How Is Satan Portrayed In Dante's Inferno

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Throughout the Inferno, it is implied to the audience that Virgil and Dante would eventually encounter Satan, “the emperor of the realm of grief (Canto XXXIV, line 31).” Typically when the name Satan is mentioned, the image of an eerily charming and tempting evil being surrounded by flames while torturing damned souls with a pitchfork usually comes to mind. On the other hand, Dante’s portrayal of Satan is the antithesis of this common perception. Rather than the clever, almost worthy, enemy of God, Dante portrays Satan as nothing more than a unintelligent, mute, sessile beast trapped in a frozen lake. After witnessing the brutal, fiery punishments of the previous circles of hell, the icy stillness of the 9th circle and Satan’s inability to …show more content…
Dante transforms Satan into a dumb beast as testament to his wickedness and the divine powers which punish him. According to Dante, “If he was truly once as beautiful / As he is ugly now, and raised his brows / Against his Maker-then / all sorrow may well / Come out of him.” (Canto XXXIV, lines 37-40, pp. 297) Satan is described as having colossal height that even dwarfs the giants. His enormousness stands in contrast with his feeble mind and lack of power. This is a direct comment on Satan’s wicked deed that made him feel as though he was above God by outwitting him. Now, according to Dante, Satan’s power and emotional capability is limited to flapping his “unfeathered, batlike (Canto XXXIV, line 51, pp. 297)” wings, while he “wept with all six eyes (Canto XXXIV, line 54, pp. 297)” in great silent, suffering. Dante states in the poem that as he beat his wings, he “[froze] the whole realm of Cocytus that surrounded him (Canto XXXIV, line 53, pp. 297).” This is a comment on the fall of Satan and his rebellion against God. Although Satan was able to escape by his own free will away from God, he now prevents his escape from his suffering by choosing to beat his wings that trap him in the frozen lake. Satan is also described to have three …show more content…
Unlike the eight circles above where the condemned suffer in a community of the other damned in a passionate, creative punishment, Satan is isolated in a frozen, barren landscape. No noise escapes from the damned frozen in the lake, for they are completely frozen solid and left to weep. He does feel the touch of others. He has no speech or other noise, save for the beating of his wings. It is a silent, cold, desolate place. While this may seem boring to the audience who experienced the passion filled punishments of the other eight circles, the ninth circle is truly the scariest and twisted circle of hell that fits the punishment of the betrayers, especially Satan. To betray one’s country, kin, guests, or even God Himself is to sever the connection between human nature and emotion. Unlike the sins committed by the souls of the eight circles above, Dante sees the act of betrayal one that is premeditated and calculated, not something done in passion. Dante encases Satan in ice to depict how through pure evil, he brought forth the ability for other humans to sever themselves from human connection and emotion. This ice represents not only the frigidity of his sin and his severed connection with humanity, but also the complete separation from ever feeling God’s warm love
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