Themes Themes are are the fundamental fundamental and often often universal ideas ideas explored explored in a literary literary work.
The Perfection Perfection of God's God's Justice Dante creates an imaginative correspondence between a soul's sin on arth and the punishment he or she receives in !ell. The "ullen choke on mud# the $rathful attack one another# the Gluttonous are forced to eat excrement# and so on. This simple idea provides many of %nferno's %nferno's moments of spectacular imagery and symbolic power# but also serves to illuminate one of Dante's ma&or themes the perfection of God's &ustice. The inscription over the gates of !ell in (anto %%% explicitly states that God was moved to create !ell by Justice )%%%.*+. !ell exists to punish sin# and the suitability of !ell's speci,c punishments testify to the divine perfection that all sin violates. This notion of the suitability suitability of God's punishments punishments ,gures ,gures signi,cantly signi,cantly in Dante's Dante's larger moral messages and structures Dante's !ell. To modern readers# the torments Dante and -irgil behold may seem shockingly harsh homosexuals must endure an eternity of walking on hot sand those who charge interest on loans sit beneath a rain of ,re. !owever# when we view the poem as a whole# it becomes clear that the guiding principle of these punishments is one of balance. "inners su/er punishment to a degree be,tting the gravity of their sin# in a manner matching that sin's nature. The design of the poem serves to reinforce this correspondence in its plot it progresses from minor sins to ma&or ones )a matter of degree+ and in the geographical structure it posits# the various regions of !ell correspond to types of sin )a matter of kind+. 0ecause this notion of balance informs all of God's chosen punishments# punishments# !is &ustice emerges as rigidly ob&ective# mechanical# and impersonal there are no extenuating circumstances in !ell# and punishment becomes a matter of nearly scienti,c formula. arly in %nferno# Dante builds a great deal of tension between the ob&ective impersonality of God's &ustice and the character Dante's human sympathy for the souls that he sees around him. 1s the story progresses# however# the character becomes less and less inclined toward pity# and repeated comments by -irgil encourage this development. Thus# the text asserts the in,nite wisdom of divine &ustice sinners sinners receive receive punishment punishment in perfect proportion proportion to their their sin to pity pity their su/ering is to demonstrate a lack of understanding.
vil as the (ontradiction (ontradiction of God's $ill %n many ways# Dante's %nferno can be seen as a kind of imaginative taxonomy taxonomy of human evil# the various types of which Dante classi,es# isolates# explores# explores# and
&udges. 1t times we may 2uestion its organi3ing principle# wondering why# for example# a sin punished in the ighth (ircle of !ell# such as accepting a bribe# should be considered worse than a sin punished in the "ixth (ircle of !ell# such as murder. To understand this organi3ation# one must reali3e that Dante's narration follows strict doctrinal (hristian values. !is moral system prioriti3es not human happiness or harmony on arth but rather God's will in !eaven. Dante thus considers violence less evil than fraud of these two sins# fraud constitutes the greater opposition to God's will. God wills that we treat each other with the love he extends to us as individuals while violence acts against this love# fraud constitutes a perversion of it. 1 fraudulent person a/ects care and love while perpetrating sin against it. 4et# while %nferno implies these moral arguments# it generally engages in little discussion of them. %n the end# it declares that evil is evil simply because it contradicts God's will# and God's will does not need further &usti,cation. Dante's exploration of evil probes neither the causes of evil# nor the psychology of evil# nor the earthly conse2uences of bad behavior. %nferno is not a philosophical text its intention is not to think critically about evil but rather to teach and reinforce the relevant (hristian doctrines.
"torytelling as a $ay to 1chieve %mmortality Dante places much emphasis in his poem on the notion of immortality through storytelling# everlasting life through legend and literary legacy. "everal shades ask the character Dante to recall their names and stories on arth upon his return. They hope# perhaps# that the retelling of their stories will allow them to live in people's memories. The character Dante does not always oblige for example# he ignores the re2uest of the %talian souls in the 5inth Pouch of the ighth (ircle of !ell that he bring word of them back to certain men on arth as warnings. !owever# the poet Dante seems to have his own agenda# for his poem takes the recounting of their stories as a central part of its pro&ect. 1lthough the poet repeatedly emphasi3es the perfection of divine &ustice and the suitability of the sinners' punishments# by incorporating the sinners' narratives into his text he also allows them to live on in some capacity aboveground. 4et# in retelling the sinners' stories# the poet Dante may be acting less in consideration of the sinners' immortality than of his own. %ndeed# Dante fre2uently takes opportunities to advance his own glory. Thus# for example# in (anto 66%-# halfway through his description of the Thieves' punishment# Dante declares outright that he has outdone both 7vid and 8ucan in his ability to write scenes of metamorphosis and transformation )7vid's 9etamorphoses focuses entirely on transformations 8ucan wrote the Pharsalia# an account of the :oman political transition and turmoil in the ,rst century 0.(.+. 0y claiming to have surpassed two of the classical poets most renowned for their mythological inventions and vivid imagery# Dante seeks to secure his own immortality.
