Count of Monte Cristo Analysis

Hellish Satisfaction Sex, money, power, and revenge, each of these are driven by human desire. It is almost guaranteed that the reader has not known at least of a handful of persons that do not chase after these human pleasures and many more that, to the least, desire such. Satisfaction is something that every human mind yearns for. Although there are the few who attain such in different ways, there are the majorities that simply long for innate, and sometimes evil, human pleasures. It is clear that damnation is caused by the pursuit of human pleasure, which is the only need for Hell, NOT by incontinence, violence, or fraud. Dante Alighieri’s “The Inferno” demonstrates the fates of those taking pleasure in their sinful fetishes. With some thought, the reader can see that each circle of Hell correlates to some form of human satisfaction. Some of these may be obscure, but they are assuredly there. The most apparent of these are the carnal and the gluttons. Both circles are filled with people who take pleasure in their sins, and in doing so, are damned. The perfect example is Francesca, who says, “And the double grief of a lost bliss is to recall its happy hour in pain…” (Ciardi 39). Francesca shows how she is to suffer in the tempest even more so due to the happiness she has had –having sex and being in love with Paolo. She obtains this happiness in lust and adultery, thus causing her suffering. Her happiness is what ultimately leads to her fall, therefor clarifying that her desire for pleasure was her damnation, not incontinence. Farther along, we also see those guilty of gluttony. Within this circle Ciacco the Hog exclaims, “…gluttony [is] my offense, and for it I lie here rotting like a swollen log” (Ciardi 46). Gluttony –which Ciacco is guilty of- is the overindulgence of food, providing mortals with satisfaction; this desire of satisfaction causes Ciacco’s punishment, not because he cannot control himself. He indulges himself in his own pleasure, without thinking of his waste, which is his sin. Each of these examples shows that typical human pleasure is the cause of damnation. Sinners are not given punishment for their actions, but due to satisfaction that they have in committing them. There are, though, obscure sins that the reader would not claim them to be satisfying acts without adequate cognizance. Deep in hell, one finds circle seven: the murderers and the suicides. As to the satisfaction of either sin, Alexander the Great resides in the Phlegethon due to killings with his enormous army, conquering vast amounts of land. This man, from obsession with power, takes liking, which he is eternally punished for. It was not his violent acts that cause his punishment, but the pleasure that he takes from having the power that his sins grant. In the second round, suicide Pier delle Vigne, speaks of his life in which he is hated, and accused of treachery. He “…thinking to be free of scorn in death, made me last, though just, though unjust to myself” (Ciardi 104), kills himself. This quote shows how Pier commits to escape the cruel fate that has fallen upon him, and in ending this fate, he receives his mortal satisfaction. Either of these cases of mortal satisfaction furthermore justifies that pleasure causes damnation. Human beings do not receive damnation by their actions, but by their gratification from doing so. There are many other cases in which aspiration for gratification cause punishment. In fact, each and every fate in The Inferno can be argued as such. Each human mind aches for complacency, and the chase for it leads to their eternal penance in Hell, but it is not their actions which cause their fall. One who is forced to commit sins against their will would not be damned, but only those who take pleasure in their sins. This is the only reason for Dante’s hell.
MLA Works Cited Page

Alighieri, Dante. The Inferno, Trans. John Ciardi. New York: Signet Classics, 2009. Print

Cited: Page Alighieri, Dante. The Inferno, Trans. John Ciardi. New York: Signet Classics, 2009. Print