Divine Comedy Dante Puts the Hell in Hellenism Essay

Divine Comedy: Dante Puts the Hell in Hellenism Ever since they were created Greek heroes and their stories have found a perpetual home in the minds and imagination of everyday people. There they grow to new height through art and literature. Dante Alighieri includes famous Greek characters throughout the first book of his Divine Comedy: Hell. From the famed philosophers and personages who fill Limbo to the very last circles of Hell where the giants inhabit, Dante uses as images of different sins, and punishment for individuals sins famous Greek monsters, lovers, and heroes. Throughout history monsters and hideous beasts have been used to terrify men. Dante uses beasts not only to terrify, but to be images of individual†¦show more content†¦Dante places them as guards to the city of Dis and the Heretics inside Dis because of the strong iron will of both. The Heretics prefer their individual judgement to that of the Catholic Church. These Heretics are so sure of themselves that any evidence given, no matter how logical and truthful, is considered wrong because they believe their own opinions to be correct. The Furies, who are stubborn and pursue the guilty along with the innocent, are perfect companions for the torture of Heretics. If the Furies themselves are not bad enough with their vivid green hydras (IX:124, 40) for hair carrying scourges and sickles, they threaten to unleash the hideous Medusa. Dante uses Medusa as an image of vanity and pride. Medusa, once a beautiful maiden, became so hardened with vanity that she claimed to be Athenas equal in beauty. Upon hearing this Athena turned her into the horrible beast that she is well known as. Her hair changed into writhing serpents and her face became so horrible that all who ventured to look upon it were turned into stone. She is the Furies secret weapon, to be unleashed upon only the unluckiest of souls, Dante unfortunately being one of them. Dante uses not only the tormentors but also the tormented to serve as examples of sin. The lovers themselves are symbols of lust and adultery. Among the tortured lovers of Circle II are Paris and Helen for whose sake rolled past long evil years (V:98, 64-65).