Overview of Dante's Inferno Essay

Many writers chose to use their own life struggles or beliefs as ideas for their work. During the Italian Renaissance philosophers began to question Christian doctrine and values. These questions inspired religious-based works. Some of these works criticized the Church while others glorified its practices. Several of these works became controversial for the content. One of the great writers of this era, Dante Alighieri, who was interested in these questions decided to illustrate his conclusions in an epic poem. Dantes allegory, "The Inferno", analyzes religious doctrine and his own beliefs by depicting himself as having qualities of being devout, poetic, and sympathetic to others suffering.

Throughout Dantes journey in the nine circles of hell his quality of being devout in his Christian faith is highly stressed. Dante did not compose his own list of terrible sins, but rather he abides by the list of sins by the Church. Dante depicts the Heretics, those who dissent from Gods teachings, as being in the lower levels of hell. He assigns them a particularly brutal corporal punishment of being interred inside flaming tombs. This contempt for those who spoke ill of the church was also directed towards the corruption of the church. Dante incorporates biblical allusions throughout his work. The very first line in Canto 1, which comes from the Book of Psalms, Midway on our lifes journey, (90:10) validates Dantes quality of being devout. Also in Canto 34, Dante alludes to the Holy Trinity when illustrating the faces of Satan, which holds the three ultimate betrayers. In this perverted trinity dwell Cassius, Brutus, and Judas instead of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These allusions show his familiarity with Scripture. Dantes devout mission of warning Christians about their sins is all the more illustrated through his use of poetry.

Dantes poetic format and irony contribute to his poetic flare in The Inferno. Following along with his devout notions Dante created the poetic form of Terza Rima, because of the significance of the number three. Going with the parallel feel of the number three Dante wrote The Inferno in three-line stanzas. He also includes a poetic irony in the punishment of sinners. The punishment of the sinners is a direct correlation of their sin. For example, Dante describes the fortunetellers as wanting to see the future during their lifetime; however, in Hell the fortunetellers will forever see the past. Dantes poetic style helps capture the emotion of sympathy he acquires for the sinners.

Dante portrays sympathy towards others punishments through his use of diction and tone. Dante reveals sympathy towards others punishments through his use of diction and tone. Dantes sympathy evokes a somber feeling when he realizes Vigils place in hell. Virgil, being a pagan, lived without the revelation of Christ, but lived a just life now remains in circle one of Hell. In Canto 1 Dante laments, Poet, please by the God you did not know, (105). Through the word choice Dante suggests a sympathetic feeling that reveals a tone of solemnity. He generally feels for the sinners who have fallen so far from greatness, especially those of whom he relates to and finds himself in. He connects himself to the sinners of circle two, because in his own life he had a lover, which he could never truly love. Dante, the pilgrim who bravely wandered where no man had wandered before, artfully depicts the qualities of man even those whose sins he despises.