Dante Essay, Research Paper
Dante s Inferno takes mankind on a frightening journey through the depths of hell. This mentally and physically
exhausting journey proves to be an invaluable lesson in restoration of the Church, which was in a corrupt state.
The physical ends of the journey are to strengthen the pilgrim s body for the upcoming and rigorous ascent on
mount purgatory. The intellectual ends of the journey, however, are far more beneficial to the human soul. Man
must first understand the foundations of sin before he can hope to climb the mountain of salvation; it is only by
climbing down Lucifer s grotesque body, i.e. grappling with sin itself, that the pilgrim is able to reach the
mountain of Purgatory. On his voyage through hell, Dante shows the effects of the sin on the sinner s soul
through their punishments; each punishment is relative to the sin. Dante symbolizes the effects of sin on the soul
by using variations of a constant motion to punish the sinners in the circle of the lustful and the round of
sodomites. Dante presents the second circle of hell as the pitiful realm of the lustful, in which the souls are blasted
by a wind storm eternal in its rage (V.31). The lustful, like all sins of incontinence, makes reason slave to
appetite (V.39). The lustful never truly commit themselves to a concrete relationship; they just flow freely from
one person to the next. (i.e. there are no strings attached) The lustful are so easily swept of their feet that they
are forever being swooned. The carefree lifestyle the lustful practice leaves no room for self-direction. Thus, the
image of the harsh winds incessantly whirling the souls symbolizes the how the lustful deprived themselves of
self-direction. The soul is turned from its proper nature when the soul deceives itself into thinking that it does not
have the power of self-direction. The sodomites, like the lustful, have allowed themselves to become powerless
to their sexual appetite. However, Dante places the sodomites in the seventh circle of hell, which is reserved for
the violent; it is considered to be violent because it is a perversion of nature. The practice of homosexuality is
recognized as an unnatural sin, as opposed to the sin of lust, which is defined by the natural desire of beauty
between man and woman that is wrongly practiced. The natural motion of the soul is constant ascension, in
which the ends bring the soul to be one with god. In Canto XV, Dante describes the punishment for sodomy
during a brief encounter with three sodomites: and when they reached us, then they started circling; the three
together formed a turning wheel And circling this way each kept his face pointed at me, so that their necks
and feet moved constantly in opposite directions (21-27). The circling motion made by the sodomites
represents the unnatural movement of the soul; instead of a constant ascension to salvation, the soul makes the
constant motion of a circle. The result being that there is no progress in any direction and an unnatural alignment
in the body, the neck and feet moved constantly in opposite directions (XV.26-7). The body, as well as the
soul, has again been turned from its proper function by a perversion of nature. Dante s Inferno enables man to
understand that the punishment of the soul is retributive justice assigned by God. By carefully assessing the
pilgrim s journey through hell, man comes to realize that the appropriateness of the punishment is a reflection of
the sin s effects upon the soul. This realization will help Dante overcome the nature of sin, which is that sin
perverts the soul and turns it from its proper nature. Now that the pilgrim has investigated all sin and knows the
foundation of all sin, Dante us spiritually prepared to welcome the hope of salvation Dante s Inferno takes mankind on a frightening journey through the depths of hell. This mentally and physically
exhausting journey proves to be an invaluable lesson in restoration of the Church, which was in a corrupt state.
