Ever since I started understanding philosophical ideas, one of the most feared things for me was karma. When people follow their bliss, they forget that the sins they commit in order to attain their bliss will follow perpetually. Dante Alighieri’s Inferno is a prime example of karma which conveys to the audience what to avoid when “following one’s bliss,” an idea of Joseph Campbell. Campbell believes that myths “won’t tell you what makes you happy, but it will tell you what happens when you begin to follow your happiness, what the obstacles are that you’re going to run into,” which is clearly demonstrated by the myths in “Canto 5” of the Inferno (Campbell 373).…
In the Inferno, Dante takes us on a journey through the different levels of Hell guided by, ancient Roman poet, Virgil who enlightens Dante on the way. Through contrapassos, which literally translates to counter-punishment, Dante unpacks the punishment that sinners undergo. At the start of canto III, an inscription above the gates of hell reads “Justice moved my high maker, in power divine, wisdom supreme, love primal” (Canto III, 4-6). The interpretation is that God, the divine, created Hell on the principles of justice and primal love. Originally, this does not sit well with Dante, he battles with the justification of the contrapasso and lacks the understanding of how they demonstrate God’s love.…
"The Divine Comedy, considered by most to be the greatest Italian piece of literature ever written," (Soft Schools). The Inferno is one- third of the Divine Comedy, which was constructed after Dante Alegheri was exiled from Florence. This was the first piece of literature to be written in the common tongue. Lower class civilians were able to read his work, making it a very powerful poem. Many people praised Dante Alegheri and agreed with his opinions and examination of the government.…
Capaneus is one of the kings who rejects the God to besieged Thebes, and seem as blasphemers. He never changed his perspective, and insisted that the punishments from the hell could never break his arrogance. He suffered a lot in the hell for a long time, but if he changed mind, he might suffer the shorter time in the hell. 2. Identify the religious issues Dante faces in Inferno 19.…
Dante places those involved in romances and love affairs such as Guinevere and Lancelot, but my understanding of lust has a bit more perversion than such romances. How severe of an offense is lust? I looked to Philip Riley’s book A lust for Virtue because it provides the opinions of many significant figures during a Catholic Reformation in the 17th century. Bishop Jaques-Benigne Bossuet states, “Fleshly concupiscence of the flesh led to gluttony and drunkenness that changed people into ‘furious beasts.’ Lust, another dimension of concupiscence defiled the body corrupted the soul, and ensured dishonesty among people.”…
Dante’s Inferno is one of the most well-known epics about Hell. His depictions severely detail his journey through the Inferno, most especially his encounter with Satan, “the emperor of the reign of misery.” This encounter holds in itself endless symbolism to be drawn out. Anthony Cassell, a medieval and Renaissance literature professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has spent many years in research on Dante’s masterpiece of Hell. Cassell published this analysis of the Inferno in 1984, titled Dante’s Fearful Art of Justice.…
Rachel Gold December 10, 2015 Mrs. Doucette Inferno reflection piece Option 1 Is there a relationship between sin and punishment? I think so. Each sinner of their circle had to match a punishment to their crime. In the first circle (Limbo) are the unbaptized and the virtuous pagans. The first circle are punished by living in a fake form of Heaven.…
Hell, as envisioned by Dante Aligheri in the 14th century, was classified into several circles, representing sins that fall into the themes of incontinence, violence, or fraud. Dante’s organization of The Inferno was meticulous and extremely detailed, to the point where some even labelled his Inferno as a “perfectly functioning bureaucracy” (V: Note 9-12) . While he was very successful and venerated for creating such a comprehensive idea of Hell, if his concept is the standard that must be lived up to in the modern, 22nd century that civilization lives in now, a majority of society would be condemned to the deepest circles of Hell. This influx of souls damned to the lowest part of Hell is due to the fact that some sins, that Dante’s society deemed the worst of the worst (such as those located in the spheres of fraud), have become commonplace in modern society, and have dawned a new, non-malicious connotation. Therefore, Dante’s 14th century version of the Inferno is outdated, and must be revised to reflect…
The Divine Comedy is a series of 3 books--Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso--made up of 33 cantos each, that describes life after death in an allegorical manner. The Divine Comedy was written by Dante Alighieri, an Italian author from the 1300s. The protagonist of the Divine Comedy is Dante, an allegoric representation of the author himself used to portray the author’s views on Christianity and sin. Dante further uses his character to demonstrate humanity's flaws through his nine layers of the Inferno. By witnessing these flaws, Dante learns that all sins originate from love and want and that while sins may be considered harmless on earth, they are actually much worse than humanity thinks.…
Fear as a Propaedeutic (Dante’s use of fear as a propaedeutic) Dante Alighieri wrote a famous book called Dante’s Divine Comedy in the 1300s that is still used in classrooms today. The most famous text of Dante’s Divine Comedy is an epic poem called Dante’s Inferno. In this epic poem Dante makes a trip through Hell, purgatory, and heaven. Virgil serves as Dante’s guide through the underworld.…
Every day millions of people sin. In the Divine Comedy Dante travels through nine circles of Hell, observing punishments caused by different sins. The more severe the sin that is committed, the more severe the punishment is endured. Throughout history famous figures, people in literature, and current celebrities, have committed these nine different types of sin. I will be placing these wrong doers in the different circles of Hell discussed in the story.…
Dante: The Journey And The Mission- How Did The Author Make Use of Females In The Divine Comedy? When studying Dante’s Divine Comedy, it is easy to dismiss the significance and presence of women throughout, due to the domination of men and male characters. It is, however, important to note the significance of women and, in particular, the chosen historical figures the author uses to portray his view of women in general.…
In Inferno by Dante Alighieri Dante travels through hell, guided by Virgil. Hell is divided by sin, with specific punishments for the different sins committed. Throughout the Inferno Dante the writer makes it clear that the punishments are designed to suit the sins committed. These punishments are cruel and violent punishments that are often times gruesome. Dante the writer wants the reader to feel nothing for these sinners suffering, since they are getting what they deserve.…
Dante Alighieri who was a prominent Italian author of the 14th century wrote Inferno to give insight on the society of Florence as the 14th century was notorious for its corrupt governments and rivals among groups of people. As being called the The Cautionary Tale, Inferno can be relevant today as it serves as a message of people committing sin will be punished depending on the severity of their wrongdoings. Even though the poem exaggerates the punishments, it serves as a message that people will be punished in their crimes depending on how severe the crime is today. The Inferno is divided into Nine Circles of Hell.…
In The Purgatory, Virgil speaks on behalf of mankind and how love is a strong desire and it is up to the man himself to mentally control his thoughts and attraction, “ Neither Creator nor his creatures ever, my son, lacked love. There are, as you well know two kinds: the natural love, the rational. ”(Canto XVII 93) Virgil goes on and explains about free will and ones destiny. If a man should love evil or unworthy things then he shall perish in hell and be punished.…