Dante’s use of allegory in the Inferno greatly varies from Plato’s "Allegory of the Cave" in purpose‚ symbolism‚ characters and mentors‚ and in attitude toward the world. An analysis of each of these elements in both allegories will provide an interesting comparison. Dante uses allegory to relate the sinner’s punishment to his sin‚ while Plato uses allegory to discuss ignorance and knowledge. Dante’s Inferno describes the descent through Hell from the upper level of the opportunists to the most evil
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The Journey of Dante Dante records journey through hell in the book "The Inferno." Dante’s poem records is thoughts and views of the punishments to get to hell and the sins accomplished to get their. Dante breaks down the lay out all the way through hell and give one an idea of the order that the punishments fall to be placed closer to the center of hell. Dante begins during the era of the middle Ages and shows the reader throughout poem of the dominance of the Roman Catholic Church through the
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constantly new‚ changing‚ and terrifying‚ the comforting voice of reason explains everything to Dante the pilgrim and the reader. He describes the geography of the place‚ why sinners are punished according to their sins‚ why we see what we do - in short‚ Virgil always provides the reason why things are the way they are. This is essentially the role of rationality in a philosophic sense of the world. As we know‚ Dante was a student of philosophy‚ so he was well familiar with philosophers’ tools to explain
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receiving in kind‚ while inferno is symbolic for hell. This paper reviews the two poems‚ written centuries apart. The odyssey and inferno are about the journey of two men. In the two poems‚ the main character is given guidance by another character aiding them in their travel. Athena is the protector of Odysseus on his journey back from the Trojan War to his family in Ithaca. Dante on the other hand was led by vigil through hell in order to save his soul. In Dante’s inferno‚ there is a struggle between
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In the Inferno‚ mutilation is the most common way for those in hell to be given the ineluctable punishment for their sins. Mutilation is an act or physical injury that degrades the appearance or function of the body. Mutilation is both used in the inferno as a way to cause physical pain to those in hell‚ but the form of mutilation used on the sinners is also a form of emotional torture because it pertains directly to their sin. Because mutilation is used so frequently in the inferno Dante must use
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Introduction 1. The journey taken by Dante is symbolic in the fact that it is a spiritual quest for salvation. 2. A canto is a chapter. 3. The Divine Comedy contains 100 cantos because 100 is the square of ten which in reference to the Middle Ages was the perfect number. 4. Tercets are three-line stanzas in the rhyme scheme called terza rima. In terza rima the middle line of the first tercet rhymed with the first and last of the second. 5. The number three is important in the Divine Comedy because
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The Struggle of Pity What is pity? Pity is simply the concern aroused by the misfortune or suffering of others. As the emotion of pity deepens‚ it can correlate itself with sympathy and lead to compassion (Baird 1). Dante comprises this idea of pity within the narration of his characters in the Inferno. Dante creates fluctuating moralities that contrasts with the narrative tale of the sinners to the protagonist. The contrasts that are made by the sinner are reflected upon by Dante‚ he refers to this
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For murder alone‚ Dante would have placed him among those who were Violent Against their Neighbors‚ leaving him to be submerged in boiling blood and shot by Centaurs until Judgement Day. However‚ he could also be placed among the Thieves‚ left to turn into a serpent then
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Though some speculated it involved fire‚ Dante chose to surround the Mountain by water. In contrast‚ there already existed the idea of a dark and gloomy hell‚ and a beautiful and light heaven. The poet selected to envisage purgatory as a mountain located on an island in the southern hemisphere. Purgatory is most similar to Earth‚ while hell and paradise are the customary spaces imagined. Dante divides the mountain to ante-purgatory and the seven terraces. The terraces
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Inferno; the Summary The Inferno starts on the evening of Good Friday in the year 1300. Traveling through dark woods‚ Dante Alighieri has lost his path and now wanders fearfully through the forest. Here he encounters the ghost of Virgil‚ the great Roman poet‚ who has come to guide Dante back to his path‚ to the top of the mountain. Virgil says that their path will take them through Hell and that they will eventually reach Heaven. He leads Dante through the gates of Hell. The Ante-Inferno‚ where
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