Daily Archives: February 18, 2019

Violence Against Themselves

 

Dante about to rip off a twig off of Pier della Vigna, Illustration by Gustavo Dorè

In Canto 13, Virgil and Dante enter the 7thcircle, Second ring: Violence against themselves. Dante had noticed all these black trees and black leaves surrounding them; it had been the homeland of the Harpies. Virgil then asks Dante to break off a part of branch and as soon as Dante does it the tree cries out.

“Then I stretched out my hand a little way and from a great thornbush snapped off a branch,
at which its trunk cried out: “Why do you tear me?” And then, when it had grown more dark with blood, it asked again: “Why do you break me off? Are you without all sentiment of pity?” (Inferno 31-36)

When reading through this canto you immediately picture entering a dark place, filled with tall black trees filled with black leaves bleeding black blood everywhere. Along with seeing this you hear the loud moans of something sounding like humans, almost like loud cries. With all of this dark and gloomy imagery, the reader can sense the feelings of loneliness, disparity, and melancholy as described in canto 13. When reading through these two terzinas, I thought to myself how sad it was to be stuck inside a tree for the rest of your life for the sin you committed. Since, committing suicide was one of the biggest sins, they received a very harsh punishment. They are punished to feel as inhumane as possible; they’re stuck inside trees with no voice whatsoever. They even get tortured when harpies eat their leaves. Moreover, the tree that talked to Dante was Pier della Vigna, who was the private counselor to Emperor Frederick the Third. Pier goes on to explain that he and the rest of the forest used to be men and they deserve greater mercy by men like Dante. Pier was stuck in the 7thcircle because he had committed suicide after hearing nasty rumors about himself and the Emperor. After Dante hears his story, Pier asks Dante if he could clear his reputation in the living world by clarifying that he never betrayed Emperor Frederick the Third. Lastly, Dante’s use of imagery was very effective throughout this canto because you were vividly able to picture the forest in your mind. It makes it more pleasurable to read because you start to imagine everything in your head making easier to follow.

Virgil Got His Confidence Back- Canto 12

I’ve come to realize that Virgil is regaining his confidence in Canto 12. For example, at the start of the Canto, both Virgil and Dante meets the Minotaur, Crete: Virgil, with annoyance shouts at the Cretin to leave or else he faces punishment, ”Get thee gone, beast, for this one cometh not/ Instructed by thy sister, but he comes/ In order to behold your punishments.” (Alighieri 19-21).  Furthermore, When Crete goes insane with rage and charges towards to them, Virgil takes lead and instructs Dante to dodge pass Crete while he is distracted by his wrath,  “Run to the passage;/ While he wroth, ’tis well thou shouldst descend.”(Alighieri 26-27). It is evident that Virgil is no longer that person who faced defeat at the entry of Dis (Canto 8). Virgil goes as far as to boasts upon outsmarting Crete, “Thou art thinking/ Perhaps upon this ruin, which is guarded/ By that brute anger which just now I quenched.” (Alighieri 31-33). Furthermore, as they continue with their journey, Virgil and Dante encounters a group of Centaurs with bows and arrows demanding an explanation about their presence, to which Virgil, again with confidence and bravado states, “Our answer will we make/ To Chiron, near you there; in evil hour,/ That will of thine was evermore so hasty.”  (Alighieri 63-35). Here Virgil takes a stand: he will not budge until he speaks to Chiron. This whole Canto, in my opinion has a hidden theme, which is reclamation. Virgil is now becoming a true leader, a proper guide. Up until now, Virgil had helped Dante through the first five circles of Hell, and that does merit trust, but with this new confident assertive Virgil; Dante feels assured and sheds any doubts that he has accumulated from Virgil’s previous failed actions.

 

Variations in Heresy

      Dante defines heresy as the denial of the soul’s immortality. Dante’s definition is supported by his condemnation of epicureanism philosophies. Virgil claims that “Epicurus and his followers have their cemetery in this part, who make the soul die with the body.” (line 13, Canto 10, pg 30). Epicurus was a Greek philosopher that believed the soul was also mortal like the body. He claimed that humans should live in materialistic moderation so that they can achieve a state of tranquility. This state was defined as the exoneration from fear and anxiety caused by death and the existence of Gods/Goddesses. Epicurus and his disciples expected their souls to die when they were buried, hence, their punishment is that even in the afterlife, their souls are buried. This makes them even more “dead” than the other heretics because they’re completely buried whereas other heretics are partially buried in the sepulchers. They’re defined as the worst heretics because all the other souls needs to be reunited with their bodies from the “valley of Jehoshaphat”(line 10, Canto 10, pg 30) on judgement day  before they can lie down in their monuments but these souls are already lying down in their graves. In a sense, the worst has already occurred to them.

