Monthly Archives: February 2019

Bleeding trees and the dehumanization of those who commit suicide.

Gustave Doré, The Inferno, Canto 13 from Wikimedia Commons

One terzina that struck a chord with me is from Dante’s Inferno Canto 13 lines 37-39. Dante and his guide, Vergil, have reached the second subcircle of the seventh circle of hell which is reserved for those who commit violence against themselves. Dante the pilgrim is confused by the dark woods that surround him which seem to bleed and cry. Dante assumes that there are people hiding in the bleeding trees and that the voices he hears are coming from the people hiding. Vergil urges Dante to break a twig off of one of the plants since doing so will allow the tree to answer Dante’s question of where the voices are coming from. The pain that Dante causes to the tree leads to one of my favorite moments this far in the Inferno when the tree questions why Dante would cause him such pain. The tree tells Dante and Vergil that:

We were men, and now we have become plants:

truly your hand should be more merciful had we

been the souls of serpents.” (Canto 13 lines 37-39)

 

I’ve been meditating on these lines for a few days trying to look through the layers Dante the writer placed on this verse. Our commentary mentions that to Dante there are three separate levels of living creatures. The lowest are plants which are living creatures with only vegetative abilities. Above plants are animals which have both vegetative abilities and what the notes call animal the animal abilities which include movement and senses. The highest form of living creature is humanity. Humans have all the abilities of animals but also have intelligence and the possibility of rational thought.

In the tree lines quoted above, Dante the poet has the tree take the soul of a suicide victim through the three levels of living creatures. First we are reminded that these trees were once men, the highest of all living creatures. In the same line it is reinforced that they have become trees, the lowest of all living creatures. In the next two lines, Dante the writer through the voice of the tree, reminds the reader that there is a middle level of living creature which is the animal.

In mentioning all three levels of living creatures within three lines, Dante the writer is making a point that the souls of those who commit violence against themselves become the lowest of all living creatures. The point is made crystal clear by Dante mentioning the middle level of living creature, the animal, showing that the souls of suicide victims don’t just go down one level but are placed at the lowest level. This is a clear indictment by Dante the writer of those who commit violence against themselves.

 

 

Canto 15: A Unexpected Encounter between a Teacher and Student

In Canto 15 Dante and Virgil continue their journey through the Third Ring of the Seventh Circle of Hell where the “literary sodomites” and others violent against nature are punished. As we read in Canto 11, sodomy is considered a sin of violence. Dante, the poet, views sodomy as a crime against God because it goes against nature. In Inferno, sodomy contradicts the natural will of life, therefore harming God. In the third ring, a fiery rain falls on the sinners, which represents an unnatural phenomenon, like sodomy. Whereas regular rain replenishes the Earth, a fiery rain does the opposite since sodomizers also do not replenish Earth with new life.

As Dante and Virgil walk passed a “band of souls” (Inferno 15, 16), Dante, the poet, writes “each was gazing at us as in the evening people gaze at one another (16-17).  I interpreted this as alluding to the way men may look at each other in a sexual manner. Dante says, “I was recognized by one, who seized me by the hem” (22). Dante has some difficulty recognizing the soul because of his “baked appearance” (26) from being burnt from the fire. Dante finally realizes who it is and with surprise asks, “Are you here, ser Brunetto?” Dante asks this with a great shock and sorrow that Brunetto could end up where he is. Dante holds respect for Brunetto, an old mentor and teacher, who he feels indebted to. Dante keeps a “kind paternal image” of Brunetto (83). It’s compelling that both Dante the poet and pilgrim have much admiration for Brunetto. But evidently, Dante, the poet, places Brunetto where he does in such a painful place in Hell based on his sin and regardless of how much praise and affection he has for him. This displays that one can commit sins and be punished but still be seen with great influence, like how both Dante’s view Brunetto.

Brunetto explains to Dante his future. Dante hears the same prophecy again. I found this compelling because it’s possibly the third time that Dante heard his prophecy and again the number 3 could be used by Dante, the writer. It’s also unusual that there was not much interaction between Dante and Virgil in Canto 15. Dante spends most of the Canto talking to Brunetto. Dante informs Brunetto that he is prepared for what Fortune has in store for him. Virgil is pleased with his student’s courage and approves of his careful listening saying, “He listens well who takes note” (98). I think this displays a strong trust and confidence Virgil has grown to have in his student and pilgrim, Dante.

the absence of violence in sodomy

Sodomites dancing around Virgil and Dante as they leave the second zone.

