Great Works of Literature I (Fall 2016)

When Virgil and Dante reach the Third Circle of Hell, after Dante has regained consciousness, they encounter a three-headed beast/dog named Cerberus, the “guard” of the realm. This dog-beast is used as a symbol for which sin the Third Circle represents – gluttony. Dante narrates Virgil’s feeding of the creature: “As a howling cur, hungry to get fed, quiets down with the first mouthful of his food, busy with eating… so it was will all three filthy heads of the demon Cerberus…” (VI, 28-32).

Before Cerberus was fed, a detailed description of the torture endured by the spirits in this circle is given. “[Cerberus] rips the spirits, flays and mangles them. Under the rain they howl like dogs, lying now on one side with the other as a screen, now on the other turning, these wretched sinners.” (VI, 18-21). Whereas many of the other souls in each circle experience their justice by way of becoming their sin, the spirits in this particular one become the prey of Cerberus, or the victim of their original sin. In addition to being eaten, the souls are allowed only the nourishment concocted from the precipitation (a mixture of cold rain and hail) and the earth it falls on – a resulting muddy substance.

As they satisfy the dog-beast’s hunger and move past him, they meet a damned soul by the name of Ciacco, who, only presumably, was a gluttonous man during his earthly life given his sparse characterization. He, like the others in his realm of Hell, does not deserve this kind of punishment for eating an excess of food. Eating too much can really only hurt the individual who is doing the eating, unless they’re doing it at the expense of others. The details of this specific case isn’t included, leaving the reader to assume that this damned soul was just a simple glutton. Maybe he ate too much cheese or drank too many glasses of wine in Florence, but that doesn’t justify his hellish afterlife of being eaten by a three-headed demon dog, and having to eat gloop.

However, if gluttony is viewed in terms of greed for money (at the expense of others, and causing others emotional or physical harm), this would possibly be a just punishment. The lack of background information regarding Ciacco makes it difficult to analyze.

In Dante Alighieri’s Inferno there are several circles of Hell in which different types of souls inhabit. In Canto IV we are introduced to the First Circle of Hell, called “Limbo”, which is home to those who, in their lifetime, were virtuous but were not worshipers of Christ. Although they are not being tortured like the souls in “nowhere”, they are also denied entry to Heaven and are left “cut off from hope” and “liv[ing] on in desire” (Line 42). Virgil states that the souls there, including himself, “have not sinned” (Line 34) but that “their great worth alone / was not enough, for they did not know Baptism” (Lines 34-35).This means that although they were virtuous, that quality alone was not enough to grant them salvation as they also need to be followers of Christianity.

The fact that there are people in Hell who are virtuous and have no moral faults other than not being christians means that virtue is not what is essential to being in God’s good grace. This shows a flaw in Christianity, and perhaps all theistic religions, if the basis for salvation is your devotion to god rather than the content of your character. While to God this might be a suitable punishment for these souls, as they are not his worshippers but also not sinners, to me it is not. Christianity, along with other theistic religions, preaches acceptance and forgiveness, and so for these souls to be outcasted not for their sins but only because they chose (or perhaps did not chose) to not be christians shows a contradiction to the God’s values and his actions. This also implies that those who belong to a different religion, who probably grew up around people who all followed that same religion and therefore affirmed that it was right, and think they are doing the right thing in accordance to their rules are wrong for simply being misinformed. It also implies that there is no use being in virtuous if you are not Christian, as you will never be accepted by God and will inevitably be sent to hell. This is obviously problematic as it is a type of encouragement, to those who belong to different religions or simply do not want to convert, to do whatever they please as they will end up in the same place regardless. I find also find it problematic because the source of laws in any religion is debatable as no one has been told directly by a god what the right thing to do is. Therefore. it is just as probable to that a path other than Christianity is the right one, and people should not be punished for following it.

