Violence In Dante Alighieri: A Poet As A Madman

Dante’s Inferno is an epic poem by Durante “Dante” degli Alighieri, written in the 1300s. He wrote a trilogy, known as the Divine Comedy, consisting of Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. Dante was inspired by many events and issues happening at that time, such as the war between Guelphs and Ghibellines, the Battle of Montaperti, and Christian religious beliefs. In this paper, I will explore the first book, Inferno, on the topic of Hell and how the sinners had a significant impact on Dante’s journey through Hell. In Circle 5: Styx, Canto VIII, Filippo Argenti, a sinner of Wrathful, helped Dante to symbolize to readers his anger towards Black Guelphs, political enemies of the White Guelphs.

In Dante’s Inferno, Dante thoroughly describes what he believes Hell to be. He lists many sins, along with their punishments and placements in Hell. Strangely enough, Dante does not have a specific circle for idolatry, the worship of idols, or something other than God. This is thought to be strange because idolatry is generally considered a grave sin. One possible explanation of this is that each sin in itself can be viewed as a form of idolatry.

For Dante, the punishment was fitting for both sinners because the sullen spent their lives moping and pitying themselves, when they had a promising life while the wrathful were reenacting their rage that they expressed throughout their time. There is a balance between the sin committed in Earth and the punishment received in hell. At the beginning of the poem and through the circles, Dante was a little sympathetic but after traveling to the fifth circle and encountered Philippo Argenti his feelings change. Argenti a former member of the Black Guelf was rival of Dante who was a member of the White Guelfs. When Dante was force to exile Florence, Argenti’s brother took all his property.

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.

In Dante's inferno, Dante explains how each sin is punished in a certain way. There’s the seven deadly sins which includes: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth. There are also other sins such as thieves, liars, and hypocrites. Manipulative people are considered extremely worst of all. Therefore, I think that manipulative acts or crimes are the worst sins that can be committed.

Johnathan Edward wants people, but also sinners especially to know this. Edwards wants us to know that when we don’t listen to God and turned away from and when we follow the Satan’s ways, we will go to Hell. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Johnathan Edwards, wants us to imagine Hell and what the consequences are. Edwards wants us to know that men who are sinners are more likely to go to Hell, and to consider the danger that we are

In Dante’s Inferno, the 9 levels of hell are separated depending on the 7 deadly sins that people have committed. The crime always fits the punishment the sinners receive. For example, when dante walks through the second circle where the lustfuls are being tormented by powerful winds. As found in Canto 5, the sinners who are punished by black howling tempest wind because in their lives they sinned of lust (Lines 88-90). They are punished by this because they can’t control nothing.

Inhyeok (Daniel) Lee Mr. Soldi CP English III October 17, 2014 Bloodthirsty Revenge portrayed through Roger Chillingworth In his novel Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes several allegories throughout the story. Allegory is a literary technique that Hawthorne uses to connect the characters with symbolic presences. It gradually builds up the tension between characters, and also arouses curiosity of readers. Furthermore, allegory strongly reveals the defect of the Puritan society and imperfection of all human beings by exposing abysmal agonies of each allegorical character coming from their intrinsic limits. Roger Chillingworth, the husband of Hester Prynne, is a good example of an allegorical character that shows the corruption

“Hell is a...foulsmelling prison,” James Joyce asserts in his essay Hell, “an abode of demons and lost souls, filled with fire and smoke” (295). In addition to both supporting these claims and constructing an engaging narrative, Joyce places himself in the piece as the narrator, guiding the audience through this hellscape. However, Joyce’s authoritative position alone cannot effectively illustrate the scene. As a result, Joyce relies on literary tools to elicit the intended impression of hell, immersing the reader in this environment. By employing an organized structure and a combination of different modes of description, diction and syntax, Joyce cultivates a compelling portrayal of hell that in return, evokes a visceral reaction from the reader.

The poem is organized in a way of the least severe sin starting at the first level as hell and then continuing the severity of punishment as the poem continues. Dante did this in order to show the difference in pity from one sin to another. In the beginning the souls have more pity towards Dante from the punishments, whereas later in the poem there is less pity to signify the equivocation of sin and