During the occurrence of political turmoil in Florence between the White Guelphs and the Black Guelphs, the disruption between these two political parties has caused a dispute towards the papal rule; one party whom opposed papal rule, and one whom favored it. The Black Guelps who supported papal rule, dominated the White Guelphs. Considering the fact that Alighieri was a White Guelph, whom opposed papal rule, he was exiled from Florence. In the course of Alighieri’s banishment, he wrote the epic poem, The Inferno, which was inspired by his love, Beatrice. The Inferno is an allegory in which the poet Dante is guided through the circles of Hell by Virgil, who represents human reason. During his duration in Hell, Dante encounters numerous sinners whom are punished varyingly. Out of the many individuals, Dante confronts Fillipo Argenti, Bocca Deliabbati, and Pope Boniface VIII, political sinners whom he displays animosity towards. To emphasize the animosity Dante embodies, Alighieri utilizes diction, actions, as well as imagery to express hostility towards these sinners in Hell. Proceeding onto the fifth circle of Hell, Alighieri uses diction towards Fillipo Argenti to reveal his hostility. Due to the overthrow of the White Guelphs, Dante becomes filled with resentment once he encounters Fillipo Argenti, an opposed political enemy. To express his enmity towards Filipo, Dante bitterly verbalizes his repugnant conscience saying, “May you weep through all eternity, for I know you, hell-dog, filthy as you are” (Canto VIII lines 37-38). With asserting harsh words like ‘hell-dog’, Alighieri uses diction to imply how Fillipo is a savage, wrathful sinner by adding ‘hell’ to ‘dog’, which emphasizes the meaning of the word dog to a more atroc... ... middle of paper ... ...fits you- and keep a good guard on the ill-won wealth that once made you so bold toward Charles of Anjou”(Canto XIX lines 91-93). Regarding the apathetic reactions expressed by Dante, Alighieri displays animosity by stating, “Therefore stay as you are; this hole well fits you”, indicates how he has grown hostile by further punishing Pope Nicholas’ maltreatment by not only stating how Pope Nicholas deserves the suffering that he is in, but also how it suits him well. Therefore, this conveys how Dante does not care about the pain that the Pope suffers, but instead he believes that Pope Nicholas deserves the penalty due to all the exploitation he has corrupted. With being punished for simony, Alighieri further expresses his animosity towards Pope Nicholas by displaying direct criticism, wishing him to sustain more harm as he is in the baptismal font.
Dante’s Inferno is an unparalleled piece of literature where Dante creates, experiences, and explains hell. He organizes it into four different sections, inconvenience, violence, simple fraud, and treachery. These sections are further divided into ten different circles of hell, which are the Neutrals, Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Avarice and Prodigality, Anger and Sullenness, Heresy, Violence, the Ten Malebolge, and the Frozen Floor of Hell. King Minos passes judgement on each of the people who enter hell, and he then sends them to their designated circle. The organization of Dante’s four sections, his ten circles, and the judgement from King Minos all display forms of cultural bias. This paper will demonstrate possible differences by providing an
Inferno is the story of Dante's journey through Hell on his way to heaven to see Beatrice. There is the recurring theme throughout the text. Dante loves her so he is willing to go through the perilous and difficult journey to get to her. Dante was a rather religious individual and it shows throughout his writing. “The time was the beginning of the morning; the sun was rising now in fellowship with the same stars that had escorted it when Divine Love first moved those things of beauty; so that the hour and the gentle season gave me good cause for hopefulness on seeing that b...
As readers in the modern age, it is sometimes hard for us to examine and understand the words and messages due to the bridge between the ancient classical poems and the modern age poems. In Dante’s inferno poem, it is very challenging to analyze the information in such a rigorously written poem and relate the same poem to the said writer (Williams). Understanding the poem goes beyond the fiery depths of hell and into the real world of Dante and the surroundings that influenced his writing and creativity. The involvement of Dante Allegro in ancient political factions, in his own city state, led to his exile and consequently his demise. His mortality will forever be felt from his work as readers will constantly warn of the rot in the political and church corruption.
Dante’s Inferno is the narration told of the life of Dante Alighieri. The narration is done by Dante himself where he explains his life and various encounters. Dante is known for writing various stories and poems which he did after he was exiled from Florence where he was an ambassador. He had lived a life among the middle class, loved and lost his love to death, and gotten into leadership in Florence. His various experiences in life had caused him to have a distorted view of the purity of the Catholic Church in its indulgence in politics. The terms of the exile demanded that his return would be punishable by death.
Alighieri places Filippo Argenti in Circle Five, the Styx, among the wrathful souls; here is the first time that readers see Dante express such strong emotions of hate towards a sinner. These feelings displayed through his use of dialogue, juxtaposition, imagery, diction, and tone. Alighieri’s hatred is justified, as it is revealed that Argenti has been a longtime enemy who had played perhaps the most decisive role in Alighieri’s banishment from Florence. Dante encounters Argenti trying to board the skiff on which the poets were crossing the Styx, and upon recognition ...