In Dante’s Second Circle of Hell, famous lovers who have succumbed to lust are doomed to forever be pushed around by a dark, stormy…wind? It’s not a particularly intimidating punishment. Considering Francesca and her lover Paolo can actually stay together even in death, their story seems less pitiable. Sure, they’re dead. And yes, they are technically in hell. But really, don’t they have a lust/love for each other? At least the winds don’t separate them. Yet at the same time, they are never at rest.

There is some reasoning behind the punishment for lust. Lust is a craving and desire for another, and it is a sexual appetite that needs to satisfied. Paolo and Francesca succumbed to it and on that day they “read no further” (409.138). Now their punishment is ironic because in life, lust is often a torrent of passion. It is an overwhelming desire, and one Francesca and Paolo caved in to.  So for the punishment of their lust to be an overwhelming tempest that leaves its victims helpless conveys just what lust feels like in life. The punishment is a mirror to the crime.

However, this is not the saddest part about the punishment. Because while others may not be with their lovers, Francesca and Paolo are, yet that may in fact be worse. Francesca and Paolo do stay together even in death, because the wind does not separate them, but they will never be at peace together. They will be side by side for eternity, but they cannot connect physically or emotionally. Their brief amount of peace only happens when Dante comes speak with them and the winds do not carry them away for that moment. But the fact that they are forced to be together, yet cannot truly be together, is reflective of the story of their lust in real life. Their lust dragged them together, but it did not bring them peace. Paolo and Francesca had to always hide their lust; they were killed for it. And in hell, while they may be together forever, they can also never fully commit to their lust, either. On earth, a husband was in the way. In hell, it is the wind. They are forever being flung around, together, but not completely.

The souls of the Third Circle are punished by heavy eternal rainfall. The dense water droplets fall onto the souls rhythmically without changing the intensity. The dirty rain water is mixed with snow and thick hail that, “come down in torrents through the murky air” (Canto VI, 410). In addition to this heavy precipitation that nearly drowns them, these sinners are guarded by Cerberus who barks thunder and “rips the spirits, flays and mangles them” (Canto VI, 410). These are the punishments these sinners receive for being gluttonous during their lifetime. In a sense, this can arguably be a case where the punishment fits the crime. Gluttony is usually regarded as overly indulging oneself in food. However, it can apply to overindulgence of food, drinks, and luxury items. Being gluttonous is synonymous to being excessive and greedy. It is drowning oneself with food, drinks, and luxury items. So, part of the punishment the Gluttons receive in the Third Circle is drowning from the intense precipitation and thunderous barking from Cerberus. There is excessive precipitation like how the Gluttons excessively consumed food, drinks, and luxury items. Also, since gluttony deals with the over-consumption of food, etc., the other part of the Gluttons’ punishment fits perfectly to their crime. Cerberus tears these souls apart with his jaws, the parts of him used for consumption. By over-consuming during their lifetimes, the Gluttons get consumed “alive” while in the Third Circle. The Gluttons are not exactly receiving an eye for an eye, rather an eye for a head. The punishment is not a pure retaliation for their sins, but rather a hyperbolic retaliation. But this is also justified because gluttony deals with this excessiveness. Concluding, that the Gluttons receive excessive punishment for excessively consuming food, etc. in their lifetimes.

Dante and his guide, Virgil, enter the the fourth ring of Hell, and are confronted by Plutus, the god of wealth. This region of hell is reserved for those guilty being greedy throughout their lives. Because they possessed this negative trait, they were condemned to mindlessly roll these “enormous weights”– think large boulders—and slam into each other. Interestingly, Dante’s guide notes that many of those condemned to this circle of hell were throngs of  former clergymen, “in whom avarice is most likely to prevail”.  Like in the other circles of Hell, the punishment is both symbolic and didactic:

It was squandering and hoarding that have robbed them

of the lovely world, and got them in this brawl…

You see, my son, the short-lived mockery

of all the wealth that is in Fortune’s keep,

over which the human race is bickering;

for all the gold that is or ever was

beneath the moon won’t buy a moment’s rest

for even one among these weary souls. (Canto VII 58-66)

Virgil here is teaching a lesson for the generations; namely, that if one leads a greedy lifestyle, he or she is condemned to continue this belligerence for all of eternity, only in hell, the wealth that they are fighting over (and with) are these large boulders. Not only does the incessant pursuit of money and power leaves an individual without rest or satisfaction on earth, but even if one amassed “all the gold that is or ever was”, he will never find a moment’s rest from the eternal divine retribution.