      Farinata’s heresy is defined in terms of his political association with Frederick II. Farinata’s is physically described as “stood erect: from the waist up you will see all of him” (line 31, Canto 10, pg 30). Farinata is partially submerged in the sepulcher. His body posture corresponds to the dual nature of his heresy as a misguided Christian. While Farinata supported Christianity, he supported King Frederick II who was excommunicated twice and deemed a heretic. Hence, Farinata is a heretic by association. The Bible claims that “There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying  the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” (Second Peter 2:1). Farinata supported a “false teacher”. Frederick II used the Ghibelline army to conquer the papal states so he could rename himself the King of Jerusalem. Farinata wasn’t completely aware of Frederick II’s ulterior motives. It wasn’t until the Guelfs had control again that Farinata was posthumously deemed a heretic and his dug-up body was burned. Farinata never realized that he supported the wrong political authority attempting to become a religious authority; he also didn’t have the opportunity to make amends with the Church. Hence, he’s partially buried because he’s only a heretic by association. This belief is further reiterated when Dante asks Farinata about who is with him in the 6th circle of hell and he claims “Here within is the Second Frederick and the Cardinal;” (line 118, Canto 10, pg. 32). This confirms that Frederick II was a heretic and implies that he was responsible for Farinanta’s displacement into hell.

       Farinata’s verbal exchange mirrors his earthly status as a Ghibelline leader to his eventual transcendence of all partisans to a Florentine citizen that prioritizes his city’s welfare above all else. In the beginning of their verbal exchange, both Farinata and Dante argue their loyalties for their respective political parties. Farinata claims “Fiercely were they opposed to me and to my ancestors and to my party, so that twice I scattered them.” (lines 45-47, Canto 10, pg 31). He uses 3 subjects to compose his identity: “Me,” “My ancestors,” and “My party”.  This implies that his war with the Guelfs extends beyond personal vendetta, he was protecting his lineage and the people he represented in his party. He claims that “so that twice I scattered them,” the clause is placed at the end of the sentence to imply that he waged war as a consequence of the partisan disputes between the Ghibellines and the Guelfs and not vice versa. By engaging in the war, he was doing justice by his people. This depicts his loyalty towards the Ghibellines and their cause. Dante responds “If they were driven out, they returned from every side,’ I replied ‘the first time and the second; but your people did not learn that art well.” (lines 47-51, Canto 10, pg 31). Dante uses the word “returned from every side” to emphasize the solidarity that exists among the Guelfs. When the Guelfs were defeated twice, they regrouped from diverse states in order to reclaim their power in Florence. By stressing the strong bond that exists between Guelfs, he emphasizes his own loyalty towards the partisan. Both verses are well measured to show that both Farinata and Dante are equally loyal to their parties. Both verses also depict that they’re both heavily involved in earthly politics. However, in the last verses, Farinata transcends his earthly politics for Florence’s welfare. He claims that “If they had learned that art badly’ he said, ‘that torments me more than this bed.” (lines 75-77, Canto 10, pg 31). The “art” refers to the predicament that both parties (especially the Ghibellines) don’t realize that the war will never end. It will be a continuous struggle for power before one, if not both, parties are entirely wiped out. He elaborates that “Before not fifty times will be rekindled the face of the lady who reigns here, before you will know how much that art weighs.” (line 78-80, Canto 10, pg 31). Since Farinata can see into the future, he understands that the war will have casualties on both sides before either political group can understand the implications of their wars on Florence itself. “The lady who reigns here” most likely refers to Medusa who guards the city of Dis. She will be “rekindled” by many more souls before the Ghibellines realize that their religious association is incorrect and they’re all virtually condemned. Farinata’s reflection allows him to understand that the political war is damaging Florence itself. This objective understanding allows him to redefine himself as a citizen of Florence rather that a partisan leader. The verbal exchange mimics his life’s defining moment when he conquered Florence as a Ghibelline leader, but he also defended it as citizen from higher orders. He claims that “But I alone, there where all other would have suffered Florence to be razed, was the one who defended her openly.” (lines 90-92, Canto 10, pg 32). When the Ghibellines conquered Florence, they wanted to destroy it, however, Farinata was the only one that defended Florence and said that it should be saved. He prioritized the welfare of Florence over his own party’s political agenda. This allows him to be redefined as a Florentine rather than a Ghibelline leader.

