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Examples Of Retribution In Dante's Inferno

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In the Inferno, Dante continuously illustrates the law of retribution or the principle that one’s reparations should be adjusted to the severity of their crimes or actions. Because the Inferno is an allegory where Hell is made up of various concentric circles, Dante depends on symbolic retribution to develop and define his setting, characters, and plot. Each circle of Hell has sinners within them where each sinner is punishing, and their punishment is characteristic of their most severe sin. The spirit of the Roman poet Virgil guides Dante on his decent through Hell where it becomes clear that the deeper they venture, the more daunting their environment becomes. The theme of the law of retribution in Inferno is constantly reinforced with many examples throughout Hell; as Limbo turns to the Treacherous the retribution intensifies.
Dante portrays Limbo on the upper edge of hell. Conceptually, this circle is reserved for those who lacked the opportunity to choose between good or evil in terms of having faith in Christ (Dante 4.34-35). These sinners are largely unbaptized, those who lived before the birth of Jesus Christ, and moral pagans (Dante 4.63). In accordance to the law of retribution, the occupants of this circle are not severely punished because their sins are not particularly violent. While they are not suffering for their …show more content…
Dante painted Limbo in this picture to place his guide Virgil, Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato who lived with wisdom, while without religion (Dante 4.130-134). Dante found it appropriate that these decent pagans of Ancient Greece and Rome live in a place resembling their creation. While they are unable to cross into Paradise without divine faith, Dante permits them to exist in in human wisdom and reason only without the light of God. They are in peace, yet full of sorrow (Dante

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