It is interesting to consider this passage through an American, capitalist, 21st century lens, it is difficult to believe the punishment fit the crime. Sure, our society condemns those who are fraudulent or thieves, but greed alone–especially in the absence of any legal wrongdoing–has become a tacitly accepted virtue in our culture. America loves rags-to-riches stories. Our economic principles are based on the understanding that people work towards having more money and power. It is understood as a basic human principle to be greedy. Our anointed role models may be benevolent and philanthropic billionaires such as Buffet or Gates, but it is undeniable that a preponderance of their attraction lies in their ability to amass a dizzying proportion of Fortune’s keep. Indeed, Gordon Gekko, though himself a charlatan, wasn’t incorrect when he said, “Greed is good.” At the very least, we do not live in a society that dictates the opposite. Therefore, though the punishment does fit the crime in a symbolically, it surely does not fit the crime in a morally.

In Canto VI, Dante finds himself in The Third Circle of Hell, home of the gluttonous. The Third Circle of Hell punishes those who have been gluttonous on earth. Those living in The Third Circle of Hell spend their time under a perpetual state of rain. However, the rain is neither clear or cleansing. It is thick, dark and full of dirt. Those in The Third Circle of Hell constantly spend their time trying to stay dry and rid themselves of the much that covers their bodies. The following quote describes The Third Circle of Hell: “I am in the third circle,in the round of rain/ eternal, cursed, cold and falling heavy,/ unchanging beat, unchanging quality” (VI.7-9)

In The Third Circle of Hell, we meet Ciaccoo and Cerberus. They have both committed the sin of gluttony in their lifetimes. Cerberus is a three-headed monster that guides the entrance to the third circle. He is described as “a ruthless and fantastic beast,/with all three throats howls out his dog-like sounds” (VI.13-14) and a swollen belly. Virgil throws dirt at him which he feverishly devours. Cerberus’ three mouths that chomp on the grotesquely on the dirt demonstrates the gluttony that he practiced on earth.

We later meet Ciacco who explains “You citizens gave me the name of Ciacco;/and for my sin of gluttony I am damned,/as you can see, for the rain that beats me weak” (VI.52-54) Ciacco was a respected man that hailed from Florence, same as Dante. Dante is not all too interested in hearing Ciacco’s story as it upsets him. Perhaps his desire not to hear Ciacco’s  story could be attributed to their similar origins hitting too close to home for Dante.

The nature of the punishment of gluttony in Hell is juxtaposed with the action of gluttony on earth. He who practices gluttony on earth can never be appeased, regardless of the amount of material possessions that he owns. A glutton is selfish, greedy and constantly wanting for ‘more’. Gluttonous people typically live out lives of warmth, luxury and fleeting feelings of happiness when they obtain the possessions. This is the exact opposite of lifestyle that those punished for gluttony experience in hell. The Third Circle of Hell is cold, barren and full of muck. Those that are gluttonous do not share their excess of possessions with others – particularly those in need. They hoard their desired possessions (food, material possessions etc,.), while others suffer in a state of need. Perhaps the punishment of the gluttonous is what it is, in order to demonstrate how the other half suffered while they lived a life of excess.

In the third canto when Dante has just begun his journey into hell, the first group of sinners he encounters is the neutrals. They are located at the Ante-Inferno and the sinners found here are “sad souls who lived a life but lived it with no blame and with no praise,” as Virgil describes to Dante. Also found in this section, are the angels who did not pick sides when Satan rebelled against God—stated on page 400, footnote number 9.

