...The Inferno Essay Dante's The Inferno, is an epic poem that has thrilled and informed the common man for centuries. He portrays a vivid description of one man's journey through hell and back with the past poet Virgil at his side. This epic has lead many through the depths of Medieval Christianity, displaying its importance on every society since then. With this description, man is awakened to the ethical, political, social, and philosophical aspects of Dante's time, later introducing the Renaissance era. Society in the Middle Ages consisted of two focuses; survival and God. These focuses lead many to forget the developed areas of knowledge and reason before their time. This society's people were believed to be laborers, or otherwise known as the hands of God, as displayed in their art work and literature. All actions were taken not for themselves but for God alone. This was described clearly, by Dante's witnessing of the thirteenth circle of hell containing the suicides. Those within this circle committed an act completely self centered, altering their intentions from God to themselves, leading them to a circle lower then murder. God and the church were not only a primary religious focus, but a structured hierarchy system for all society to follow. With God at the absolute highest position, his principles created an ethical map structuring nine circles of hell along with a social structure in the Middle Ages. This social structure was a fixed hierarchy where individuals never...
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...The impact of Dente’s Inferno on European Society and History, a reflective essay “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here” resonates across the centuries. For over 650 years, from the time it was written until today, critics have analyzed and reinterpreted The Devine Comedy and especially Inferno, written by Dente Alighieri (1265–1321) while he was in exile from Florence, Italy . The fact that it has tremendous impact on art and literature is evident by the centuries of continuous study and the number of notable authors and artists whose works clearly reflect an influence from the theological, political or poetic value of the piece. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) wrote in a 1929 essay that “Dante and Shakespeare divide the modern world between them; there is no third,”1 Certainly the word pictures in Inferno are vivid and memorable. But did Inferno actually influence society? Did it shape history? Did thought leaders of Dante’s time and over the centuries following find inspiration in its pages such that the Western world today is different than it might have been without Inferno? There are few works of literature to emerge from the Middle Ages with a lasting legacy to the modern world. Historically, Inferno was the first great literary work available in the vernacular, or common dialect, of a region. As such, it had an impact on the formation of the Italian language. More compelling, Dante’s work seems to be a dividing line between the epic poems of antiquity and the modern, humanistic...
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...Nemo Zaragoza IGE 122 04/04/2012 Dante’s Inferno I have to start by stating that I was overjoyed when we were going to get the chance to read The Divine Comedy. This collection of Dante’s the poets’ poems have been a great and entertaining read. The reason why I was so excited to be reading this book is because of the fact that this book seems to take a few ‘religious liberties’ and explores the concept of hell and prods at the thought of possibly being more to hell than meets the eye. Not only that, but there was a game that came out a couple of years ago that took a more aggressive approach to the book and it was the same premise except that Dante was more of a warrior than a poet. Not just that, but the reason Dante went to hell (in the video game) was to save his beloved Beatrice from the grasps of the devil. Now the reason for her being with the devil is because she made a bet against him saying that, whilst Dante was away on the churches crusades he would remain faithful. Well she lost that bet, mainly because Dante not only was unfaithful, but as he progresses through hell, he notices that he actually committed each of the sins of all the circles. Anyway, back on topic, it seems that Dante responded in a sort of quizzical way. While he was walking through the circles he would sort of comment and jest on the people he recognized, but for the most part he would question Virgil as to why some people were there even though they followed the rules or something along...
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...The book "Inferno", portrays the journey of its creator through what he says is Hell, consisting of nine circles which people who committed sin suffer in. In his adventure Dante is guided through the nine circles by the artist Virgil, who speaks to Human Reason. Every circle in the book speaks to an alternate kind of wrongdoing with an alternate sort of discipline, fluctuating according to the level of offense they conferred in life. In his outing through each one of these circles, Dante acknowledges and underlines the perfection of God's Justice and the seriousness of every offense towards the maker of all life. Dante as a Christian understands the perfection of God's justice. He can make an association between a spirit's wrongdoing on Earth and the discipline he or she gets in Hell. In Inferno, Dante clarifies that God made Hell by justice, a particular case of this, may be the point at which he was entering the Gates of Hell, he read on the passageway of the entryway the sign that said, "Sacred Justice moved my Architect I was raised here by the Divine Omnipotence..." (Alighieri Canto III) without a doubt, ascribing the making of Hell to God and his heavenly justice. God's perfect justice is precisely what shapes...
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...Culture and Religion: Atsumori and Inferno Various factors have been an influence in literature, both for past authors and present authors. These factors may stem from the culture in which we live and the religion in which we partake. In Dante’s Inferno and Motokiyo’s Atsumori, these influences were evident. In this paper, you will see how these influences affected these two historical pieces of literature. Dante’s Inferno included numerous elements suggesting to its’ religious influence. Dante also wrote two other pieces—Purgatorio and Paradiso-- during this time which lead to the belief that these three were symbolic to the Christian trinity; Father, Son, Holy Spirit (1827). Also notable about Dante’s writing is that he ended these three pieces with the same word, stelle (stars). He wrote of the different crimes (sins) and punishments that would be placed upon all citizens if necessary. Those who disobeyed would be cast in to purgatory. Some examples of these crimes were lust, violence against neighbors, and violence against God. These are also extremely comparable to The Ten Commandments in the Christian religion. He also spoke of Lord, Noah, and Abel in this piece (Canto IV, Lines 50-55). Culture also played a role in this piece of literature. Before this time, Dante had been extremely active in the military in Florence. He had lived most of his life supporting the church until later in his life when he began to think the church was corrupt. He lived many...
