Essay on Canto V of Dante’s Inferno - 593 Words

Canto V of Dante’s Inferno In Dante’s Inferno, part of The Divine Comedy, Canto V introduces the torments of Hell in the Second Circle. Here Minos tells the damned where they will spend eternity by wrapping his tail around himself. The Second Circle of Hell holds the lustful; those who sinned with the flesh. They are punished in the darkness by an unending tempest, which batters them with winds and rain. Hell is not only a geographical place, but also a representation of the potential for sin and evil within every individual human soul. As Dante travels through Hell, he sees sinners in increasingly more hideous and disgusting situations. For Dante, each situation is an image of the quality of any soul that is determined to sin in†¦show more content†¦Others include Cleopatra, Achilles, and Semiras, each with their own story of love and lust. Dante is at once filled with great pity for those who were â€Å"torn from the mortal life by love† (V. 69). With Virgil’s permission, Dante asks to call to â€Å"those two swept together so lightly on the wind and still to sad† (V. 74). One woman answers him, recognizing him as a living soul. Dante knows her as Francesca, and she relates to him how love was her undoing. She was reading with a man, Paolo, about an Arthurian Legend of Lancelot, â€Å"how love had mastered him† (V. 129). The two came to a particularly romantic moment in the story, and could not resist exchanging a single kiss; that very day, they were killed because of it. Dante is so overcome with pity that he faints. Paolo and Francesca represented, or symbolize, sinful love by example. They show how an intrinsically noble emotion, love, if contrary to God’s law, can bring two essentially fine persons to damnation and spiritual ruin. Dante’s personal response of overwhelming pity should not blind us to the justice of the penalty. Dante describes himself as fainting at the end of Francesca’s recital, his purpose is partly to portray the attractiveness of the sin. Dante allows the lovers the bitter sweetness of inseperability in Hell, but they have lost God and thus corrupted their personalities; they can hardly be considered happy. In a sense, they have what they wanted; they continue in the lawless condition thatShow MoreRelated Francescas Style in Canto V of Dantes Inferno Essay5060 Words   |  21 PagesFrancescas Style in Canto V of Dantes Inferno Canto V of Dantes Inferno begins and ends with confession. The frightening image of Minos who  «confesses » the damned sinners and then hurls them down to their eternal punishment contrasts with the almost familial image of Francesca and Dante, who confess to one another. In a real sense confession seems to be defective or inadequate in Hell. 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Read MoreThe Divine Comedy : The Carlyle Wicksteed Translation1477 Words   |  6 Pagesharder than expected to actually read and not really what I was expecting in terms of plot. In 2010 Electronic Arts published a video game for Dante’s Inferno and it turns out they neglected a lot of the actual story and filled in gaps with their own ideas, even going so far as to take Beatrice out of heaven and put her in hell with Lucifer. While Dante’s Inferno may be simple in other media, the book was probably too much for me to hope to have fully grasped it in one read through. The first aspectRead MoreDeceit and Sexual Womens Sexual Sins in Dantes Inferno1536 Words   |  7 PagesDeceit and Sexual Women’s Sexual Sins in Dante’s Inferno Dante’s representations of women and feminine sexuality in the Inferno show contrasts within the various natures of women and their sexuality. His era’s vision of the perfect woman one that idealized beauty, passiveness and purity is represented by his life long love Beatrice. This ideal and its representation in Beatrice are contrasted with the dark depictions of women, their sexual sins, devious devices, and evil act, which DanteRead MoreAdam And Nimrod Are Not Just Characters From Dante s Work1259 Words   |  6 PagesAdam and Nimrod are not just characters from Dante’s work. They both have origins in Christianity. Genesis 3 is about Adam’s sin, the first sin; disobeying the Lord caused the fall of man. Genesis 11 is about Nimrod’s sin. Nimrod was the first ruler â€Å"in the land of Shinar† (Gen 10.10). Men, migrating east, settled in Shinar and planned to construct a tower so tall, that it would reach the sky because this would â €Å"make a name for [themselves]† (Gen. 11.4). 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A modern reader might well find the story of Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta moving, especially when the narrator himself swoons with pity at the cantos end. It is true that in Dantes ethical scheme, the sin of PaoloRead MoreInfluence Of The Classical World Upon Dante s The Inferno1320 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Classical World Upon Dante’s The Inferno Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet and writer of the 13th century, creates a fictional account of his visions of his journey through Hell. His background as a Catholic influences his life and his writings, including The Inferno. He uses the historical and political events of his lifetime to influence his writings as well. Dante is educated and very familiar with the history and literature of the classical world. In The Inferno, he expresses his admiration