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Dante's Inferno Punishment Essay

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In Dante’s Inferno, the author chooses certain punishments for each sin in the 9 Circles of Hell. A few of these circles include Gluttony, Greed, and Heresy. In the story, at the gates of hell, it is said God created hell to achieve justice, and so each punishment is based off the desire for moral righteousness. The crimes committed in the real world coincide with the punishments for each sin in hell. As Dante and Virgil progress deeper into hell, the sins (received at the time) become more immoral and the penalties become even more severe. Gluttony is the third Circle of Hell. Souls of gluttons are observed by the monster Cereberus, a worm-like monster with three heads, and are punished by laying in filthy slush, while icy rain falls upon them. Elements of the punishment symbolize traits of gluttony. The slush represents the indignity when one indulges in excess of food, while selfishness is punished by having to lie where you can see no one else. Dante and Virgil speak to Ciacco, who tells of the symbolic purpose of Cereberus: “The ravenous hellhound is a torturer of gluttons. He feasts on our souls and disgorges them, so that he may always eat with insatiable hunger.” This creature may be meant to mock the gluttons as well, representing what God wants them to be seen as. …show more content…
In the poem this is also described as hoarding and wasting. “Hoarding and squandering wasted all their Light and brought them screaming to this brawl of wraiths. You need no words of mine to grasp their plight.”(Dante Alighieri) In this circle, people roll weights with their chest, symbolizing their greed for wealth. Dante particularly despises this sin, and feels little sympathy for the sufferers in hell. At the time, Dante witnessed greedy religious leaders and rulers, so here his character sees many popes and

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