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...Gutierrez, Jerome Erick A. Synthesis Paper Inferno 4 and Purgatorio 7 (Comparing and Contrasting) Initially, I wanted to see if there was similarity between the Inferno’s first circle or level and the Pugatorio’s first spur, terrace, or level but I could not really find anything. I then decided to write once again about a topic found in my first paper and I noticed that despite the fact that the Valley of the Rulers isn’t the first ledge, or terrace in Dante’s Purgatorio[1] (unlike Limbo which is the first circle of hell) and that it isn’t also technically IN Purgatory but right before it (a.k.a Ante-Purgatory), it does indeed have some similarity/parallelism (but also big differences) to the first circle of the Inferno (Limbo). The key words I noticed was that Dante the wayfarer asks Virgil who are those “separate from the rest” as they approach Limbo[2] (In the Inferno). Then in the Purgatorio, Sordello leads Dante and Virgil to the Valley of the Rulers who are referred to those (spirits) who are “set apart”[3] Now speaking of Limbo in the Inferno, Virgil, who also happens to be from this place (proved by line 39, Inferno 4), refers to the inhabitants of Limbo as “those who live in longing”[4] (manifested by their constant sighing, and not any outcry of pain due to suffering unlike other Cantos in the Inferno). Logically and factually, these souls long for the Beatific Vision or entry into Paradise, but such event will never happen despite these pagans being virtuous[5]...
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...God created the Inferno to punish the sinful souls and makes the each punishment appropriate for the sins. (Here the word “sin” means “crime.”) Throughout the Inferno, The Law of Retribution (contrapasso) rules over Dante’s Inferno, and the law states that the sinners need to suffered the same degree of punishment based on the sin’s nature. So the sinner who committed a terrible sin would suffer more punishments. In the second circle are punished those who are lustful. These sinners unable to control themselves to do the sinful things based on their lustful desires. The lustful sinners are tossed in a violent storm, and unable to control themselves in this circle. Following is a good example of lust characters: Francesca and...
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...along with many of his peers and influences, views Islam as a false sect broken off from the core of Christianity and Mohammed as a Christian with a corrupted view of doctrine that lures potential followers from a true path of righteousness. Mohammed, like Dante, feels a spiritual discontentment that leads him on a reflective journey; however, as Mohammed turns his personal path, beliefs, and interpretations into its own doctrine, he varies from Dante’s poetic but applicable tale of salvation. Dante’s encounter with Mohammed and the description of his punishment in the twenty-eighth canto of the Inferno provide a possible future for Dante should he attempt to push the truth status of his epic, whether intentionally or accidentally, beyond a poetic suspension of belief to a doctrine split off from the main body of Christianity. Dante condemns the Muslims that appear in the Inferno not as a mass gathering of false believers in a single region of Hell but as individuals based on an analysis of their lives to determine the gravity of each of their sins like all others punished in the epic. Three Muslims, in fact, earn a place not only in Dante’s Limbo but also within its “noble castle” (Alighieri 4.106). Saladin, Averroes, and Avicenna reside with other “great spirits” whose accomplishments were so great in their earthly lives that they may reside in the light despite their false beliefs (Alighieri 4.119). As the totality of their actions face judgment rather than any singular...
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...Contrapasso is one of only a handful few principles in Dante's Inferno. It is the one "law of nature" that applies to damnation, expressing that for each heathen's wrongdoing there must be an equivalent and fitting discipline. These disciplines, in any case, are once in a while basic or clear and are generally figuratively as opposed to actually identified with their separate sins. Indeed, Dante researcher Lino Pertile takes note of, "the routes in which [contrapasso] works in the account are the same number of as the transgressions, if not the same number of as the miscreants, to which it is connected" (70-73). As is not out of the ordinary with such a confounded idea, numerous elucidations of this exchange amongst transgression and discipline...
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...The human body has always interested me. The way that it dramatically changes throughout life and events that we are not able to control. Dante endures a similar fascination with the human body and its changes a parts on his journey through hell through the Inferno. Even reading this a second time, I was able to make even more personal connections with the book than I previously had. I have had many experiences where my view of the human body was being ruined by uncontrollable forces. Much like me, Dante’s fascination with the body often leads to disgust of even pain when it is ruined. Not long ago while I was still in my boarding school, my grandmother that I called Nana had a heart attack. She is fine now, but it worried our entire family...
