The Inferno

It is inherent for man to want to understand more about himself and the universe in which he lives. In Dante's "Inferno," Dante is faced with the obstacle of journeying through the circles of hell, witnessing firsthand the bizarre punishment and suffering of the sinners. This experience causes Dante to understand and renounce sin, leading him to salvation and allowing him to find himself. With reason as his guide, Dante willingly makes his journey through hell and slowly begins to attain an understanding of the nature of sin. Signs of this spiritual development are apparent as Dante passes the fifth circle of hell, the wrathful, and scorns a sinner who has risen from the slime to question the Pilgrim. Dante states, "May you weep and wail, stuck here in this place forever, you damned soul" (Canto VIII: 37-38). Dante has recognized the severity of sin and, thus, has begun his conquest over that which deters his acquisition of knowledge.

In the first lines of the Divine Comedy, Dante says "In the middle of the journey of our life I came to my senses in a dark forest, for I had lost the straight path."(Dante Pg. 766 lines 1-3) This is the typical stereotype of today for when a person becomes "lost" or consumed in sin. The sinful life is a dark life and a sinless life is a bright, white, and pure life. Dante's coming to his senses in a dark forest symbolizes his realizing how "lost" in sin he truly was and realizing that he needed to do something about it, meaning he needed to go through the seven sacraments so that he could become pure enough to see God in Paradise and not have to spend and eternity in Hell. Dante realized that he had strayed from the true faith without realizing it, not knowing exactly how it happened, and is trying to return.

When Dante and Virgil reach the gate of Hell, Dante is overcome with fear upon reading the inscription above the gate and hearing the screams and lamentations of those inside. He reacts to the inscription by crying out, I said; these words I see are cruel.’ (Canto III.12). By this he shows his fear of the unknown because he does not yet know exactly what he will witness during his descent.

In Canto XXXIV Dante finally finds himself in the presence of the "Prince of Lies", the enormous monstrosity of Lucifer himself. After receiving encouraging words from his guide, he again comments to the reader in this passage that describes fear itself: How chilled and nerveless, Reader, I felt then; do not ask me-I cannot write about it- there are no words to tell you how I felt. I did not die-I was not living either! Try to imagine, if you can imagine, me there, deprived of life and death at once. (Canto XXXIV.22-27) This describes the essence of fear, where life and death blur and the presence of either is uncertain. Lucifer was certainly very deserving of this kind