Canto XV is where Dante and Virgil enter the second zone of the third ring into the path to hell.  Virgil and Dante are acquainted with the Sodomites. Sodomites are those who have been violent towards nature. Weather its murder of others or of oneself, they have gone against love towards nature and now must walk under the “rain of fire.” As they approach, Dante describes seeing “so many flocks of naked souls, all weeping miserably, and it seemed that they were ruled by different decrees.” (Canto 14, 19-21) They were each there for different reasons. “Some lay upon the ground, flat on their backs; some huddled in a crouch, and there they sat; and others moved about incessantly.” (Canto 14, 22-24) The Sodomites are those who have engaged in Sodomy. Virgil tells Dante that violent sins  and crimes are separated into three parts; effect on the victim (weather its yourself or somebody else), the people who hurt others, and the people who hurt themselves. Dante, being Christian, believes that suicide is a sin amongst all other violent sins because it is considered a personal disgrace. In Canto 16, Dante treats the Sodomites with surprising respect and understanding. Barolini suggests that lust and sodomy are desexualized in Inferno when he says  “Dante’s treatment of sodomy is “progressive”—in the sense of not focused on sexualized torture. (Didgital Dante)” He urges that it is very unlikely that Dante in the Comedy does not imagine sexualized tortures at all.

Today, we are flooded with stories of rape, torture, and sexual assault throughout every aspect of our lives. We see it re-enacted in the movies and the shows we watch. We read about peoples “coming out” stories on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. We see awful stories in the news about how someone has been hurt. Our view on sodomy and especially same sex participation has changed for the more inclusive. It was difficult to read Dante’s traditional take on the Sodomies, yet it is important to understand that approaching the Commedia with an open mind and understanding of the characters views when taking in the epic of Dante and Virgils journey into hell.

Capaneus’s Hell

In canto 14, Dante and Virgil encounter a soul called Capaneus, through which the reader is introduced to a new concept. Barolini describes it: “Hell is a condition in which the soul is permanently oneself as one was on earth- unrepentant and unameliorated, with no hope of change or growth,” (Barolini). In other words, instead of considering Hell as a place for souls that are forced to pay for their sins in eternal anguish, Barolini refers to it as a “condition”. A condition is defined as a mindset, in this case, untouched and unaffected by the circumstances in which the soul dwells. Despite the horrific punishment Capaneus endures, his pride and confidence in himself as a warrior is unshaken. There is no possibility that his outlook will succumb to the ongoing pressure to repent. The eternal suffering, presence of demons and the cries of the anguished do not seem to bother Capaneus in the slightest. As Capaneus bluntly puts it, “…As I/ was alive, so am I dead,” (50-51). This arrogant demeanor is a clear example that when someone does not show evidence of guilt or remorse for any transgression they commit in their living days, it cannot be expected of them to do so when they descend into Hell.

In response to this superior attitude, Virgil retorts, ” ‘O Capaneus, since your pride is not extinguished, you are punished more; no punishment, other than your rage, would be suffering of a measure with your fury,” (62-5). Virgil wishes to express here that as long as Capaneus’s pride is still intact, this, in itself, is punishment enough for the soul. The anger and fury that embodies Capaneus because of his stubborness and possible belief that he does not belong in Hell will keep him in distress for all eternity. Therefore, Capaneus must be forced to deal with his crimes for all of eternity. Barolini summarizes this point by stating that the soul “…is stuck with its self”. Furthermore, he considers, “If the motto of the sinners here is that they are now what they always were, then in effect these sinners create their own Hell”. Capaneus’s perspective on his position in Hell entails the likelihood that all sinners are exactly as they were in the living world. With this in mind, the souls are making an illusion of a Hell that solely belongs to them. Although this does not exclude them from punishment, it seems far less cruel than the punishments forcefully inflicted upon them because they are choosing to remain as they have always been and as a result, are choosing their own destinies in Hell. This is especially appealing for the souls of the third subcircle within the seventh circle, where Capaneus dwells, because their sins pertain to violence against God. If their unchanging personas allow for a fabricated Hell, this, in turn, signifies that they’re evading and going against God’s punishments which He deems appropriate for the souls and are being punished by their own terms.

