Jun’s Blog Post
In The Divine Comedy: Inferno, through Dante’s journey, we can imagine what hell might look like vividly.
Dante wrote The Divine Comedy in thirteenth. In this time period, Italy was stained with corruption. He was a victim of a conspiracy by political enemies. So he spent years in banishment, and he never set foot in his hometown ever. During his exile, he must have been resentful.
The Divine Comedy is an indictment on our society that we as government and a community are allowing evil to happen. It has a role in politics. And, religion was strongly tied to politics in this time. Dante’s journey reminds me ‘The ten commandments’.
The 10 Commandments List (Short Form)
- You shall have no other gods before Me.
- You shall not make idols.
- You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Honor your father and your mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- You shall not covet.
Even though he describes the heaven in success, at first, Dante himself seems unsure. Is hell a better choice than the wild beast? Should Dante get into the hell? Why it is the hell? Why is hell good for?