The Towering Inferno

“Inferno”: A Polysemous Literary Work In the Divine Comedy written by Dante Alighieri, the title of this epic poem may imply that this timeless piece of literary work contains the writings of wit and humor. However, the beginning of the poem begins with Dante waking up “Midway upon the journey of our life” in a dark forest before embarking on a journey through nine circles of hell (Longfellow 7). The Divine Comedy is composed of three segments: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. While the poem…

wherever I move, and howsoever I turn, and wherever I gaze.” Hell is something that people should be scared of, in fear of the punishments and consequences you must face for the actions you take. Karl Witte conducts a summary of many essay’s on Dante’s Inferno, stating “…the punishments of Dante 's Hell consist in the unceasing continuance of the sinful activity itself, now transformed to torment.” (Witte).This is explaining the reason behind the torment on the souls of the dead. Human beings…

As stated previously, the poem has a rhyme scheme of ABA ABC BCB, and this rhyme scheme was created by Dante. The fire and ice are both also allusions to “Dante’s Inferno,” with fire being the upper layers of hell, and ice being the bottom layers of hell. The first few layers, those with fire, are for people who have committed sins of passion, such as murdering out of anger or being abusive. The last layers of hell…

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…

of depression to a state of joy. It is about mankind, who by exercising free-will bring punishing or rewarding justice to themselves (Dante). “The Divine Comedy: Inferno” is full of allegories. Three of them are the leopard of malice and fraud, the lion of violence and ambition, and the she-wolf of incontinence. “The Divine Comedy: Inferno” is about Dante’s journey through Hell which was written while he was in exile. He starts off in what is known as “the darkwood”, which represents the…

In researching the story Inferno by Dante Alighieri, we will look at the intriguing journey Dante takes throughout his life. At this particular moment in life, Dante falls asleep and once awaken he comes to the realization that he is lost. “Midway along the journey of our life / I woke to find myself in a dark wood, / for I had wandered off from the straight path.” (Puchner, 1053) A journey that he will share with Virgil as his guide. Virgil will help guide Dante through their journey to Hell…

In the Mind of a Madman In Dante 's Inferno, a highly politically religious man by the name of Dante Alighieri gives his very descriptive ideal of his underworld and the sinners that are being punished for their sins in the mortal world. In the same respect, a high school sophomore will give his ideas of the inferno which resembles a Russian Nesting Doll in a scrambled order of the seven deadly in the order of gluttony, slothful, envy, lust, greed, pride and wrath for this is from the mind of…

“When I had journeyed half of our life’s way, I found myself within a shadowed forest, for I had lost the path that does not stray” (Inferno 3). Realistically, my journey to the underworld cannot be described in such poetic terms. That quote just came from a book that I read during my freshman year in college. I died on April 10th, 2018, on my 21st birthday, in an alcohol induced accident, caused by my friend Erin. On that fateful night, my friend Erin and I were walking down Commonwealth…

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. However, Dante the…

In every functioning society, there exists a set of societal values and ethics that the majority will adhere to. However, these set of values often differ in different eras, locations, and cultures. In the epic poem, Dante’s Inferno written by Dante Alighieri, there are glaring examples of the condemnation of actions and behaviors that would be perceived as socially acceptable today, as well as instances of behaviors that may have been met with some disdain and disapproval during the 1300s, but…