Thus# Dante presents storytelling as a vehicle for multiple legacies that of the story's sub&ect as well as that of the storyteller. $hile the plot of a story may preserve the living memory of its protagonist# the story's style and skill may serve the greater glory of its author. 1lthough many of his sinners die a thousand deaths; being burned# torn to bits# or chewed to pieces# only to be reconstituted again and again;Dante emphasi3es with almost e2ual incessancy the power of his narrative to give both its sub&ects and its author the gift of eternal life.
9otifs 9otifs are recurring structures# contrasts# and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text's ma&or themes.
Political 1rguments 1n un2uestionably signi,cant part of Dante's aim in writing %nferno was to o/er a large;scale commentary on the political nightmare of fourteenth;century
(lassical 8iterature and 9ythology 1lthough the values that %nferno asserts are decidedly (hristian# on a thematic and literary level# the poem owes almost as much to Greek and :oman tradition as it does to (hristian morality literature. Dante's (hristian !ell features a large variety of mythological and ancient literary creatures# ranging from the (entaurs to 9inos to =lysses. !e even incorporates mythological places# such as the rivers 1cheron and "tyx. %n addition# Dante often refers to and imitates the styles of great classical writers such as !omer# 7vid# 8ucan# and -irgil himself. !e therefore attempts to situate himself within the tradition of classical epics while proving that he is a greater writer than any of the classical poets. Dante incorporates this ancient material for other reasons too# including the simple fact that mythological elements contain much dramatic potential. 9ore important# however# Dante includes mythological and classical literary elements in his poem to indicate that (hristianity has subsumed these famous stories by bringing many religious strands under one umbrella# Dante heightens the urgency and importance of his 2uest;a 2uest that he believes necessary for all human beings.
"ymbols "ymbols are ob&ects# characters# ,gures# and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. %t is impossible to reduce the iconic complexity of %nferno to a short list of important symbols. 0ecause the poem is an overarching allegory# it explores its themes using do3ens# even hundreds# of symbols# ranging from the minutely particular )the blank banner chased by the =ncommitted in (anto %%%# symboli3ing the meaninglessness of their activity in life+ to the hugely general )the entire story of The Divine (omedy itself# symboli3ing the spiritual 2uest of human life+. 9any of the symbols in %nferno are clear and easily interpretable# such as the beast Geryon;with the head of an innocent man and the body of a foul serpent# he represents dishonesty and fraud. 7thers are much more nuanced and di>cult to pin down# such as the trio of creatures that stops Dante from climbing the sunlit mountain in (anto %. $hen reading %nferno# it is extremely important to consider each element of the poem according to how it ,ts into Dante's larger system of symbolism;what it says about the scene# story# and themes of the work and about human life. Perhaps the most important local uses of symbolism in %nferno involve the punishments of the sinners# which are always constructed so as to correspond allegorically to the sins that they committed in life. The 8ustful# for example# who were blown about by passion in life# are now doomed to be blown about by a ferocious storm for all of time. 7ther ma&or types of symbols include ,gures who represent human 2ualities# such as -irgil# representative of reason# and 0eatrice#
representative of spiritual love settings that represent emotional states# such as the dark forest in (anto %# embodying Dante's confusion and fear and ,gures among the damned who may represent something more than merely their sins# such as
"ummary (anto 66%9aking their way to the "eventh Pouch of the ighth (ircle of !ell# -irgil and Dante face many dangers. 0ecause of the collapsed bridge# they must navigate treacherous rocks# and -irgil carefully selects a path before helping his mortal companion along. Dante loses his breath for a moment# but -irgil urges him onward# indicating that a long climb still awaits them. They descend the wall into the "eventh Pouch# where teeming masses of serpents chase after naked sinners coiled snakes bind the sinners' hands and legs. Dante watches a serpent catch one of the sinners and bite him between the shoulders. !e watches in ama3ement as the soul instantly catches ,re and burns up# then rises from the ashes to return to the pit of serpents. -irgil speaks to this soul# who identi,es himself as a Tuscan# -anni
"ummary (anto 66(ursing God with an obscene gesture#
"ummary (anto 66-% !aving recogni3ed these thieves as
him along the ridges to the ighth Pouch# where they see numerous ?ames ?ickering in a deep# dark valley. (oming closer# -irgil informs Dante that each ?ame contains a sinner. Dante sees what appear to be two souls contained together in one ?ame# and -irgil identi,es them as =lysses and Diomedes# both su/ering for the same fraud committed in the Tro&an $ar. Dante desires to speak with these warriors# but -irgil# warning him that the Greeks might disdain Dante's medieval %talian# speaks to them as an intermediary. !e succeeds in getting =lysses to tell them about his death. :estlessly seeking new challenges# he sailed beyond the western edge of the 9editerranean# which was believed to constitute the rim of the arth legend asserted that death awaited any mariner venturing beyond that point. 1fter ,ve months# he and his crew came in view of a great mountain. 0efore they could reach it# however# a great storm arose and sank their ship.