Dante and Virgil meet Capaneus, Title: Capaneus, Illustration by William Blake, Source: Danteworlds (UTexas)

Sin of Sodomy

In canto 15 Dante and Virgil enter the third and last circle of the seventh hell where the heretics, sodomites, and usurers are punished for their violence against God. In this place Dante meets a familiar figure, his mentor Brunetto Latini who is placed in this hell for his acts of sodomy. In the notes of this canto it is said the Brunetto was burned in real life as punishment for the act of sodomy “Brunetto (whose name means “dark”) is burned over his whole body; in some Italian cities (though not Florence), burning was a frequent civil penalty for sodomy ” (27) this shows just how severe the crime of sodomy was even though sodomy is just one part of the sin of lust. In Dante’s version of hell the actual sin of lust is placed only on the second circle of hell which shows that he views it as one of the least offensive sins out there, but then he goes and puts sodomy at the end of the seventh circle of hell, a drastic difference from the treatment of lust . At this time period most people viewed the act of non-procreating sexual intercourse as an affront to God himself as he designed nature in a way were the path humans are supposed to follow is the path of procreation. The act of sodomy strays off the path that nature has created for humans, therefore those who commit sodomy are going against not only nature but the creator of nature himself God and that makes sodomy an severe offensive sin.

Cato vs Capaneus : Dry Desert

          In the 7th circle (3rd subcircle) of Dante’s inferno, Dante contrasts Cato and Capaneus to emphasize that sinners are responsible for maintaining their own hell in the afterlife. Cato and Capaneus were both pagans that displayed virtues such as honesty and bravery which enhanced their political careers. Cato was a Roman statesman and warrior during the late Roman republic. He was notoriously known for refusing bribes and condemning corruption. He committed suicide because he didn’t want to submit to Julius Caesar’s tyrannical forces. Capaneus was one of the many warrior Kings that attempted to take over Thebes. Unlike his comrades, he didn’t want to deceitfully attack in the night, he wanted to fight openly in the day. He was killed by Zeus because he climbed a city’s wall and openly challenged Jupiter (Zeus) to fight him, to which Zeus responded by throwing a lightning bolt at him. While Cato doesn’t appear in Cato 14, the 7th circle is set in a “course, dry ground” (Canto 14, line 13) that was similar to the one “trodden by the feet of Cato” (Canto 14, line 13) in his real life and also the one that Capaneus “lies” (Canto 14, line 46) on in the afterlife. The importance of the course, dry ground is that it can’t grow any vegetation. Cato and Capaneus’ lives are like the dry ground because they’re pagans so it’s difficult for their life to grow into something meaningful because they’re already condemned. However, Dante claims that “The floor was course, dry sand, not made differently from that once trodden by the feet of Cato.” (Canto 14, line 12-14). The “floor” actually refers to the Libyan Desert that Cato crossed with his army. Dante deliberately mentions Cato because while he’s a pagan who shares very similar characteristic with Capaneus, he’s not in the 7th circle of hell. Dante refers to the desert to show that when Cato crossed it with his army to fight for freedom, inevitably leading to his suicide, his virtues outweighed the punishment of his religious beliefs. Thus, Dante uses the word “once”  not only as an indicator of time, but to show that Cato was “once” in the “desert” in hell, but he was able to grow out because his virtues provided him with the opportunity to achieve redemption at one point (despite being a pagan). However Capaneus isn’t able to outgrow his ill vices, thus he’s still trapped in hell’s version of a desert. Dante describes him as “scornful and frowning, so the rain does not seem to ripen him.”(Canto 14, lines 46-47). Instead of repenting for his blasphemy, he’s condemning the Gods even more for his condition. Dante uses botanical imagery when he uses terminology “ripen” to describe Capaneus’ lack of character development in hell. While the rain tortures the other souls to repent, it has no effect on Capaneus thus he can’t grow into anything else. Capaneus claims that “As I was alive, so am I dead” (Canto 14, line 50). He possessed disdain for the Gods during his life and he still has the same feelings for them in his afterlife. Thus, he is responsible for his own stagnation in hell because he refuses to repent. Virgil even claims that “O Capaneus, since your pride is not extinguished, you are punished more;” (Canto 14,line 62-63). Despite Capaneus’ virtues as a military leader, his blasphemy outweighed his virtues, and his continuous defiance in hell further condemns and prolongs his suffering. Thus, the desert setting only reiterates that sinners like Capaneus are responsible for their own hell because they can’t cultivate virtues like repentance that can possibly lessen their punishment.

