Dante's Inferno Analysis

“Did not our Hearts Burn?”

It was said by Oscar Wilde, that “Life imitates Art” and this rings most true in the literary Masterpiece of Dante’s Inferno. From the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo, to the writing of the Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan. Artist have been trying contextualize what is happening around them. Dante took the platform of writing and allegorical story about the afterworld that puts his enemy’s in starring roles. Whether this was a prophetic revelation given by God, or retribution to his enemies’ Dante’s Inferno challenges the political and religious powers of the day and putting them in the worst possible light. Dante gives himself the liberty of being the protagonist as he assess his victims of Hell.

One cannot help at times in taking pleasure in watching the David’s overcome the Goliaths. The problem with Dante’s Inferno is the setting of Hell is so vivid and graphic it leaves the reader feeling sympathetic to all involved. Some of Dante’s biases are clearly shown by placing certain sins committed by people in different levels. Dante writes about a couple that were murdered in his city “not placed very deep into the inferno

From Dante’s point of view he describes level five as populated with those who were either hoarders or miserly. “The ones who have the bald spot on their heads were priests and popes and cardinals, in whom avarice is most likely to prevail” (Dante 1622). If it was not bad enough to place religious leadership in Hell. Dante goes even further by describing what will happen to the reigning pope Boniface VIII, with a little help from the Apostle Peter. Dante “enlists St. Peter himself to state unequivocally that he is responsible for turning the papacy into a sewer” (Burge 3). If there is one consistence to Dante’s Inferno, then it is that all will find themselves in some level of