In Dante’s Inferno, Dante states that pitying those damned in Hell is impious and highly discouraged. This is exemplified through the multiple instances of pity and its consequences throughout the book and through Virgil’s guidance. In this essay, I will discuss pity’s role within the Inferno and how it is proven to be a sign of impiety. Pitying the sinful never has positive consequences and surprisingly turns the person pitying the damned into a sinner themselves as they are restricting themselves from growing and learning from the sinners’ mistakes. Pity is a complicated concept. On the one hand, it can be redeeming and beneficial for all those involved. For instance, Beatrice, a symbol of divine good in the novel, pities Dante and consequently
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One of the few instances where he expresses this directly is when he is explaining how those stuck in Limbo did not worship God as they lived before Jesus’ birth and “‘[f]or this defect, and for no other guilt, / [the souls] are lost’” (IV.40-41). This is misleading because although this pity may appear acceptable, Virgil is a member of this group and therefore cannot be completely impartial. By saying that those in Limbo “have not sinned”, Virgil is clearly unapologetic about not worshiping God and seems to believe that he, along with the rest of the sinners in Limbo, does not deserve to be in Hell (IV.34). Virgil also shows pity for the sinners in the Wood of Suicides which is shown through his choice in calling the souls “wounded” and “imprisoned”. These words which invoke a sense of empathy for the damned indicate that Virgil chooses to pity some sinners and outrightly degrades the others. Virgil is supposed to be the voice of reason sent from heaven, so it’s surprising that he is inconsistent in his opinions on sinners. This selective and essentially useless pity shows that there is never a true reason to pity the sinners, and Virgil’s apparent unrepentant nature proves that he belongs in Limbo as he has yet to realize his impiety in believing that he is
One of the few instances where he expresses this directly is when he is explaining how those stuck in Limbo did not worship God as they lived before Jesus’ birth and “‘[f]or this defect, and for no other guilt, / [the souls] are lost’” (IV.40-41). This is misleading because although this pity may appear acceptable, Virgil is a member of this group and therefore cannot be completely impartial. By saying that those in Limbo “have not sinned”, Virgil is clearly unapologetic about not worshiping God and seems to believe that he, along with the rest of the sinners in Limbo, does not deserve to be in Hell (IV.34). Virgil also shows pity for the sinners in the Wood of Suicides which is shown through his choice in calling the souls “wounded” and “imprisoned”. These words which invoke a sense of empathy for the damned indicate that Virgil chooses to pity some sinners and outrightly degrades the others. Virgil is supposed to be the voice of reason sent from heaven, so it’s surprising that he is inconsistent in his opinions on sinners. This selective and essentially useless pity shows that there is never a true reason to pity the sinners, and Virgil’s apparent unrepentant nature proves that he belongs in Limbo as he has yet to realize his impiety in believing that he is