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...An Analysis of the Setting in The Inferno Abstract Plutus and Pluto, and their placement in the fourth circle of Hell, were originally very confusing for me. After researching for the interactive oral, I had a much better understanding of him because, in Greek mythology, he is the God of wealth and, in Roman mythology, he is the God of the underworld. Pluto, the Roman God, is not only the God of the underworld, but also of the riches. He is placed in the fourth circle of Hell, that of greed and avarice, which makes sense because of the occupants’ sins, which have to do with riches and wealth. Also, the negative association of money and wealth to greed helped me tie in why a God was in Hell, other than the fact that Pluto/Plutus was Roman/Greek and not Christian. This development not only helped me understand why greed was around the middle of Hell, but also why Pluto/Plutus was there. It also connects to the prevalent idea of retribution, or an eye-for-an-eye, because the God of wealth, riches, and the underworld (money and evil) was around greed (evil due to money). My understanding of the retribution idea in The Inferno was also developed substantially through the interactive oral. Originally, it was easy for me to understand that the punishments were retributive; such as those who tried to look into the future will look backwards (to the past) for all eternity; gluttoners are rained upon by vomit (because they regurgitated what they ate), etc.; but what I did not understand...
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...Chase Hamblen English 2410 Mr. Wesley Jarrett 10 April 2012 Inferno Canto I I awoke from a daze to find that I was in a dark unfriendly place with cave-like features, filled with sin and wrongdoings. I do not recall how I got to such a place, but after collecting myself, I noticed a very dim light to one end of the cave, so I proceeded toward it. The path I had chosen seemed to descend, and as I appeared to reach the light I was astonished to find a lion with a bright glow blocking the path. As he paced back and forth, looking at me hungrily, I considered retreating. After realizing I was no match for the magnificent beast, I turned and began to venture back to the other side of the seemingly never-ending cave. Then, a man appeared before me and stated that his name was Izuel, a fallen angel. He explains that the lion represents different forms of evil and tells that another greater being that represents good will come one day and remove the lion from its post. Amazed by this story and his Izuel’s arrival, I asked why he had been banished from Heaven. He told me the story of how he had spoken against God and had been sent to Hell, and has been sent by my long lost wife in Heaven and given a short time to guide me to Heaven. He then outlines what the journey will be like and warns me that I must first journey with him through Hell. He says that there are three levels that we must travel through and that each level will be worse than the last, consisting of obstacles...
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...John Anhcondo 02/02/13 G4 Dante’s Inferno: Jason Jason and the Argonauts, a hero of Greek mythology, punished for the sins of a seducer in the eighth circle of hell. He is to march for all eternity and be whipped by demons supervising himself and the other sinner in Dante’s Inferno. One might ask is this punishment too severe, whether it’s for the seduction and abandonment of two women, or even poetic justice for his sins. Jason of Iolcus in Thessaly, the son of the former king of Iolcus, Aeson, was one of the heroes taught by the centaur Chiron. As a young man Jason went to the court of his uncle Pelias to reclaim the throne his father had given his uncle with the condition that Jason would become king when he came of age. King Pelias, warned by an oracle that a man with one sandal would cause him to lose the throne, was alarmed when he saw Jason because, while crossing a river, Jason had lost one of his sandals. To stave off the oracle's predicted ill fortune, Pelias sent Jason on what was presumed to be a suicide mission, which was to fetch the Golden Fleece from Colchis. Jason succeeded in the seemingly impossible quest, with the help of his many heroic friends, known collectively as the Argonauts, and by charming the king's daughter Medea, a witch/sorceress. (It should also be noted that before he met Medea he had slept with a woman of The Isle of Lemnos, and left her with child When he left Colchis, Jason was obligated to take Medea with him because she had betrayed...
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...In The Inferno it illustrates Dante and Virgil’s journey through Hell, and results in Dante understanding sins. According to the Bible, sinners will be punished for eternity, and those who follows good Christain values will live in eternal happiness, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life,” (Revelation 21.8) Dante’s journey allows him to see the pain that sinners go through for eternity, and learns about how sins can cause an eternity of pain. In the beginning of the poem, we see that Dante has lost his way of life, Midway in our life’s journey, I went astray From the straight road and woke to find myself alone in a dark wood. (The Inferno, 16) Dante has lost his way to salvation, and Virgil...
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...Symbolism The Inferno by Dante Alighieri is a work of art in which symbolism plays a prevalent role. Whether it is in the punishments or the monsters in each circle, everything has a dual meaning. During the entire book there are seen thirty monsters and five hybrid creatures, each representing something different. Throughout the circles the readers view tortures that are the physical equivalent of their actions. Alighieri exposes societies misdeeds in an ingenious way that leaves the readers smirking with satisfaction at the justice. In the first circle, those unbaptized wander around in a fog. This is a fitting punishment because the fog blinds them much like the absence of god blinds them wit no hope. It is odd that Alighieri put Virgil, Homer and anyone else who came before ‘God’ in this circle. In the second circle, those considered lustful and wanton are constantly blown about like leaves in the wind. This is an apt punishment because these particular sinners let their uncontrolled emotions rule their judgment, therefore they will never settle. In the second circle, we meet a monster called Minos. He is the son of Zeus and Europa and had been a King of Crete while in the world of the living. It is said of Minos that “His terrifying treatment of the souls is significant as after Charon, he is one of the first figures who they encounter on their passage into hell, and his unique method of demonstrating which area of hell that the souls should be sent to increases the...
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