In the third canto of Dante
Alighieri's Inferno, the narrator travels to the River Acheron, where he
comes in contact with those who are neither welcome in hell or heaven. These
souls have been condemned here because they "were not rebels nor faithful
to their God" (23. 38-39). Because these people lived a life of cowardice
in which they were too afraid to do good or evil, they are trapped in an
eternal life of agonizing hopelessness. On page 23, lines 64-69, it says the
people here were stung by horseflies and wasps as "insects streaked their
faces with blood" where their tears were "gathered up by sickening
worms". The feeling of being attacked by a swarm of insects represents how
these people lived their lives encircled by fear. Insects are also thought to
be small minded and lowly, which is a symbol of these people's decision to not
decide. They lived their lives as insects buzzing around without direction and
never giving thought to devote their actions toward good nor evil.
In the fourth canto, the narrator
travels through the first ring of Hell, Limbo. Those who dwell here lived a
sinless life, but died before Christianity existed, so their lack of faith
keeps them from entering heaven. Throughout the canto, it is easy to tell
that the narrator becomes lost at times due to the complete darkness that
encloses the area. One instance of this is in the beginning of the canto in
lines 10-12:
That valley, dark
and deep and filled with mist,
is such that,
though I gazed into its pit,
I was unable to
discern a thing.
At the end of the canto, the complete darkness is mentioned
again in the closing line: "And I have reached a part where no thing
gleams." Dante is intentional about mentioning the darkness in both the
beginning and the end of this canto, because he wants the reader to understand
that darkness characterizes Limbo. This darkness is representative of the
people here being kept in the dark about faith during their lives. Because they
lived before the time of Christianity, they are blind to faith which is what
keeps them from reaching Heaven.
As the
narrator continues to venture through the stages of hell, more differences
between the concept of hell in the 1300s and today’s concept of hell become
apparent. When Dante wrote the Inferno,
Christians believed hell was a strict multilayered structure. People believed
that judgments were clear and one’s actions would easily determine one’s fate
in the afterlife. Today Christian beliefs are much different. Nowadays it is
most commonly believed that judgments are not always black and white. There
are grey areas where things are not always clear. The modern Christian religion
also puts more emphasis on God’s love and forgiveness. Rather than being
condemned for sins, Christians believe that their faith will allow for
forgiveness and acceptance through Christ. It is also believed by many
Christians nowadays that hell may not even be a physical place, but rather an
abstract concept that represents the evil found within the world. Because of
all these changes in mindset and belief overtime, the Hell Dante describes to
his readers is much different from the hell his readers may vision.
Another
key aspect of Dante’s picture of Hell is the importance of physical depth.
Every time the narrator travels downward, Dante mentions an increase in more
cries and moaning by the condemned spirits. The deeper into Hell the narrator
ventures, the worse the crime they have been condemned for, the darker it gets,
and the worse the punishment the souls there receive. This physical representation
is key, because the farther down one goes, the more weight that is felt from
above. With every layer, its residents feel more and more of a burden on their
shoulders from all that is above them.
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