The punishment for this group of damned souls is to “follow a banner at a furious pace forever, and to be tormented by flies and hornets.” The first part of the punishment, to continuously follow a banner without ever stopping, represents the life these neutrals were living when they were still part of society. They just went with the flow, never standing up for neither good nor bad. They took their life for granted and rather than taking a risk and making choices in life they chose to let their cowardice guide the way. As virgin states, “This blind life they lead is so abject/ it makes them envy every other fate/ The world will not record their having been there.” Its interesting how he claims the world will not remember their existence since they lived pointless, plain, cowardly lives. Virgil also states their situation is so hopeless that they would rather have any other fate and in fact it is, especially because of the second part of the punishment.

It is written that, “These wretches, who had never truly lived/ went naked, and were stung and stung again/ by the hornets and the wasps that circled them/ and made their faces run with blood in streaks/ their blood, mixed with their tears, dripped to their feet/ and disgusting maggots collected in the pus.” The gruesome imagery present in the previous quote emphasizes the atrocious punishment they have to endure. Not only are they doing something as pointless as chasing a banner for the rest of eternity but they are also naked—a degrading, shameful aspect—and being painfully stung by these bugs to the point where pus has developed.

As mentioned previously, the endless chasing of the banner symbolizes the meaningless lives they had while on earth. Meanwhile, the hornets and flies sting them into actually showing some emotions/actions—crying, bleeding—which is something they did not do while alive. Now their punishment in the afterlife is to both do what they did their entire lives (nothing) but also be forced into doing what they didn’t do (something) in a very abject manner.

In the first circle of hell, Virgil and Dante meets a group of virtuous people. These great people have not committed any sins other than being non-believers. Fittingly, therefore, that on this circle of hell, the shades of these people are not directly punished, unlike those in the other levels. Even though there is no direct punishment, these people are indirectly tortured by being stuck in this limbo forever. Only a few of these people – Adam and Eve, Abel and Noah, Moses, Abram, David, and Israel – were able to achieve salvation when Jesus descended into hell. They did not reach salvation because they are more noble or more virtuous than the other people; rather, they reached salvation because they are characters from the old testament, which serves as a progenitor to Christianity. The other great people in this limbo, therefore, have no real hope to ascend into heaven, even though they are more than qualified to.

In a way, this form of punishment is similar to the living nonbelievers. Though nonbelievers of Christianity are not committing any punishable crimes, they do not have access to the religious communities. According to the brief introduction of Dante and the context of his writings, Christianity plays a significant role in everyday lives in Florence, influential not only culturally, but also politically. By being an nonbeliever, therefore, one would be relatively powerless, thereby also stuck in a limbo, unable to serve in high offices that Christians were able to.

The opinion that either of these situations (stuck in the first circle of hell or denied access to Christian circles) are seen as punishments, however, is only my speculation.It is certainly possible that this perception comes from the negativity associated with hell, and that these great people, who believe in other religions, do not perceive the first level of hell as a bad place. Aristotle, for example, is with “his philosophic family.” In this realm, timeless, without needing to worry about food, shelter, or health, Aristotle and his philosophers can theorize and ponder forever, which makes this first circle of hell like the highest stage of heaven. In fact, this sounds even better than heaven: in this level of hell, these great people do not need to spend time practicing rituals and ceremonies of a religion that they do not believe in, and they are among souls like themselves.

In the Second Ring of the Seventh Circle, Virgil introduces Dante to men who have been transformed into trees as punishment for their sins. Dante meets a man, who is now a tree, named Pier della Vigna, who was minister to the Emperor Frederick II, as noted in footnote #7 on page 434.

