Dante’s Inferno Analysis You Must Read for Sure

In accordance with Dante’s Inferno, Which Circle of Hell Is Your Favorite?

Literature of the Renaissance and Humanism periods have brought many new ideas, and also have helped to alter and enlighten the perspectives and views of contemporary society. These movements were highly developed in Italy. However , the absolute most influential persons were artists, politicians, poets, and philosophers, who practically created and represented these cultural movements. One of the most influential poets of the time was Dante Alighieri. Although that he was the key poet of the late Middle Ages, that he inspired the newest era of Humanism and Renaissance. One of his true highest works is Inferno. He'd his own vision of hell. This essay provides an analysis of Dante’s work, and an answer to the question of personal taste: “Which is your favorite circle of Dante’s Inferno?”

Dante Alighieri was one of the most influential Italian poets and philosophers, born in 1265. His place of birth and residence was Florence, Tuscany, where he resided in the initial half of his life. In the second 1 / 2 of his life he was banished from his city due to political intrigues, when he was included in the political turbulence between Guelphs and Ghibellines. His greatest work is Divine Comedy, that is considered among the European classics. This poem consists of three parts: Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. The essential plot of the poem is the journey of a human’s soul through all three places, according to Christian beliefs. All three elements of Divine Comedy contain minor poems, or cantos. Concerning the structure of the poem Inferno, it consists of 33 cantos, depicting hell.

When it comes to describing the plot of Inferno, it depicts the journey of poet Dante through hell. Dante enters the hell alive, and he is light emitting diode by his favorite poet Virgil. The poem was placed in year 1300, before the dawn of Good Friday. Dante entered the gates of hell at night woods, as he was in halfway through his life journey. The poet depicted hell in nine circles, where each circle corresponded to the burden of committed sins. The hell was depicted according to Christian ideals. But the most fascinating characteristic is that Dante depicted the majority of the characters of ancient times in particular circles of hell. He also used components of ancient mythology, by evoking for a muse at the start of the poem, and by incorporating some characters of ancient myths like Helen of Troy. The poem was personalized by Dante because he inserted into the poem different characters from their own life. These were different Florentine politicians, people he knew, but the most significant character was Beatrice, the love of his life. According to his feelings it had been not surprising he depicted Beatrice in heaven, guarded by St. Lucia and the Virgin Mary.

Based on my belief the most interesting circle of Dante’s Inferno may be the second circle. This circle is described in Canto V and is the circle of those who committed sins of the flesh, or lust. The souls who belong to the next circle are souls who committed sins of love, or adultery. That makes Canto V in Inferno more interesting. It is the only part of Inferno which refers to love, even though it is sinful love. That gives enough reasons for a reader to feel sympathy for sinners of that circle. Dante himself does not conceal sympathy for sinners trapped there. In each circle of Inferno, Dante tried to acknowledge some sinners. It is interesting that he incorporated here Cleopatra and Helen of Troy. They both belong to ancient times, the very first one to ancient history and the second anyone to ancient mythology. Dante mixed both fictional characters with real historical characters, as well as with his contemporaries. The most emotional part of Canto V could be the introduction with the couple in love, Paolo and Francesca, who committed adultery and now suffer together. At the ending line Dante expressed sorrow for their faith by fainting. These lines evoke deep emotions from the reader’s perspective and I consider them as my favorite.

Works Cited

Biography. com Editors. “Dante Biography. ” Biography.com, A& E Networks Television, 22 Jan. 2019, www.biography.com/people/dante-9265912.
Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri. The Italian Text with a Translation in English Blank Verse and a Commentary by Courtney Langdon, vol. 1 (Inferno) (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1918), www.oll.libertyfund.org/titles/83.