1nalysis (antos 66%-;66-% arly in (anto 66%-# Dante clari,es the geographical structure of 9alebolge )the ighth (ircle+ it slopes continuously downward# so that# after the Tenth Pouch# it runs right into !ell's central pit. -irgil and Dante have thus not been simply progressing around the underworld's circumference but descending deeper and deeper into the arth's core. -irgil emphasi3es the importance of fame when he urges Dante to persevere through the di>cult descent# telling him that only persistence can win a person fame and glory. $e have seen Dante the poet ascribe great importance to earthly fame before# particularly in the ,gures of the several shades who have asked Dante to recall their names and stories on arth. This concern for the preservation of one's legacy represents one of Dante's most surprising departures from conventional medieval (hristian morality (hrist urged !is disciples to shun worldly glory and focus themselves on the glory of God's @ingdom. %n Dante's mind# however# the two are intimately connected as long as one's glory arises from honest work# it can improve one's lot in the afterlife. 7ne encounters this notion more fre2uently in classical Greek and :oman poetry than in medieval (hristian texts its inclusion here underscores The (omedy's debt to classical tradition )though# in general# Dante's attitude toward the ancients remains ambiguous ensuing passages contain rebukes of the old civili3ation+. $hile Dante notes that fame stemming from honest achievements can bene,t a soul for eternity# he warns that fame stemming from crime earns the criminal no happiness. The poet makes this point with the ,gure of -anni
1midst his discussions of fame and reputation# Dante takes the opportunity to advance his own glory. 5ever modest about his own poetic gifts# he uses the power of these scenes to support his claim of superiority over the ancient poets. !e devises an a/ecting and grotes2uely ,tting penalty for the Thieves having stolen in life# they must constantly steal one another's forms and constantly have their own forms stolen from them. !e portrays the punishment with vivid language and imaginative detail. !alfway through his description of these horrors# however# Dante declares outright that he has outdone both 7vid and 8ucan in his ability to write scenes of metamorphosis and transformation. )7vid's 9etamorphoses focuses entirely on transformations 8ucan wrote the Pharsalia# an account of the :oman political transition and turmoil in the ,rst century 0.(.+ Dante touts both his ingenuity in envisioning these monstrous transformations and his poetic skill in rendering them. %n both aspects# he claims to surpass two of the classical poets most renowned for their mythological inventions and vivid imagery# thus again attempting to subsume the classical tradition within his own poem. These claims hearken back to the subtle note of self;congratulation that Dante includes in (anto %-# when he meets these poets face to face his attitude toward them combines respect and condescension. %n (anto 66-%# Dante makes another strike at anti2uity by placing its last remaining hero# =lysses )known as 7dysseus to the Greeks+# in the ighth Pouch of the ighth (ircle of !ell. Dante explains =lysses' presence in this section of !ell by referencing his role in the ruse of the Tro&an !orse# which enabled the sacking of Troy by the 1chaeans. 0ut Dante probably had a number of di/erent motivations for placing =lysses so deep in !ell.
Themes God's &ustice is perfect 1ppropriate punishment for sinners $e'll all pay for our sins someday
Dante's &ourney is a &ourney to recogni3ing sin Dante eventually becomes a bit apathetic "torytelling immortali3es people "tories last even after the people in it are gone The intellect of the damned is useless They can only predict the future. 7nce God reigns# there is no future
