Role Of Virgil In Dante's Inferno

With more than one mission in mind, Dante decided to use both epic and allegorical elements in his Divine Comedy as the best means of revealing his message and wisdom to his readers. Authors commonly use allegories to express two different meanings within one work. Dante, for instance, used his allegories to diversify the thought process of his readers. Within the first stanza of the Inferno, Dante uses the portrait of a dark and arduous wood to symbolize the darkness that clouds his own life. Dante brings this woody scene to life for his readers by claiming “I [Dante] went astray from the straight road and woke to find myself alone in a dark wood.” (Canto I lines 1-3) From that ominous wood, Dante is escorted through the steep and winding levels of hell.

In the first Canto, Dante meets the three beast of hell and Virgil (Alighieri 392-394). When he realized whom Virgil is he cries forth, “O light and honor of other poets, / may me long years of study, and that deep love / that made me search your verses, help me now” (Alighieri 394). The first thought that ran through my mind is Dante must have held Virgil as a hero of his. It seems that Dante is using these lines to show his feelings of this Virgil and ask for his help. The tone Dante uses, longing, is meaningful to the lines as it gave a clearer understanding of how he feels toward Virgil.

In the Italian Literature “The Divine Comedy”, written by Dante’ Alighieri in between 1308-1321 when he had died is said to be one of the most promising readings that has survived through history. Dante uses descriptive words and ironic characters in his writing that allow the readers to connect and follow easier. His sense of imagery is captivating when he’s describing the different stages and creatures, devils, and places we can visually see it in our minds, which makes his readings remarkable for its time. Dante makes his story very gruesome and real, he uses everything to inflict pain and torture souls as the way he thinks of hell. Dante uses himself as first person in this story to see his journey towards God.

Dante’s the Inferno, is designed to demonstrate how human actions transgress their sins on Earth after death. He does so by placing the main character, Dante, in Hell, whose soul is in a lost state and must witness the consequences of sin and suffering in order to educate him on the importance of moral Christian law in order to restore the balance within his soul. To properly explore the nine ptolemaic spheres of Hell, Virgil is summoned to Dante’s distress in order to guide him through the true evils of Hell. As well as, Virgil is there to provide reason and clarity in every circle. These justifications are the core of Virgil’s guidance and furthermore, brings progressive revelations to Dante’s expedition.

Sayers in her introduction of Inferno states that Inferno is a poem written in the form of a Christian inspired allegory, where an allegory, “is the interpretation of experience by means of images”, a poem written in the style of an extended metaphor. Sayers too asserts that Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’ is based solely on the, “drama of the soul’s choice” (Sayers, Introduction

Dante Alighieri, who was born in 1265 CE and later died in 1321 CE, was a famous poet in Florence, Italy, most commonly known for his book, Dante’s Inferno. Dante’s Inferno was a product of Dante’s time period because in Florence during this time period, the idea of death and afterlife was very prominent in religion, and Dante’s text, The Inferno, focuses on the idea that the sins committed during one’s life determines the fate of one’s after-life. Because the idea that one’s sins determined their fate and life after death was such a common element in literature and art in Florence during this time period, many other pieces of work emphasized the same ideals, specifically one work in particular, The Scrovegni Chapel. From the years 1303 through 1310 CE, a man named Giotto Di Bondone, an italian painter, used the same principal ideals about sin and life after death that Dante used, in one of his most famous and influential pieces of work, The Scrovegni Chapel. This painting was framed around the Christian Religion, and has an emphasis on

English writer, A. N. Wilson, in, ‘Dante in Love’, argues that Dante Alighieri is both a poet and a madman in which scenes of violence and malice within inferno are considered. Dante’s structure of the language of the text in inferno is well-thought-out with regards to the use of metaphors to describe the scenes of violence (act of physical force). However with regards to the notion of malice within the poem, the inconsistent and unpredictable use of language within Inferno is taken into consideration. In addition, the occurrence of violence and malicious intent as well as the extent to which the role of inconsistencies appear within the poem, suggests that Dante Alighieri is more than just a late thirteenth century poet. Finally, the significance

A Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, once stated “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”. Dante’s journey into hell, as he described in his many cantos, was undeniably critical to analyze; it was Canto II, however, that depicted his very first step. Dante did not only make Canto II his introduction to hell, but also implied the philosophy of Christianity in the canto. Numerous readings, including this canto, suggested that cooperation is highly emphasized in the Christian culture. Before setting out for the journey, Dante spoke cowardly to Virgil: “Poet, you who guide me, consider if my powers will suffice before you trust me to this arduous passage” (Inferno, 2.10).

Throughout the Divine Comedy, Virgil served an essential role in guiding and teaching the Pilgrim. By having Virgil be the pilgrims guide, Dante (the author) illustrates how important Virgil is in providing a pagan perspective to the poem. In spite of Virgil’s pagan view, this is seemingly altered through the course of the poem. At multiple points in the inferno and purgatorio Virgil shows signs of change, through actions like confession to his sins and reflecting on why he was placed in Hell. Comparatively though, through Virgil’s actions in other parts of the poem, he also demonstrated not changing in slightest.

Virgil who was his guide in Hell, is an ancient Roman poet who wrote “The Aeneid”. Having Virgil in the first part of The Divine Comedy: Inferno may mean that Dante had great respect for Virgil and his works and he may consider him in high regards. Also, Dante was a very knowledgeable man, he studied many things from Latin to philosophy and more. There’s also Beatrice