Dante put them in the Inferno rather than in Purgatorio, he pities the souls that commited suicide, and he gives the souls what they wanted in life and through death. He also is intelligent and thinks a lot about things that are beyond human comprehension which can make a human feel small, helpless, insignificant, and suicidal. All three of these points help to support the idea that Dante had suicidal tendencies and thoughts. Dante had to make a decision or opinion on what happens to those who kill themselves. He decided that they would go to hell.
He is trying to give an example for audience there is time for pay back whatever you have done in the past. So, in the second level of hell Dante prove by placing Helen and Paris. That is the level of represent people who were overcome by lust. Helen and Paris are famous characters in Iliad but they had a greedy behaviors. Because of their behaviors Dante is trying to show readers how they will get punish when they reach to the underworld.
Namely, Inferno excluded hypocrites and those who commit violence against themselves. While both are biblical sins, neither are suggested as being so heinous that the sinners are denied redemption by Christ. Joseph Kameen believes that ¨Dante primarily intended to explain biblical justice through his contrapasso,¨(Kameen), but ¨inevitably added some of his own invention,¨(Kameen). It could be possible that Dante was more focused on making ironic punishment for sinners than fair ones. Circles with more malevolent-minded individuals were allowed redemption, while these two were eternally
When trying to escape the forest, he finds a mountain that can be his salvation, but is soon prevented from three beasts: a leopard, a lion and a wolf. About to give up and return to the forest, Dante is surprised by the spirit of Virgil - poet of antiquity he admires - willing to guide him through an alternate path. Virgil was called by Beatriz, Dante 's childhood passion, she sees him in trouble and decides to help him. She comes down from heaven and fetched Virgil in Limbo. The proposal by Virgil consists in a journey through the Earth’s center.
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).
They connect his writings to the real world, creating a sense of reality. Even though, we are aware that some of his characters, mostly consisting of mythological creatures, can not exist, just the knowledge that they exist in this world is enough. Each mythological character, whether it be human, animal, or somewhere in between, has its own place in Dante’s Hell which make it seem more realistic and expressive. Dante’s skillfully placed people, used guardians or guides of different circles of hell, can be seen as a foreshadowing of what has yet to come. The first human-like figure Dante encounters, Charon, is the boatsman of the river Acheron.
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.
Not surprisingly then does Dante put his enemies, corrupt politicians, in Hell. Inferno begins by following Dante as he falls from his path of moral truth. Sin has obstructed his path to God. We never know what type of sin Dante has committed, this is not important, he has simply strayed from the straight path. Because the hero of the Inferno is also the writer, we have to look at both aspects of him, Dante the author and Dante the character.
In the inferno, Dante in the middle of a life crisis travels with a sinner named Virgil down the 9 circles of hell. This journey through hell teaches Dante amongst other things the concept of divine justice. Upon entering the second circle, lust, Dante see sinners confessing their sins to a Minos, which proceeds to wrap its tail around its body to show the level that the sinner will be punished in. This is a symbol to show that everything we do in the dark will come to light and be punished accordingly. Seeing the sinners punished based on their sins, talking to them and hearing their stories, gives Dante insight on what is acceptable and not.
Many people like myself found Francesca 's story to be tragic, and found Dante’s discernment surprising when he placed her in Hell. Virgil also seemed like he didn’t belong in Hell. However, the more that Dante the pilgrim and readers are exposed to and sympathize for the suffering of the characters, Dante the poet continues to show that it is because of their own choice and weakness that placed them in Hell. Throughout Dante’s journey, readers are dependant on Virgil to know what’s happening in each circle, since he is guiding Dante. His courage is shown as he helps Dante through different parts of Hell, while also gaining respect from him.