Inferno, the first part of Divina Commedia, or the Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri, is the story of a man's journey through Hell and the observance of punishments incurred as a result of the committance of sin. In all cases the severity of the punishment, and the punishment itself, has a direct correlation to the sin committed. The punishments are fitting in that they are symbolic of the actual sin; in other words, "They got what they wanted." (Literature of the Western World, p.1409) According to Dante, Hell has two divisions: Upper Hell, devoted to those who perpetrated sins of incontinence, and Lower Hell, devoted to those who perpetrated sins of malice. The divisions of Hell are likewise split into levels corresponding to sin. Each of the levels and the divisions within levels 7,8, and 9 have an analogous historical or mythological figure used to illustrate and exemplify the sin.
Inferno is the first and most famous of a three part series by Dante Alighieri known as the Divine Comedy that describes his journey to God through the levels of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise written in the early fourteenth century. Scholars spanning over nearly seven centuries have praised its beauty and complexity, unmatched by any other medieval poem. Patrick Hunt’s review, “On the Inferno,” states, “Dante’s extensive use of symbolism and prolific use of allegory— even in incredible anatomical detail—have been often plumbed as scholars have explored the gamut of his work’s classical, biblical, historical, and contemporary political significance” (9). In the story, each of the three main characters, Dante, Virgil, and Beatrice, represent
Dante Alighieri's The Inferno is a poem written in first person that tells a story of Dante’s journey through the nine circles of Hell after he strays from the rightful path. Each circle of Hell contains sinners who have committed different sins during their lifetime and are punished based on the severity of their sins. When taking into the beliefs and moral teachings of the Catholic Church into consideration, these punishments seem especially unfair and extreme.
Dante’s Inferno presents the reader with many questions and thought provoking dialogue to interpret. These crossroads provide points of contemplation and thought. Dante’s graphic depiction of hell and its eternal punishment is filled with imagery and allegorical meanings. Examining one of these cruxes of why there is a rift in the pits of hell, can lead the reader to interpret why Dante used the language he did to relate the Idea of a Just and perfect punishment by God.
“How stern the power of Almighty God who crushes sinners with such righteous blows(Canto XXIV lines 109-110)!” In Dante’s Inferno, Dante Alighieri describes a trip through Hell, visiting the various sinners and circles of Hell. Dante also uses many experiences and beliefs from his real life to enrich his views of Hell and his idea of Divine Punishment. Dante’s perception of Divine Justice includes sinners whom he places in Hell for committing crimes without regret, they are placed lower in Hell according to the severity of their sins. Dante is not always just in his placement of sinners, his personal grudges and archaic Catholic beliefs get in the way of true Divine Justice.
Descending from the first to the second level of Hell, Dante witnesses the transition to greater agony and greater punishment for the damned. Overwhelmed by the sinner’s harrowing cries and the extensive list of seemingly innocent souls given to him by Virgil, Dante beckons for two lovers to approach him, desperate for some sense of comfort. The souls are known to be the historical figures Francesca de Rimini and her lover Paolo, forever trapped in the circle of lust due to their sinful adultery. Through her words spoken to Dante, Francesca shows how she feels she has been unjustly punished and is deserving of others’ sorrow, and Dante, despite his awareness that she is a sinner, pities her. A close reading of this passage is necessary to better understand Dante’s internal battle with showing compassion where it is not deserved and Francesca’s incessant denial of her sins.
Like some people, sometimes it just feels nice to see your own thoughts in the written word. Well, Dante wrote down these thoughts into these two works, how he felt about others at the time, how he felt about himself, what he believed about Catholicism, and the church at the time, what he believed hell would be like, and how he felt about sin, which is in fact the main subjects of his two works. So this brings us back to, Why did Dante write the Inferno? Because, he wanted to put his own thoughts down into paper In the form of a story, to let all read what he was thinking and feeling about everything is his life at the moment, as well as to in a way inform others about sin, what happens when you sin, and where sin causes you to go. It teaches moral lessons along with this, but also claims which sins he feels are the worst, the greatest of sins if you will. So this is why I believe Dante wrote the Inferno, to share his thoughts with the world, and imprint them on the mind for better or worse. Well I feel that for Mister Alighieri that he wrote to inform, and spread his ideas, his beliefs. Like some people, sometimes it just feels nice to see your own thoughts in the written
Durling, Robert M., Ronald L. Martinez. Notes. The Inferno. Vol 1. By Dante Alighieri. Trans. Robert M. Durling. New York: Oxford UP, 1996.
In conclusion, a great deal of tension and contrast between “dark” and “light” in The Inferno helps us to explore Dante’s self portrait—he fears dangerous desires and sinful darkness, but shows much courage and hope towards life since he nevertheless follows his guide Virgil to dive into horrible Hell. As shown in Canto I, such emotional reaction to dark and light symbols lays a great foundation for developing Dante’s broad and universal traits as his journey progresses.
Perception Dante Alighieri’s in The Inferno. In The Inferno, Dante Alighieri, the poet, places a strong emphasis on perception; it is through sight that Dante the pilgrim can acknowledge and learn from his experience in hell. Sight plays an especially crucial role in the work because Dante, the pilgrim, is often captivated by an image of some kind. The sight of the sinners transfixes Dante; and the sinners are, in turn, captivated with Dante and Virgil.