Literary Analysis: The Odyssey and Dante’s Inferno Name: Course: Institution: Instructor: Date: Themes are fundamental and universal ideas that are explored in literary works. The epics of The Inferno by Dante and The Odyssey by Homer are two different stories with themes that that have some similarities while others have distinction. In The Odyssey, the central point is Odysseus struggling to go back home. In Inferno, Dante is the main character who is fighting between good and evil, which translates to be the theme of the story. Dante explores deeply the Christian hell and heaven, which includes the immediate Purgatory.
All in all we understood how Dante emphasis punishment for people who cheat each other’s. However, the inferno by Dante portrayed some significant themes as well. The first theme he is trying to show up is man and the natural world. We have to keep in our mind the inferno is what give us imagination about the hell. The violent, especially those who have sinned against nature, demonstrate in the image of
According to English writer, A. N. Wilson, in his article, ‘Dante in Love’, argues that Dante Alighieri is a poet as well as a madman. Wilson elaborates on Leonardo Bruni’s two contrasting distinctions that define a poet, one being that in which Dante, according to Bruni and Wilson himself, fits being a poet of a scholarly background. The justification of Dante being portrayed as a madman alone will be established through the violence acted out throughout Inferno and the relationship found between the author, Dante’s, madness and the notion of malicious intent. According to (Wilson 2011), Dante Alighieri, the author of the Divine Comedy, is a man whom possessed characteristics of both a poet and a madman. Wilson briefly emphasises in, ‘Dante in Love’, the two contrasting depictions from Leonardo Bruni and Giovanni Boccaccio, of whom Dante was with regards to the role that he played within the Florentine society and how it influenced him as a poet through his own work.
Dante’s Inferno is known for its striking imagery between a sin and the punishment given in Hell. While playing the role of God, Dante the poet seems to be a completely different person than Dante the pilgrim, who embarks on a journey through nine circles of fiery Hell. The Inferno becomes more than just an understanding of Hell when readers, as well as Dante the pilgrim, hear the stories of characters who don’t seem to belong there. The fact that characters, such as Francesca and Virgil, tell Dante their own story of how innocent they are, completely intensifies the feeling that a tragic mistake has been made, especially when the character Dante starts to feel pity. Many people like myself found Francesca 's story to be tragic, and found Dante’s discernment surprising when he placed her in Hell.
Homer uses Achilles’ rage towards Agamemnon to show how counterproductive rage can be to both the overall goals of the Greeks and to Achilles himself. The book opens in medias rest, meaning the reader is introduced to the battle of Troy at the height of the cities siege. The idea of Rage is introduced at its most extreme due to the first instance of rage being depicted in this epic is an example of the wrath of a God. Agamemnon had taken Apollos’ priests named Chryses’ daughter. Agamemnon was dismissive and rude to the priest which dishonored him so in turn dishonored Apollo.
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
In Dante’s Inferno, there are several allusions referring to people who are famous for their lustful sins. The sinners in the Carnal are tossed and whirled by the winds. They are helpless in the tempests of passion. This canto also begins by descriptions of the circle and those who devoted to the sins of incontinence and lust: the sins of the appetite for skin, the sins of passion, and the sins of self-indulgence. People like Semiramis and Ninus are also known for their lustful sins.
The first time reading through a poem, literary devices such as symbolism, figurative language, hyperboles or oxymorons can throw a reader off. However, after the reader analyzes and truly understands the poem, these devices can add more depth and understanding, allowing the readers to see deeper inside the poet’s mind. In his poem, ‘The Broken Heart’, John Donne incorporates specific devices to portray that love is an all-consuming, vicious monster that can ruin you. In ‘The Broken Heart’, John Donne’s descriptive vocabulary, explaining the way the speaker’s heart was shattered beyond repair, forces the reader to imagine his or her heart as splintered or crushed as Donne’s. In other words, Donne uses rich imagery to add tangibility to his piece and aide the reader in accurately picturing what’s being discussed.
He wrote the poem in his native tongue to make the poem more accessible to readers, so that they fully understood the message he was attempting to send. I thoroughly believe that in a culture so reliant on religion, sin and sinners are represented reasonably well due to the detailed accounts of various sinners in Hell. In my opinion however in modern times, this is not a brilliant representation of sin as Dante allows his feelings about personal experiences to cloud the judgement of fictional characters in the poem. Before going into more specific details of Dante and his thoughts about sinners, it is important to note the overall handling of the sins and how they are fully represented. Sin is described as a corruption from one’s self and their true desires, however Tonia Triggiano writes it best when she states that the poem “describes sin as a distortion of one’s will; man’s nature wrenched itself from the nature it shared with God” .
Therefore, Paradise Lost is not a defence of Satan or a proclamation of heroism but rather an affirmation of God’s power in the face of Evil. However, Milton’s strategy for doing so is by giving us a detailed portrayal of the character of Satan. The former personification of Evil is, contrary to its purpose, attractive for the public. Of such complexity was the characterization of Satan and his inner conflicts that we are reminded of our own existence and struggles and cannot help but feel empathy. At the same time, Milton spent a great amount of time in his portrayal giving Satan most of the attention in the