       Cavalcante De’ Cavalcanti is a heretic because he is too invested in personal ties and thus, lacks self-reflection. Dante describes him as a “shade rose up, discovered to sight as far as the chin,” (line 48, Canto 10, pg 31). Cavalcanti’s head is only visible from the sepulcher and it reaches Dante’s knees. Cavalcanti is already a worse heretic than Farinata because while Farinata is half submerged, Cavalcanti is submerged up to his chin. Their tombs are next to each other because they’re related. Cavalcanti’s son Guido married Farinata’s daughter Beatrice. It is rumored that Cavalcanti was a heretic like his son Guido but the religious attribution is largely controversial. However Dante portrays Cavalcanti as a heretic that values his relationship with his son more highly than his relationship with the Divine. Cavalcanti asks Dante “Where is my son, and why is he not with you.” (line 58, Canto 10, pg 31). Cavalcanti could’ve asked Dante anything but he chose to ask about his son. Unlike Farinata, there was no self-reflection evident that could redeem his character. Dante even concludes that his “words and manner of his punishment had already read to me his name; therefore my reply was so full.” (line 64, Canto 10, pg 31). Dante implies that Cavalcanti is so obsessed with his son that  his “punishment” is that he can’t have any knowledge about his son. Dante says that “my reply was so full” because even though it was misinterpreted, it was more information that what Cavalcanti originally possessed. Cavalcanti’s is only concerned with his son and thus, he is a heretic because he never prioritized his own relationship with the divine.

         Heretics believed that their soul was mortal in some sense. Atheists literally believed that their souls didn’t exist past their death hence, they’re buried in a tomb in hell. Their souls don’t represent anything except death because that’s what the epicureans wanted. However, heretics attributed their souls to materialistic possessions in the world that have definitive ends which made their souls mortal in some sense. Farinata’s soul is represented by Florence thus, he’s punishment is he has no knowledge of Florence’s current political affairs though he can see what it becomes in the future. Cavalcanti’s soul is represented by his son thus, he’s punishment is that he has no current knowledge of his son, though he can almost see his son’s death in the future.

References:

Wolf, Gunther. “Frederick II.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 10 Jan. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-II-Holy-Roman-emperor.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Farinata Degli Uberti.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 7 Nov. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Farinata-degli-Uberti.

Farinata friend of foe?

In canto 10, Dante and his master (Virgil) find themselves still in the 6th circle of hell. They both wander around the tombs of the Heretics. Amongst these heretics were the Epicureans. The Epicureans believed that the soul died with the body. A soul comes to Dante calling him a Tuscan which is later on discovered to be Farinata.

“O Tuscan who through the city of fire, alive, walk along speaking so modestly, let it please you to stop in this place. Your speech makes you manifest as a native of that noble fatherland to which perhaps I was too harmful.”(Inferno, Canto 10, 22-27)

These lines caught my attention because we can see that Virgil encourages Dante to have a conversation with Farinata. One of my questions to this is: how are Farinata and Dante connected? And why does he call Farinata his “leader”. Also, is Dante afraid of Farinata? I’m asking this because lines 34-36 mention “I had already fixed my eyes in his; and he was rising up with his breast and forehead as if he had hell in great disdain”. To me, that sounds a bit extreme to have all of Hell in disdain, how much power does Farinata have?.

I can tell that Farinata and Dante are discussing some sort of politics and it leads me to assume that they were of opposite parties since Farinata says “fiercely were they opposed to me and to my ancestors and to my party, so that twice I scattered them.”(Canto 10, 46-47).

Another soul interrupts the conversation that barely begun between Farinata and Dante which is later on known to be the father of Guido(Dante’s friend). The father asks Dante why his son did not accompany him, so I can imply that Guido is already dead.

Heresy and its Connection to Medieval Philosophies

Farinata degli Uberti addresses Dante, engraving by Gustave Doré

“The people who are lying in the sepulchers, could they be seen? For all the covers are lifted, and no one is standing guard.”

And he said to me: “All will be closed from Jehoshapat, they return with the bodies they left up there.

Epicurus and his followers have their cemetery in this part, who make the soul die within the body.”

Dante’s descriptions of heretics in the 10th Canto start with this question from Dante. He asks Virgil why the covers of the sarcophagi are lifted, a strange detail of their punishment. Virgil’s answer sheds more light on the Last Judgement which has been discussed in past Cantos, as he describes that the covers will be closed after their inhabitants return from Jehoshapat, the site of the Last Judgement. From there these souls will return with their bodies from above, and seal themselves in their tombs for eternity.