Pier explains to Dante that the others grew jealous of his position as minister to the Emperor and purposefully misguided Frederick to lose his trust in Pier. Pier says of the sin he committed which landed him in the Seventh Circle, “My mind, moved by scornful satisfaction, believing death would free me from all scorn, made me unjust to me, who was all just” (Lines 70-72). Pier committed suicide because, even though he knew he was innocent of any wrongdoing himself, he would rather die than live with Frederick thinking he was untrustworthy and a traitor.

Pier begs Dante and Virgil, if they are to return to the real world, to tell Frederick that Pier never really did anything to lose Frederick’s trust. He says, “If one of you should go back to the world, restore the memory of me, who here remain cut down by the blow that Envy gave” (Lines 76-78). The phrase “cut down” is an interesting and seemingly deliberate choice, considering that Pier is now a tree that has not been cut down and is rather still standing. It suggests that this punishment for suicide in the Seventh Circle is an example of irony. The souls are transformed into trees, because trees are known as a symbol of life. They are solid, large, and steadfast, and it takes a great deal of effort to cut them down.

In addition, there is another, more widely accepted analysis of why the people who committed suicide become trees as punishment. Trees are not human–obviously. The point of someone who committed suicide being transformed into a tree is that the person loses his or her human form. It is a sort of retributive justice, as it is a textbook example of a “Be careful what you wish for” end. The person decided to commit suicide and therefore give up his or her body; hence, in Hell, the body is not restored but rather turned into a tree. However, the trees can still feel pain, and Pier even bleeds when Dante snaps off one of his branches at Virgil’s instruction, which furthers the notion that this is retributive justice. The souls in the Seventh Circle do not get to experience any of the good aspect of being human, but they do retain the unfavorable aspects like feeling pain and bleeding. It seems like a specific kind of torture, as the souls are cognizant and aware but stuck in place as trees.

In Canto V, Dante and Virgil enter the second circle of hell, carnal lust. The punishment for the souls who have sin in lust is an “infernal storm, eternal in its rage”. As the storm continues to whirl the damned souls, Virgil points out the souls that are being swept by the black wind, which include: Semiramis, Cleopatra, Helen, and Tristan. However, what caught the interest of Dante the pilgrim, was the two souls that were moving together. Dante called them down, where he heard the story of Francesca and Paolo.

Francesca, the wife of Gianciottois, had an affair with her husband’s brother, Paolo, in a moment of weakness. While reading the story of Lancelot and Guinevere, Francesca found herself slowly falling in love with Paolo as many parts of Lancelot’s story felt similar to their love story of Francesca and Paolo. As a result of a sudden moment of passion, Francesca and Paolo were killed by Gianciottois, who is confined in the lower circles of hell for the sin of killing his kin.

The punishment in the second circle of hell fits the sin in life because the unceasing storm sweeping the souls in hell represents the helpless tempests of passion the souls felt in life. Lust and passion trap Francesca unconditionally in a whirl of emotions. Just like a storm, unpredictable in its motions, the desire Francesca felt for Paolo came from an innocent book reading to pass away time. As Francesca states, she was “innocent of suspicion.” Then as Francesca and Paolo kissed, Paolo trembled, showing a sign of fear of the sin he knew he had committed. Paolo’s trembling shows that regardless of reason, his emotions compelled him to commit an act of sin. Analogous to the storm which drags and sweeps the powerless soul, passion and lust can take control of the body and make it helpless to its needs.

The lust between Francesca and Paolo is incomparable to the sin of lust displayed by other figures listed, as can be implied by Dante’s strong sense of pity for them, to the point where he faints. Through the focus of Francesca’s story for Canto V, I get the sense that the second circle of hell is less the sin of lust, but rather the sin of the weakness of will and reason. Adultery is a form of betrayal, which according to Dante, should be one of the lowest circles of hell, however, it’s not. Adultery is the least sinful of sins as this is one of the first circles we are introduced to that contains a punishment. What is seen as one of the worst acts of betrayal on earth, is given on of the most lenient divine punishments in hell