The Punishment Suits The Crime For Dante

The Punishment Suits the Crime

In the Inferno, Dante takes us on a journey through Hell. Dante describes

the sins and the punishment in great detail. He puts the severity of the sins

in a particular order, where the further one goes down, the more severe the sin.

The order that Dante puts the sins in are: incontinence, violence, fraud, and

betrayal. This paper will discuss two groups of sins, incontinence and fraud,

and how severe the punishment for each sin is determined. In particular, it

will compare the sin of gluttony in the third circle and divining in the fourth

pouch of the eight circle.

The first group of sins are the incontinent sins. These are located in

the second through fifth rings. These sins are primarily concerned with sins of

the body. These sins also show a lack of restraint.

The sin of gluttony is found among the incontinent sins. Gluttony, by

definition, is excess, such as food and drink, for example. God has given us

all that we need on Earth, but that doesn't mean that we are supposed to have

excessive gratification. When Dante and Virgil enter the third Circle where the

gluttons are found, Dante acknowledges that it is "a realm of cold and heavy

rain-a dark, accursed torrent eternally poured with changeless measure and

nature" (Inferno, p. 45). The harsh and endless rain may be connected to the

sin of gluttony. Since these sinners experienced excess on Earth, then they too

are punished with an excess of rain in Hell. Dante also notices that "the soil

they drench gives off a putrid odor" (Inferno, p. 45). The punishment of

wallowing filth may also be connected to the sin of gluttony. Since they

indulged in filth on Earth, then they shall wallow in filth for all eternity in

Hell. The gluttons are also tortured by the three-headed dog Cerberus, the

mythological guardian of Hell.

Dante meets a sinner named Ciacco while in this third circle. He says to

Dante, "Your city, so full of envy that the sack spills over.