Dante’s Inferno and “The Uncommitted”
Some people stay in bed all day and only get up to do the bare necessities ; while other people get up every morning with the mindset that they are going to change the world. In Dante’s Inferno, written by Dante Alighieri, nearly every punishment is intended to represent a contrapasso, a reflection of being punished equally for the sinner’s crime. Dante’s Inferno is an epic poem whose writing began in 1308 and was completed in 1320, which was a year before Alighieri’s death. It is considered the preeminent work of Italian literature and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature. Dante first introduces his readers to the idea in the Vestibule , an area that was reserved for the souls of …show more content…
Since they led pointless lives, they had to follow a floating banner that they would never catch. Their tears, which represent their emotions, and blood, which represent their lives, are being swallowed up by worms. The souls are naked and are being stung by wasps and are bitten by horseflies. This is contrapasso because since the souls in this section of Hell had led a pointless life, they had a pointless task ; a second way this is contrapasso is that insects and bugs are seen as insignificant, so that is how the bugs and worms treated the souls. When the spirits are seen as being naked, that symbolizes them being stripped of any identity. The spirits on this level seem to be exhausted, bitter, angry, rowdy, disrespectful, violent, and they are heard curing God. At this point, you reach the River Acheron , where Charon is. Charon has a big beard, rings of fire around his eyes to try and make him look demonic, and his job in Hell was to ferry should to deeper levels of Hell. When Dante is recognized as annoying and a nuisance by Charon, that means that Dante is a good person and does not deserve to be in Hell. Dante has to show Charon the bough that he had to get ferried to the deeper levels of
Some people stay in bed all day and only get up to do the bare necessities ; while other people get up every morning with the mindset that they are going to change the world. In Dante’s Inferno, written by Dante Alighieri, nearly every punishment is intended to represent a contrapasso, a reflection of being punished equally for the sinner’s crime. Dante’s Inferno is an epic poem whose writing began in 1308 and was completed in 1320, which was a year before Alighieri’s death. It is considered the preeminent work of Italian literature and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature. Dante first introduces his readers to the idea in the Vestibule , an area that was reserved for the souls of …show more content…
Since they led pointless lives, they had to follow a floating banner that they would never catch. Their tears, which represent their emotions, and blood, which represent their lives, are being swallowed up by worms. The souls are naked and are being stung by wasps and are bitten by horseflies. This is contrapasso because since the souls in this section of Hell had led a pointless life, they had a pointless task ; a second way this is contrapasso is that insects and bugs are seen as insignificant, so that is how the bugs and worms treated the souls. When the spirits are seen as being naked, that symbolizes them being stripped of any identity. The spirits on this level seem to be exhausted, bitter, angry, rowdy, disrespectful, violent, and they are heard curing God. At this point, you reach the River Acheron , where Charon is. Charon has a big beard, rings of fire around his eyes to try and make him look demonic, and his job in Hell was to ferry should to deeper levels of Hell. When Dante is recognized as annoying and a nuisance by Charon, that means that Dante is a good person and does not deserve to be in Hell. Dante has to show Charon the bough that he had to get ferried to the deeper levels of