Throughout the Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri describes his mythical journey through the afterlife. Before ultimately reaching Heaven in Paradise, he visits two worlds: one of the eternally damned souls in Inferno, the other of souls being cleansed, in Purgatory. Upon first glance, the two places described in these works seem exceedingly dissimilar— in many ways they are— but upon further analysis, one will find striking parallels among many aspects in Dante’s perception of Hell and Purgatory. Instances of significant differences between the two realms primarily involve: the nature of time spent by the souls, or the varieties of the people in their respective afterlives. Similarities shared by Dante’s ideas of Hell and Purgatory typically
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Besides a select few people, typically biblical figures, no one has ever been able to leave Hell (Inferno, Canto IV, 49-61). Once assigned to a place of damnation, one must stay there for eternity. Dante makes this point clear through an engraving on the archway of the gate into Hell: “Abandon all hope you who enter here” (Inferno, Canto III, 9-11). As this line suggests, upon entering Hell, there is no going back. The offender is destined to spend infinite time suffering. Conversely, Purgatory has a beginning and an end. Although the sinners are being punished, they are aware of a conclusion to this discontent, and are therefore far less miserable than those in Hell. When …show more content…
Dante uses Contrapasso, which refers to the punishment of the afterlife being fitting to the sin committed on Earth. In Inferno, an interesting example of Contrapasso can be found in Canto XX, in which Dante encounters the souls of the Diviners. When Dante sees them, he describes their appearance: “They seemed miraculously screwed about between the chin and where the torso starts… backward always did they have to go, as they had lost sight of the things ahead” (Inferno Canto XX, 11-15). The people who tried to go against God’s will and see the future, looking too far forward, can now only backward. In a similar manner, the souls being cleansed in purgatory must also suffer penalties that Dante sees fitting to their Earthly sins. In Canto XVIII, Dante comes across souls who seem to be in a constant hurry. Among the souls in this ring he encounters San Zeno’s abbot in Verona, who was being punished in purgatory for the sin of sloth. The abbot explains to Dante: “So full of ardent will to move are we, we cannot rest—pardon us, then, and don’t mistake our duty for discourtesy”(Purgatory Canto XVIII). In other words, the souls who were lazy in life must spend their time in Purgatory constantly moving. This correspondence in the nature of the punishment in Hell and Purgatory reveals Dante’s ideas of a proper justice system. The Christian view of the afterlife is known as a place where ultimate justice
Besides a select few people, typically biblical figures, no one has ever been able to leave Hell (Inferno, Canto IV, 49-61). Once assigned to a place of damnation, one must stay there for eternity. Dante makes this point clear through an engraving on the archway of the gate into Hell: “Abandon all hope you who enter here” (Inferno, Canto III, 9-11). As this line suggests, upon entering Hell, there is no going back. The offender is destined to spend infinite time suffering. Conversely, Purgatory has a beginning and an end. Although the sinners are being punished, they are aware of a conclusion to this discontent, and are therefore far less miserable than those in Hell. When …show more content…
Dante uses Contrapasso, which refers to the punishment of the afterlife being fitting to the sin committed on Earth. In Inferno, an interesting example of Contrapasso can be found in Canto XX, in which Dante encounters the souls of the Diviners. When Dante sees them, he describes their appearance: “They seemed miraculously screwed about between the chin and where the torso starts… backward always did they have to go, as they had lost sight of the things ahead” (Inferno Canto XX, 11-15). The people who tried to go against God’s will and see the future, looking too far forward, can now only backward. In a similar manner, the souls being cleansed in purgatory must also suffer penalties that Dante sees fitting to their Earthly sins. In Canto XVIII, Dante comes across souls who seem to be in a constant hurry. Among the souls in this ring he encounters San Zeno’s abbot in Verona, who was being punished in purgatory for the sin of sloth. The abbot explains to Dante: “So full of ardent will to move are we, we cannot rest—pardon us, then, and don’t mistake our duty for discourtesy”(Purgatory Canto XVIII). In other words, the souls who were lazy in life must spend their time in Purgatory constantly moving. This correspondence in the nature of the punishment in Hell and Purgatory reveals Dante’s ideas of a proper justice system. The Christian view of the afterlife is known as a place where ultimate justice