 

References :

“Ante-Purgatory.” Dante’s Inferno – Main Page, University of Texas at Austin, danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/purgatory/01antepurgatory.html.

Additional Note: I have the online pdf version of the book and it doesn’t allow for page numbers to be displayed (it gives me alphabets instead) so I couldn’t include the page numbers).

Sinners Create their own Hell

In Canto fourteen, Dante and Virgil enter the Third Ring of the Seventh Circle of Hell. The punishment of the violent against God, nature, or industry is derived from the biblical account of the destruction of the “cities of the plain” (Martinez and Durling, note to lines 8-39, canto 14 p.5797r). The destruction of the cities of the plain was said to be a figure of the Last Judgement in the New Testament (Martinez and Durling, note to lines 8-39, canto 14 p.5797r). The “three laws” correspond to the three sins, blasphemy, usury and sodomy, are punished in this sub circle (Martinez and Durling, note to lines 22-24, canto 14 p.5797s). The rain of fire falls throughout all three zones of this sub circle. The first zone that they come across is for the Blasphemers. In this zone “Of naked souls… some were lying supine on the earth, some were sitting all huddled, and some were walking ceaselessly” (Inferno 14, 18-23). Among the sinners Dante sees a giant, whom Virgil identifies as “Capaneus… This was one of the seven kings who besieged Thebes; and he had, and seems still to have, God in disdain, and respects him little” (Inferno 14, 60-71). Capaneus’ pride is not “extinguished” (Inferno 14, 63). I researched more about Capaneus and found that he was a figure who thought himself so strong that not even Jove could destroy him, but instead he was destroyed by the thunderbolts of Jove (Cliffnotes). For his blasphemy on Earth, he is condemned to Hell, and states “As I was alive, so am I dead” to Dante (Inferno 14, 49). This emphasizes that he has not changed (Cliffnotes). According to Virgil, Capaneus will continue to be punished more than anyone else in this circle as he keeps blaspheming against God (Cliffnotes). Capaneus is an example of the saying “We are our own hell” (Barolini). Hell is a condition in which the soul is permanently oneself as one was on earth- unrepentant and unameliorated, with no hope of change or growth (Barolini). The soul that did not repent of its sins while alive, is fixed for eternity with its sins, it is stuck with itself; this connects with Capaneus’ line “As I was alive, so am I dead” (Baronlini). Vergil explains that his undiminished pride is in fact his most appropriate punishment (Baronlini). If the motto of the sinners here is that they are now what they always were, then in effect these sinners create their own Hell (Baronlini).

 

References:
Alighieri, Dante, et al. Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri : Inferno, edited by Ronald L. Martinez,
Oxford University Press USA – OSO, 1996. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/huntercollege-ebooks/detail.action?docID=693941.

Barolini, Teodolinda. “Inferno 14: We Are Our Own Hell: sunt lacrimae rerum.” Commento
Baroliniano, Digital Dante. New York, NY: Columbia University Libraries, 2018. https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/inferno/inferno-14/

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/d/the-divine-comedy-inferno/summary-and-analysis/canto-xiv

Koch, Joseph Anton (Austrian painter, engraver, and draftsman, 1768-1839), Ghirardoni, Giovanni Andrea (Italian painter, died ca. 1628). Iconografia dantesca. 1904. Artstor, library.artstor.org/asset/SS33624_33624_33391147

Capaneous and Hells Design

As Virgil and Dante the pilgrim lower into the third ring of the seventh circle they are met with the damned souls who committed violence directly against God. It is a sandy terrain with no vegetation in which flames fall like snow from the sky (Inferno 14, 28). The souls are scattered about some moving around constantly, some crouched down, and some lying flat on their backs. The soul who sticks out to Dante the pilgrim is Capaneous who does not seem bothered by the flames like the rest. In response to Capaneus’ loud rambling, Virgil replies, “O Capaneus, since your pride is not extinguished, you are punished more; no punishment, other than your rage, would be suffering of a measure with your fury” (Inferno 14, 63). In other words, Capaneus’ rightful torment is that of his own creation because only he can create a hell that matches his own sins as a blasphemer. This idea is also supported in Barolini’s commentary with the quote by Capaneus stating, “As I was alive, so am I dead” (Inferno 14, 51). This line by Capaneus supports the notion that, “…we are our own hell” (Barolini). Capaneus’ special damnation supports this notion and helps Dante the pilgrim realize even more about the design of hell that God intended as he goes about his journey onto the right path.

