Dantes Inferno Paper

Submitted By karatebabe77
Words: 824
Pages: 4
Open Document
Jess Foderaro
Dr. Ali
Western Heritage II
May 1, 2014
Essay One: Inferno In this paper I will discuss Canto three of Dante’s Inferno, where Dante the poet presents a character named Charon. It is misleading to think that the character is punished because of how he was originally assigned the job as the ferryman, as a superficial reading might suggest. Charon has “lost the good of the intellect” (3.18) in the following sense that he is being used as an essential “tool” to help the deceased sinners across the river. Hell is the place for lost souls that, according to Dante, deserved to be punished. These souls do not have any idea why they ended up in hell. Dante the poet is quite ambiguous on why certain people deserve to be on certain levels; for example, the first level of hell is a castle with a lot of amenities. One would not come to the conclusion that this is a punishment when thinking about the stereotypical description of the underworld. When the sinners arrive in hell, they are greeted at the gates with an intimidating statement that ends with the phrase “ABANDON EVERY HOPE, WHO ENTER HERE.” (3.9). Arriving at the gate alone is enough to strike the fear of the unknown into an unfortunate soul. One of the first people that the reader gets introduced to in this book is named Charon. Charon is described as “an aged man – his hair was white with years…” (3.83). He is considered a guide for the lost souls, only because helps them across the river towards the banks on the other side so they are able to continue on their journey towards eternal darkness and suffering with no hope of achieving the glory of heaven. Virgil and Dante are confronted rather early in Canto III. They see Charon approaching from a boat in the distance. Virgil, Dante, and the lost souls surrounding them are yelled at by the old ferryman. He arrives and tells them to about how they lost their hope of glory and are going to suffer the consequences for their negative actions that took place while they were still alive. The old ferryman comes over towards the two living souls and acknowledges the fact that they are actually alive. Charon tells them that “another way and other harbors – not here – will bring you passage to your shore: a lighter craft will have to carry you.” (3.91-93). Dante and Virgil reply by saying they were sent from above and that it is in fact God’s will that they are allowed across the river, and that he asks no more of Charon in accordance with their journey through the fiery depths of the earth. The reader may come to the conclusion that the reason why Charon was hesitant to allow Dante and Virgil to cross the great river is because they are indeed still alive and are still in their human flesh. A ferry is only so big, and Virgil and Dante were most likely one of the first living souls to make the journey through the underworld. A soul is weightless, and would not have any effect on the ability of the ferry to cross the river. Charon does allow them across eventually, but only because of the will of God. Charon quickly went from a guide for the
Show More

Related Documents: Dantes Inferno Paper

Lust In Dante's Inferno Essay

Introduction Inferno was the first part of an epic poem Divine Comedy and it tells Dante’s experience in Inferno to show Dante’s recognition of sins. Dante was deeply influenced by his contemporary social value and religious faith. Inferno mostly follow Dante’s beliefs to Christian. Though lust was denied to some extent in Christian doctrine, Dante didn’t totally agree with it that he showed his love to Beatrice in Inferno and his sympathy to sinners in the second circle Lust. Dante divided the concept…

Words 1559 - Pages 7

Thougthful Triads Numerology of Dantes Inferno Essay

Numerology of Dante’s Inferno By: Crystal Hood HUM 2216 – Chipola College Professor Myers July 24, 2014 Word Count: 1769 “The path to paradise begins in hell.” – Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri wrote his Devine Comedy almost seven hundred years ago and it is perhaps the greatest religious allegory of all times. Dante completed his epic poem during the last fifteen years of his life, while in exile from Florence. The piece is driven by Dante’s religious beliefs and support of the separation…

Words 1793 - Pages 8

Octavio GutierrezProfessor Hudis Paper 3The age

Professor Hudis Paper #3 The age of synthesis. The high middle ages are often referred to as “the age of synthesis”. This age brought together many developments in religion, science, and classical learning. The age of synthesis occurred during the 11, 12th, and 13th centuries. On this paper I am going to try and elaborate on those aforementioned topics, as well as talk about Italian poet Dante and the affects of his work. Ill also talk about what writers had influence of Dante's work. Dante Aligheri…

Words 1577 - Pages 7

Essay about Dauntes Inferno

Madison Mroz Term Paper Prof. B 05/02/15 The True Meaning of Dante´s Inferno Religious people always fear that they will not make it to Heaven or the place their God resides. The bible and other religious text give advice on how to avoid the pain of Hell. Dante Alighieri, a famous Italian poet, wrote about the physical description of Hell and the punishments each sinner would receive for their sins. Although The Divine Comedy chronicles Dante's journey from the depths of Hell to the glory of Heaven…

Words 2012 - Pages 9

Who Is Lucifer's Name For The Same Angel?

through the other layers of Hell and in his three heads he eats Brutus, Judas, and Cassius. In Dante's stories he portrays Satan as less powerful and receives the same punishments as the rest of the sinners and in his story, Dante makes Satan not talk in his book the Inferno. Satan shows up in multiple religious book like the Bible and the book of…

Words 603 - Pages 3

Conrad and Mccarthy Essay

How do Conrad and McCarthy make what’s horrible, so interesting? Both Conrad and McCarthy have a way of enticing the reader to feel somewhat repulsed and horrified yet also intrigued. People have a natural tendency to be morbidly curious, for example we become captivated and cannot look away from horrible car crashes. Psychologists and scientists believe that we tend to look at car accidents because the accident provides the observer with a close encounter without being directly involved. Similarly…

Words 2453 - Pages 10

Modernist Elements in the Hollow Men Essay

Introduction: THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS NOT WITH A BANG BUT A WHIMPER T.S.Eliot, The Hollow Men (95-98). The end of The Hollow Men can only be the beginning of a deep and long reflection for thoughtful readers. T.S. Eliot, who always believed that in his end is his beginning, died and left his verse full of hidden messages to be understood, and codes to be deciphered. It is this complexity, which is at the heart of modernism…

Words 7030 - Pages 29

History Final Study Guide

History Final Study Guide Lisa Pizzagalli Priest: people who lead the sermons in the church (are less powerful than a bishop) Bishop: someone with a high social class who monitors church activity in a specific region Diocese: a governing body that includes several churches. An area that a bishop is in charge of Cathedral: the head church of a region which the bishop rules Archbishop: Someone who has authority over several dioceses so they oversee many governing bodies which include many churches…

Words 5130 - Pages 21

Department of English Spring 2014 Course Descriptions Essays

the recent adaptation of The Life of Pi, bring us face to face with the ethical problems involved in living together. The requirements for this course will include active class participation, very short weekly response posts, and three 5-7-page papers. Possible readings include selections from The Metamorphosis (Ovid), Gulliver’s Travels (Jonathan Swift), Leviathan (Thomas Hobbes), Frankenstein (Mary Shelley), The Descent of Man (Charles Darwin), Tess of the D’Urbervilles (Thomas Hardy), The…

Words 9501 - Pages 39