Friday, May 15, 2020

What Is The Theme Of Contrapasso In Dantes Inferno

In Dante’s Inferno, a permeating theme of the work is the idea of contrapasso. Contrapasso is only mentioned once and late in the Inferno in Canto XXVIII of XXXIV by Bertran de Born: â€Å"In me you may observe fit punishment / Cosà ­ s’osserva in me lo contrapasso† (XXVIII. 142). Although the literary device of contrapasso is only mentioned once and late in the Inferno, the tool is used in every circle and subdivision in hell. Contrapasso is seen in the punishments of the damned in a physical manifestation, which represents an appropriate mode of retribution in terms of a kind of divine justice. In Dante’s Inferno, contrapasso, while it describes the physical agony of the damned as fit punishment for their habitual sins, represents the damage†¦show more content†¦Dante does not compare the lustful to just any animal; Dante compares them to birds. Dante does this by writing: â€Å"As, in cold weather, the wings of starlings / bear them up in wid e, dense flocks, / so does that blast propel the wicked spirits† (V. 40-42). The lustful are not only compared to starlings, but are also compared to cranes: â€Å"Just as cranes chant their mournful songs, / making a long line in the air, / thus I saw approach, heaving plaintive sighs† (V. 46-48). Comparing the wanton to birds does two things to them. First, it makes the sinners less than human as the medieval point of view held â€Å"that lust is the property of beings less than human† (Hollander, p. 103). Secondly, it makes the sinners less than birds because birds are able to control where they fly, while the lustful are not. Dante explains a little bit why the lecherous are punished the way they are. He states that he â€Å"understood that to such torment / the carnal sinners are condemned, / they who make reason subject to desire† (V. 37-39). Desire governs the wantons’ reason instead of reason governing their desire. Since will instead of rea son governed the sinners’ choices in their lives, then in hell they are experiencing the physical representation of the choices their souls made. The lustful are at the will of the wind, which blows them anywhere without any direction. This parallels the choices they made in life as their wills guided them without the direction of the intellect. TheShow MoreRelatedDante Alighieri s Inferno, And The Book Of Revelation1584 Words   |  7 PagesDante Alighieri’s epic poem, Inferno, and the Book of Revelation as told by John in the Bible each regale the natural curiosity of humans involving manifestations of endings and possibilities of new beginnings in the afterlife. The purpose of informing God’s people of these manifestations and possibilities is mutual and key to the preparedness of humans for life after death. 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