Definition Essay: The Sin Of Lust

Throughout history, humans have existed as a symbol of lust endlessly. Lust is more than just a sexual desire; it’s a need for pleasure. Even in the bible, John describes lust as “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” Humankind’s psyche is founded up on the idea of having and expressing feelings. Emotions are some of the key motives that influence our actions. However, the abuse and obsession with feelings, especially of pleasure, are what define the sin of lust. Lust, when translated into Latin, is “luxuria”, which, in turn, is synonymous with luxury. “The Greek word epithymia [ejpiqumiva] and the Hebrew words awah [h"w'a] and hamad [d;m'j] can themselves be used in a neutral or good sense. In these instances the New International Version does not translate the word as ‘lust.’ Rather, it is translated as ‘desire,’ ‘longing,’ and the

like” (Akin 1). Throughout the history of the translation for the word Lust, it has evolved and adapted to different meanings. Although it may seem as if lust’s primary definition is sexual desire, it is also prominent as basic as desire itself.
“The issues of lust and immodesty date back almost to the very beginning, stemming from a disruption of the relationship God intended for women and men.

Digging deeper into Adam and Eve's unity—and disunity—helps shape our current understanding of male lust” (Miller 1). Even dating back to the ideas of Adam and Eve and how Adam betrayed God with his lust is a prime example of how lust has transcended throughout history. Even in ancient Greece, Solon founded state brothels and taxed prostitutes on their earnings. Lust is noticed throughout history and can be identified closely with scandals and issues with relationships. It is obvious that lust is apparent in our society today. For example, a popular example of lust could be the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal. His lust for another woman and his lies that derived from those feelings almost got him impeached from office. This sin is one of the most basic and popular sins known throughout history because of it’s deep connection to human actions. Passion drives almost everyone, and if it takes complete control, then lust can cause one to ruin