The physical ends of the journey are to strengthen the pilgrim s body for the upcoming and rigorous ascent on
mount purgatory. The intellectual ends of the journey, however, are far more beneficial to the human soul. Man
must first understand the foundations of sin before he can hope to climb the mountain of salvation; it is only by
climbing down Lucifer s grotesque body, i.e. grappling with sin itself, that the pilgrim is able to reach the
mountain of Purgatory. On his voyage through hell, Dante shows the effects of the sin on the sinner s soul
through their punishments; each punishment is relative to the sin. Dante symbolizes the effects of sin on the soul
by using variations of a constant motion to punish the sinners in the circle of the lustful and the round of
sodomites. Dante presents the second circle of hell as the pitiful realm of the lustful, in which the souls are blasted
by a wind storm eternal in its rage (V.31). The lustful, like all sins of incontinence, makes reason slave to
appetite (V.39). The lustful never truly commit themselves to a concrete relationship; they just flow freely from
one person to the next. (i.e. there are no strings attached) The lustful are so easily swept of their feet that they
are forever being swooned. The carefree lifestyle the lustful practice leaves no room for self-direction. Thus, the
image of the harsh winds incessantly whirling the souls symbolizes the how the lustful deprived themselves of
self-direction. The soul is turned from its proper nature when the soul deceives itself into thinking that it does not
have the power of self-direction. The sodomites, like the lustful, have allowed themselves to become powerless
to their sexual appetite. However, Dante places the sodomites in the seventh circle of hell, which is reserved for
the violent; it is considered to be violent because it is a perversion of nature. The practice of homosexuality is
recognized as an unnatural sin, as opposed to the sin of lust, which is defined by the natural desire of beauty
between man and woman that is wrongly practiced. The natural motion of the soul is constant ascension, in
which the ends bring the soul to be one with god. In Canto XV, Dante describes the punishment for sodomy
during a brief encounter with three sodomites: and when they reached us, then they started circling; the three
together formed a turning wheel And circling this way each kept his face pointed at me, so that their necks
and feet moved constantly in opposite directions (21-27). The circling motion made by the sodomites
represents the unnatural movement of the soul; instead of a constant ascension to salvation, the soul makes the
constant motion of a circle. The result being that there is no progress in any direction and an unnatural alignment
in the body, the neck and feet moved constantly in opposite directions (XV.26-7). The body, as well as the
soul, has again been turned from its proper function by a perversion of nature. Dante s Inferno enables man to
understand that the punishment of the soul is retributive justice assigned by God. By carefully assessing the
pilgrim s journey through hell, man comes to realize that the appropriateness of the punishment is a reflection of
the sin s effects upon the soul. This realization will help Dante overcome the nature of sin, which is that sin
perverts the soul and turns it from its proper nature. Now that the pilgrim has investigated all sin and knows the
foundation of all sin, Dante us spiritually prepared to welcome the hope of salvation Dante s Inferno takes mankind on a frightening journey through the depths of hell. This mentally and physically
exhausting journey proves to be an invaluable lesson in restoration of the Church, which was in a corrupt state.
The physical ends of the journey are to strengthen the pilgrim s body for the upcoming and rigorous ascent on
mount purgatory. The intellectual ends of the journey, however, are far more beneficial to the human soul. Man
must first understand the foundations of sin before he can hope to climb the mountain of salvation; it is only by
climbing down Lucifer s grotesque body, i.e. grappling with sin itself, that the pilgrim is able to reach the
mountain of Purgatory. On his voyage through hell, Dante shows the effects of the sin on the sinner s soul
through their punishments; each punishment is relative to the sin. Dante symbolizes the effects of sin on the soul
by using variations of a constant motion to punish the sinners in the circle of the lustful and the round of
sodomites. Dante presents the second circle of hell as the pitiful realm of the lustful, in which the souls are blasted
by a wind storm eternal in its rage (V.31). The lustful, like all sins of incontinence, makes reason slave to
appetite (V.39). The lustful never truly commit themselves to a concrete relationship; they just flow freely from
one person to the next. (i.e. there are no strings attached) The lustful are so easily swept of their feet that they
are forever being swooned. The carefree lifestyle the lustful practice leaves no room for self-direction. Thus, the
image of the harsh winds incessantly whirling the souls symbolizes the how the lustful deprived themselves of
self-direction. The soul is turned from its proper nature when the soul deceives itself into thinking that it does not
have the power of self-direction. The sodomites, like the lustful, have allowed themselves to become powerless
to their sexual appetite. However, Dante places the sodomites in the seventh circle of hell, which is reserved for
the violent; it is considered to be violent because it is a perversion of nature. The practice of homosexuality is
recognized as an unnatural sin, as opposed to the sin of lust, which is defined by the natural desire of beauty
between man and woman that is wrongly practiced. The natural motion of the soul is constant ascension, in
which the ends bring the soul to be one with god. In Canto XV, Dante describes the punishment for sodomy
during a brief encounter with three sodomites: and when they reached us, then they started circling; the three
together formed a turning wheel And circling this way each kept his face pointed at me, so that their necks
and feet moved constantly in opposite directions (21-27). The circling motion made by the sodomites
represents the unnatural movement of the soul; instead of a constant ascension to salvation, the soul makes the
constant motion of a circle. The result being that there is no progress in any direction and an unnatural alignment
in the body, the neck and feet moved constantly in opposite directions (XV.26-7). The body, as well as the
soul, has again been turned from its proper function by a perversion of nature. Dante s Inferno enables man to
understand that the punishment of the soul is retributive justice assigned by God. By carefully assessing the
pilgrim s journey through hell, man comes to realize that the appropriateness of the punishment is a reflection of
the sin s effects upon the soul. This realization will help Dante overcome the nature of sin, which is that sin
perverts the soul and turns it from its proper nature. Now that the pilgrim has investigated all sin and knows the
foundation of all sin, Dante us spiritually prepared to welcome the hope of salvation