” The Filthy image of Fraud”

A wood engraving of Geryon by Gustavo Doré.

Towards the end of canto 16, Dante notices a monster that rises from the depths of the water and this is Geryon. In Canto 17, Geryon is introduced as the monster, the “filthy image of fraud”. Geryon is a personification of fraud, (lines 10-15) “Its face was that of a just man, so kindly seemed its outer skin, and the rest of its torso was that of a serpent; it had two paws, hairy to the armpits; it had back and breast and both sides with knots and little wheels: …” He is described as a hideous beast that is used as the image of fraud. Dante uses a metaphor and compares him to a beaver because during medieval times the biologists thought that beavers caught fish by sticking their tails in the water and secreting some oily substance that the fish were fond of. Geryon is secreting “fraud” or in the words of Dante “Behold the one that makes the whole world stink!” (line 3) “Fraud makes all physical barriers and defenses (mountains, walls, and armor) useless”. It poisons the world with venom and humans do grow fond of fraud and end up committing it. People convince one another to commit fraud by promising that they will end up rich and live extravagantly and use deception for personal gain.

Geryon’s body represents the “chronological sequence of a fraudulent deal”.  Geryon’s initial appearance represents trust, the bright colors of his torso can confuse and by the end of the ordeal comes the sting which is either death or of loss. Geryon’s colorful torso is also related to the leopard’s painted skin that represents fraud.  In lines 25-27 Geryon is compared to a scorpion “In the emptiness all its tail was wriggling, twisting, upward the poisoned fork that armed it tip like a scorpion’s”.  Certain scorpions with rose tails symbolize a “double-edged sword” meaning that they can sting immensely or be pleasant. Both scorpions and Geryon have very venomous tails. In other words, Geryon can sting by deceiving someone with his honest face for his own personal interests or he can be somewhat helpful. In this canto, Geryon did help Virgil and Dante by taking them around the waterfall of the river Phlegethon down to the Circle of Fraud. Dante was struck with horror when Virgil requested a ride from the monster. As he climbed on Geryon he saw countless sinners suffering from above and was scared the entire time. Moreover, in Canto 3, Cerberus was introduced was a three-headed dog but is also “the great worm”; like Geryon they are both part snake. In Genesis 3, serpents are considered the first deceivers.

The Coding of “Violence Against Nature”

In Canto XV, Dante traverses the lowest part of the seventh circle of the Inferno, the subcircle of violence against nature. The term  of ‘voilence against nature’ is for the sin of sodomy, which is known as the, “unspeakable sin” by Carolyn Dinshaw throughout her book, Getting Medieval. This sin is coded as ‘unmentionable’ or the sin ‘against nature,’ as Dinshaw explains, is because agents of the church did not want to give people ideas as to what the sin is, but rather that any sin of the sexual nature falls under it (3-12). This codification of sodomy groups same sex interactions with those of premartial sex, beastiality, and any other form of sex without the intent of procreation. This grouping decenters the common notion of queer sex as being exclusively same sex in the Middle Ages, but also queers any form of sex outside of the sanctity of marriage, but even within this unoffical codification of sodomy there seems to be a heirarchy of sevarity, which is why same sex lovers are found in violence against nature rather than lust where adulterers can be found. Also note that men are the main inhabitants if not the only inhabtants of this subcircle. The reasoning for this is because it is an attack on God’s perfect image of what is ‘natural.’ For a man to give up his masculinity in the act of same sex interactions and is seen as a threat on the structures of the patriarchial societial structures sanctioned by those in power, may they be secular or clergy, who are given their authority by  God.

 

Works Cited:

Dinshaw, Carolyn. Getting Medieval: Sexualities and Communites, Pre- and Postmodern. Duke University Press (1999). Print.