Whos Hell is this Anyway Essay - 1072 Words

Dante Alighieri, a poet from the turn of the 14th century, wrote in the Inferno of his journey through hell. Virgil, an ancient roman poet of the Augustan period, wrote the Aeneid that tells the legendary story of Aeneas. Within both of these poems there was a visit to the underworld, creating a skewed picture of the underworld. THESIS After becoming lost in his ways of life, Dante introduces his first character, Virgil. By introducing Virgil, Dante is foreshadowing for the thought process of the Aeneid in relation to the Inferno. In Canto I Virgil becomes Dante’s guide through the underworld after being titled, â€Å"you are my master, my author.† (page 7, line 85), much like Sibyl in the Aeneid. Throughout Dante’s Inferno, he continuously†¦show more content†¦Virgil’s limbo is not so specific and does not judge based on a religious belief system, it is more of a standstill. The strengths of these two pieces of work are put into question based of f of the pre-Christian and Christian underworld. This description of Virgil’s underworld punishment shows a side to hell that would not be expected to be seen in Dante’s Inferno, Then are they happy, when by length of time/The scurf is worn away of each committed crime/No speck is left of their habitual stains (Book VI, Aeneid) Virgil gives hope to his readers in the form of a cleansing possibility in his hell. But, when a thousand rolling years are past/So long their punishments and penance last,)/Whole droves of minds are, by the driving god/Compelld to drink the deep Lethaean flood (VI) In other words, Virgil offers a compelling vision of hell that many of us would probably prefer. Who wouldnt like to think that there is always the possibility for redemption for sins, ever after the torment of the afterlife. But it is exactly that possibility that makes Virgils hell much less satisfying from a literary perspective than Dantes. After all, what could be more powerful than the simple statement: All hope abandon, ye who enter here (Canto III). It is part of the political aspect of Dantes Inferno that the possibility for redemption in hell cannot exist. The poem was written to describe a Christian conception of sin and punishment. The central political force behind theShow MoreRelatedShakespeare Often Employs the Imagery of Darkness Throughout Macbeth762 Words   |  4 Pagestrue. In Scene 4 Duncan appoints his elder son Malcolm as the heir apparent to the throne of Scotland and bestows upon him the title of the ‘Prince of Cumberland’. He adds that it is not only Malcolm who’s being rewarded but that ‘signs of nobleness like stars shall shine/ On all deservers’. This clearly shows what a fair man he is. 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