite its otherworldly appearance and brutal, ugly nature, is somewhat humanized by the fact that those who are punished come from ‘every country’ (Dante 3.123) and every walk of life, regardless of age, race, sex, or creed. While Dante Alighieri did not invent the idea of Hell as a place of punishment for the wayward and sinful souls in the afterlife, he did create the most ‘powerful and enduring’ (Raffa 1) imagining of a concept which has received significant attention in biblical, classical, and medieval works. Dante’s Divine Comedy was written sometime between 1308 and 1321 and is considered â€Å"the supreme work of Italian literature† (Norwich 27). It is an epic poem divided into three separate se ctions: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso ‘ Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, respectively. The personal element of the journey through Hell in Dante’s Inferno literally explores the descent of one man into sin; through the use of poetic justice, both contemporary and historical figures, and mythological figures, Dante crafts an immediate and enthralling work dealing with the nature of sin and its place in society. The concept of poetic justice is famously explored in Inferno, where it is put to ‘dramatic effect†¦ devising appropriate torments for each particular sin’ (Raffa 3). From Limbo to Treachery, Dante catalogues and documents the punishment of sinners both infamous and beloved, famous and unknown. In every case, the punishment fits the crime in a twisted and malignant fashion ‘ after all, the poem does discuss the realm of Satan, the Christian embodiment of evil. The nine circles of Hell described in Inferno are as follows: Limbo, Lust, Glutto ny, Avarice and Prodigality, Wrath and Sullenness, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery. These nine circles are based off of the idea of the Seven Deadly Sins, with some additions ‘ such as Limbo ‘ created by Dante. The poem begins with Dante lost in a dark wood, assailed by three beasts he cannot evade, and unable to move ‘straight along’ (Dante 1.18) the road to salvation, represented by a mountain. A lion, a leopard, and a she-wolf ‘ symbolizing pride, envy, and avarice, respectively ‘ block Dante’s path to the top of the mountain, forcing him to descend into the depths of Hell with Virgil. The entire journey documented in the Divine Comedy is an allegory for man’s fall into sin before achieving redemption (represented by Purgatorio) and eventually salvation (represented by Paradiso). Before Dante even enters the gates of Hell, he is introduced to his guide for the first two realms of the afterlife, Inferno and Paradiso. For th is role, Dante chose Virgil (70-19 BCE), who lived under the rule of Julius Caesar and later Augustus during Rome’s transition from a republic into an empire, and is most famous for the Aeneid. Two episodes in Virgil’s work were of particular interest to Dante. Book IV tells the tale of Aeneas and Dido, the queen of Carthage, who kills herself when Aeneas ‘abandons her to continue his journey and†¦ [found] a new civilization in Italy’ (Raffa 8). Book VI recounts Aeneas’ journey into Hades to meet the shade of his father and learn of future events in his journey. Many elements in the Aeneid are present ‘ in heavily modified form ‘ in Dante’s Inferno. Many of Dante’s mythological elements are based on Book VI of Virgil’s Aeneid, which recounts Aeneas’ visit to the underworld. Virgil imbued his version of the underworld with a ‘fluid, dreamlike atmosphere’ (5), while Dante instead strives for gr eater realism, providing sharply drawn and tangible figures.