The Importance Of Pride In Dante's Commeferno

In Dante’s Commedia, Dante the pilgrim travels through all the layers of Hell, then Purgatory, and finally Paradise. Throughout his journey, he learns of all the things that can earn a person a spot in Hell, and attempts to learn how to change who he is in order to avoid the same fate for himself in his life. Dante mainly works his way through the Seven Deadly Sins, which are all damning, although only if they are present in excess. Dante, however, believes that there are some sins that are worse than the others. In his eyes, the worst possible sin is pride, so horrible that it lands you in the innermost circle of Hell. Dante, however, fails to examine the different extents of pride, as there is a difference between pride that is earned and

He was born too late to battle in the war against Olympus, and therefore finds himself unchained here in Hell. While his arrogance may not be quite as obvious, the answer can be found once again in Greek mythology. Antaeus famously wrestled any passerby, easily defeating them and keeping their skulls as trophies. His boastfulness when it came to being unstoppable is where his pride comes into play. He is proud of himself for having never lost a wrestling match, however this is in part due to his immense size compared to most men, but also due to the fact that he draws his strength from Gaia, his mother, and also the Earth itself. As long as Antaeus remained in contact with the ground, he was unconquerable. Therefore he had an unfair advantage over anybody who dared to take him on, lessening the scope of his achievement. Although Antaeus did not challenge the gods or any type of community, he exhibits a damning version of pride that is entirely

He states that, “the gallant deeds / of my forebears had made me arrogant” (Alighieri 254). Omberto is similar to Antaeus in that his pride is unwarranted, but arguably even less so. Omberto tells the pilgrim that he is proud on behalf of his forefathers rather than for his own accomplishments. His sense of satisfaction is greatly over-inflated in regards to his connection with the achievements. Even though we do not learn much of the deeds that Omberto is so proud of, we know that he did not achieve Paradise right away, but rather has to work his way up to it, and even is bent quite close to the Earth carrying the weight of his pride. Omberto serves as yet another example of the dangers of undeserved pride, although also showing that it is not completely damning, as long as the sinner sincerely repents for their