themselves.
In the epic, Dante places lust in one of the first few levels of Hell, which is most likely due to the fact that it is for lovers and Dante had his own love interest in the Divine Comedy, known as Beatrice. This sin is mainly found in Canto V, where The Pilgrim and Virgil come across the second circle of Hell, containing the lustful and overly passionate. The ultimate crime for those who are condemned to this circle of Hell are those who have been consumed by the sin of lust and passion. These people who are in this Canto are those who let passion and emotions drive their reason and actions to the point where they have gone against God. The Pilgrim witnesses the damned being punished for their sins for the first time in this level. The ultimate punishment for them is to be put into a place with no light and where harsh winds lash upon them, whipping them all around to feel God’s almighty power.
There are many residents of this level of Hell that Dante places here and that would be placed there if Dante created this in modern times. The main resident of this circle is Minos, the beastial judge of Hell. This creature determines your greatest sin and places you in the respective circle of Hell. However, Dante did take this character from Greek mythology, for Minos was a son of Zeus. Dante merely changed Minos into a demonic creature. The first person named is Semiramis, said to be Ninus’ wife from Greek mythology, for she was placed in this level because she legalized lust during her reign. Dante placed her here in order to represent the libidinous passion in all it’s forms, but also as a primary motive of society that opposes God’s will. In addition to this, The next person placed here is Dido, who is known as the queen of Carthage. She swore her faithfulness to her deceased husband, Sichaeus, however she fell in love with the leader of the Trojans, Aeneas. Then, after Aeneus left, Dido killed herself because of her longing passion for Aeneas. This decision would have placed here in the seventh circle of hell with those who have committed violence against oneself, but she only did so because of the deep passion for Aeneas. Cleopatra is also a person placed in this level of Hell because of her love for men’s lusting, using lust as a tool for pleasure and image.
Helen and Paris are lovers who became married despite Helen’s marriage to the king of Sparta. In addition, they left to Troy, where Paris requested men to regain Helen during the Trojan war. Also, during the Trojan war, was Achilles, who is also placed in this level of Hell. However, in Dante’s version, he describes Achilles as a mortal man who languished in the bonds of love. Achilles was actually slain by Paris in a convoluted plan by Polynexa’s mother for him to be killed. The last two that Dante meets are Francesca and Paolo. They planned for Francesca to be married to Paolo’s physically deformed brother in order for them to be together, but when he found them together, he killed them both. Now they are stuck in Hell together, always wanting each other but never able to touch. All of these people are those who Dante sees as lustful and compelled through passion.
One historical, post-Dante figure that he would have placed here is King George VIII. He had six wives and this is a prime example of a man whose lust took control of him and caused him to kill his old wife if he found someone new to love. Some fictional characters Dante would place in this level Hell would be most of the characters from Shakespearean plays. However, most prominently would be Romeo and Juliet. They were so in love that they would do anything to be together, even to the extent of suicide.
Lust is also found within the Eighth Circle of Hell in Canto XVIII. This level of Hell contains the Pimps and Panderers, and the Seducers, who abuse lust for their advantage. For example, in this level of Hell, because they abused lust for their own self-motives, they are punished by whips from horned demons in a ditch beneath a bridge. This is appropriate because these who are condemned to this level of Hell used people’s passions for their own advantage and now they will be used by the whip-wielding demons for eternity.
There are two people that Dante describes in this part of Hell; Venedico Caccianemico and Jason. Venedico is placed in this bolgia because he sent his own sister over to the Marquis of Este to gain respect from them. Jason was basically a man who lost the throne to his brother and he ended up making a promise to his brother that he would complete a series of tasks. However, a women fell in love with him and he was able to use her magic to complete the work quicker. Then, he married her but fell in love with another woman, which, in turn, caused the wife to be infuriated and she killed her children. Jason then died of grief and is now in this level of Hell because he used his wife’s love as a tool so he can win the throne and then betray her.
In modern day, Dante could have placed many people here, real and fictional. However, one main person who he would have placed here is Hugh Hefner because he is the creator of Playboy. Although he never prostituted anyone, he uses women and sexual lust in order to gain fame and wealth. This is a definite cause for him to be put in this level of Hell. In the bible, the story of Samson in Judges 13–16 portrays a man who was given power by God through his hair but who ends up losing it when Delilah allows the Philistines to shave his hair during his slumber. This seduction through Delilah is a reason why she would be likely put in this level of Hell.
One of the most interesting stories told to Dante from the damned is the passage from Francesca and Paolo in Canto V. Virgil and the Pilgrim come across the lovers in the wind of the second level of Hell. Francesca and Paolo describe their reason for being condemned there and what happened to them.
“‘Love, that on gentle heart doth swiftly seize,
Seized this man for the person beautiful
That was ta'en from me, and still the mode offends me.
Love, that exempts no one beloved from loving,
Seized me with pleasure of this man so strongly,
That, as thou seest, it doth not yet desert me;
Love has conducted us unto one death;
Caina waiteth him who quenched our life!’
These words were borne along from them to us” (Alighieri 112).
This passage is very important to understanding the logos, or pathos controlling logos, behind why these sinners feel compelled to lust. Dante uses repetition of the word “Love” at the beginning of each stanza for this passage, showing how their love affected them through their lives and in death.
In the very same Canto, Dante replies to the couple’s story with a question dealing with their motives, thus Francesca answers.
“‘But tell me, at the time of those sweet sighs,
By what and in what manner Love conceded,
That you should know your dubious desires?’
And she to me: ‘There is no greater sorrow
Than to be mindful of the happy time
In misery, and that thy Teacher knows’” (Alighieri 113).
This question from Dante shows how he wants to understand why the damned commit these sins against God and the true confusion humanity has with sins and their true motives. However, Francesca replies with an answer that is not fully represented in the passage but she goes on to explain that one cannot feel regretful for acting in a moment of passion because when one day there will be a time when one cannot be with whom they love ever again. The irony of this passage is that the couple is in deep grief and sorrow in Hell, yet they do not regret their sin because they love each other so much.
Later on in the epic, Dante and Virgil come across the Eighth Circle of Hell in Canto XVIII. In this level of Hell are the Pimps and Panderers, where Dante meets Venedico Caccianemico. The Pilgrim then asks why he is there and Venedico answers.
“‘I was the one who coaxed Ghisolabella
To serve the lusty wishes of the Marquis,
No matter how the sordid tale is told;
I’m not the only Bolognese who weeps here-
Hardly! This place is packed with us; in fact,
There are more of is here than there are living tongues’” (Alighieri 234).
This response not only answers Dante’s questions as to why the damned soul is there, but he also describes the amount of people who are there. In addition to this, this whole conversation truly shows how guilty the soul is for his sin. He even states that he is not so keen to answer and he starts to explain that he is not the only one so Dante does not think too bad of him. This is one of the points in the epic that hints at Dante’s possible anger towards the souls. At the beginning, Dante pitied the damned, yet towards the end he starts to hate them. There is also irony when the soul uses the metaphor between the amount of pimps and panderers there and the amount of living tongues because they are all dead except for Dante, so he is only referring to one person.
Soon after conversing with Venedico, Dante then went on to describe how it looked in that certain level of Hell. They two had just passed the pimps and panderers’ ditch and then was led over to the seducers’ ditch.
“Now we could hear the shades in the next pouch
whimpering, making snorting grunting sounds.
and abutment for another ditch’s arch.
From a steaming stench below, the banks were coated
with a slimy mold that stuck to them like glue,
disgusting to behold and worse to smell” (Alighieri 235).
This specific passage does not directly explain much about the crimes of the seducers, however it does describe their punishment which is similar to the pimps but they walk in the other direction. Dante’s description of the seducers’ arch is very intense with imagery of the setting, using a simile to describe the mold’s hold on the damned. All of the description Dante uses in this passage is crucial to understanding the harshness of this sin. The abuse of lust is put at a lower level of Hell than the actual sin of lust itself. Dante does this mainly to show the reader how abusing one’s emotions and passions is ultimately fraud and is not only hurting you, but also others.
To conclude the analysis of lust in Dante’s Inferno, one of the first encounters with the sin is actually when the Pilgrim meets Virgil. Dante is lost in the woods with three beasts chasing him, but Virgil appears and says his lover has provided guidance to Paradiso.
“‘O Lady of virtue, thou alone through whom
The human race exceedeth all contained
Within the heaven that has the lesser circles,
So grateful unto me is thy commandment,
To obey, if 'twere already done, were late;
No farther need'st thou ope to me thy wish.
But the cause tell me why thou dost not shun
The here descending down into this centre,
From the vast place thou burnest to return to.'
'Since thou wouldst fain so inwardly discern,
Briefly will I relate,'she answered me,
'Why I am not afraid to enter here’” (Alighieri 83).
This passage is important to understanding Dante’s trust in Virgil despite the journey he proposes. Beatrice is Dante’s ultimate love and he would do anything if it was at her will. However, does this not portray lust and deep passion for her? This is one of the first encounters with lust in the epic, yet it is very indirect. Dante’s journey is profoundly based upon his passion for Beatrice and the entrance to Paradiso. Therefore, no matter if he must travel through Hell, he would do so in order to figure out what is needed to enter Paradiso.
Dante’s Inferno was a epic that not only shaped humankind’s perception of Hell and sins, but it also established a beautiful story arc that is adapted and alluded to many times in modern literature. This epic is so convoluted with allegories, allusions, and symbols that it is nearly impossible to read it once and understand it completely. The deep layers to this piece are what makes it such an influence to literature and society today.