The Inferno in The Divine Comedy

As the character Dante descends into hell, he is witness to the afterlives of different kinds of sinners. They begin with those of lesser sins, which are closer to the ground. Then, as Dante descends deeper into hell, the shades of worse sins greet him, until finally, he is at the center of the earth, and in the company of the devil himself.

Dante's journey takes the form of an Arthurian quest, an thus, apparent comparisons can be made in this text, and that of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain descends deeper into the depths of his quest to come out at the other end with the Green knight,whom he must bargain with, much like the devil.

In fact, The similarities between the two are so apparent, that Gerould contends that

though the author [of Gawain] owed nothing to any model, the superb artistry which combined richness of poetical effect with control of design convinces one that he, like Chaucer, had learned much from the Italian masters [such as Dante],(31).

Thus, it can be concluded that the Arthurian quest format of literature at the time is owed much to Alighieri, and as such, much

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nte of the three kinds of violent sin that one might commit to be sent into this displeasing part of hell: All the first circle of the Violent is; But since force may be used against three persons, In three rounds 't is divided and constructed. To God, to ourselves, and to our neighbor can we Use force; I say on them and on their things, As thou shalt hear with reason manifest(Inf XI,38-33). It seems to be here that the division between "upper" and "lower" hell begins. Before this point are the sins which, dependent upon the context, may not even be seen as such. Lust, after all, is a close relative of love, and gluttony of nourishment. When Dante steps into the circles of the violent however, it seems that the sins have become much more serious. The circles beyond those of the violent only get worse ands Dante descends deeper into hell, and into the city of Dis. The poets Dante and Virgil actually descend down a cliff in order to reach the rest of hell. Certainly, It is expected that the crimes committed by these sinners will be much less understandable and more cruel or evil. In canto XVII, when Geryon takes them into Netherhell, It seems that they have reached the quintessential "point of no return"ùIt is a m
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Approximate Word count = 1220
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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