Dante’s Perception of Afterlife Punishment
After going through the readings of this week chapter (25-30) of Dante’s poem Inferno, I found the concept of what happens in the afterlife or hell interesting. Precisely, the passage on page 131 ‘the grieving flame departed, twisting and beating about with its sharp horn, and expounded by Wisdom 11.17: “that they might know that by what things a man sinneth, by the same also he is tormented” gives a clear picture of afterlife punishment. I am fascinated with how every information or activity in this place served a specific purpose, and no one regarded it as a coincidence. However, it is ironic that Dante articulated the punishment very well while simultaneously grieving for sinners’ suffering, as depicted in Line 19. He described hell’s second circle as having the glutton’s spirits with each burning inwardly (Line 46). In his view, one’s desire for food, drinks, and other uncontrolled activities or material things caused these sufferings. Thus asserting that no matter the magnitude of sin, those related to lust is likely to push one into severe punishment in hell.
Compared with other materials, I realized that the second circle is the infernal hurricane, which never rests or bellows as an angry sea. While describing sinners’ suffering, Dante questioned the fire source whose surface seemed divided and rising from the pyre (Line 52). It emerged that throwing the sinners around the stormy wind and rain prevented them from resting. In this regard, applaud the author for choosing specific words to indicate the significance of emotions on sinners.
Glutton is placed in the second circle instead of the first one. In my view, this artistic illustration of sinners’ lives and punishment could compel the audience to conclude that sin is significantly volatile than the poem’s opinion. Like Dante, I also failed to understand how the hell could differentiate between the gluttons and those who had committed different sins. However, I agreed with him that activities that occur in hell and heaven are beyond human comprehension. I am sudden that no matter the amount of sin one may commit, Line 40 states clearly that every flame would steal away a sinner.
The act of emphasizing that all sins cause suffering may face a challenge because some sinners seem to occupy the circle’s outer section. On the other hand, all sinners suffer in the same measure they went to anger or committed sin and face psychological torture of not accessing the promised paradise (Line 55). I, therefore, agree with Dante that all the sins are punishable in hell. In conclusion, the poem The Devine Comedy analyzed what awaits human beings in the afterlife. Therefore, people must avoid lustful desires because they are likely to cause eternal suffering.
References
Dante, A., & Durling, M., Robert (1996). The Devine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Inferno, edited by Robert M. Durling and Ronald L. Martinez. Oxford University Press. , http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/li