This description furthers the dialogue between Dante and Virgil regarding the future fate of the damned. In the 3rd Circle, Virgil mentions how the sinners will be reunited with their bodies following the Last Judgement, and that their punishments now are less severe compared to the reunification of body and soul. Prior to the Comedy, there were two ideas about the nature of humanity. Plato believed that human nature was complete with the soul, and that the body was a fall from the “perfect.” Aristotle believed that the form of the soul was the body, and leaned toward the impossibility of eternal life because when the body died, so did the soul. The medieval perspective was an adaptation of Aristotle’s perspective, which identified that the soul and body were separate, but that the unification of the two was the “perfect” human nature. Because the souls of the damned are only punished through the soul, after the Last Judgement and the unification of soul and body their punishment will be total. Their suffering will be complete because of the punishment of soul and body.

Another important detail of this terzina is Virgil’s description of Epicurus, a heretic. He says that Epicurus and his followers “make the soul die within the body,” relating the medieval-Aristotle perspective on the soul to the sins of heretics. Through perversion of of the mind, heretics violate a facet of human nature in much the same way that murder or other acts of violence violate the body.

the appearance of souls in canto 13

In Canto 13, Vigil and the Pilgrim enter the second ring of the seventh circle of Hell.  The souls being punished here are the only ones so far that are represented as a manifestation of something other than a human form.  Even though none of the souls the Pilgrim has seen on his journey have been attached to their former bodies, they have always appeared as though they had bodies.  Many times these souls even look as they did in life, since the Pilgrim tells us on multiple occasions that he recognizes them (as in canto 12, line 123 for example).  There have been a few occasions where the souls are unrecognizable: the instance in canto 6 where the Pilgrim encounters Ciacco who asks if  he can recognize him, the Pilgrim responds “”The aguish that you have perhaps drives you from my memory, so that it does not seem I have ever seen you”” (lines 43-45); the Pilgrim’s response shows the reader that in this case (gluttony) the suffering has altered the appearance of the soul so that it no longer looks like the body and can not be recognized from life on Earth to life in Hell.  Even the cowards in canto 3, who are unworthy of remembrance even, are recognizable (canto 3, lines58-60).

So it is a great shock for the Pilgrim when he encounters the souls in canto 13, who do not appear in even a remotely human form.  When they arrive in this circle, the Pilgrim can hear the sounds of suffering all around him but can not make out where they are coming from–the voices are disembodied, quite literally, although this may make the reader realize that all the voices (including the voice of Virgil, who represents the voice of truth and reason throughout the poem) are disembodied.  The eerie feelings surrounding the Pilgrim at the beginning of this canto are a reminder of his mortality and the fact that he should not be in this world that belongs only to the dead.  The reader is just as confused as the Pilgrim here, as we find out the truth through his actions just as he does–since we are human and we are alive we feel the same uneasiness at the disconnect of our souls and our bodies.  The souls in this circle are manifested as bushes and plants–a fitting punishment since they did not respect their bodies while they were alive.  In death, the other inhabitants of Hell have been granted an illusion of a body, a connection to their visual representation on Earth.  Though it is not much consolation, these souls who look like their bodies are able to maintain more of their identity in death since the physical appearance remains at least similar (the soul the Pilgrim speaks with never tells us his name, as though he no longer has a right to his identity associated with it just as he no longer has the right to the identity associated with his body).

It is important too that the souls are plants and not animals.  The souls here are being punished for violence towards themselves–they used their free will, their agency, and their bodies against themselves; so it is fitting that as punishment they take the form of something with  no agency–no hands to hurt themselves with.  In life they were confronted with pain or problems and rather they chose to destroy themselves in order to escape what they feared on Earth.  Now they have no ability to stop the physical pain they are being caused by the Harpies (as they have no defense system) and no ability to escape the pain as they did in life (since they are without agency and limbs).

The soul the Pilgrim speaks with explains that even after the last judgement, when all the other sinners will have their bodies reconnected with their souls, the souls here will have the cruel privilege of their bodies being returned to the plant which now houses their souls.  Since the last judgement is the perfection of their punishment, these sinners will be forced to see the bodies they destroyed, disrespected, and took away from themselves and be unable to return  to them.

Farinata’s Attitude in Hell

The following terzina in canto 10 is the moment when Dante sets his eyes upon Farinata or the head of the Florentine political faction Ghibellines. Dante narrates, “I had already fixed my eyes in his; and he was/ rising up with his breast and forehead as if he had/ Hell in great disdain,” (34-37). The translator notes that Dante focuses on Farinata’s breast and forehead because they represent courage and foresight. The presence of courage goes hand in hand with confidence and pride which is the attitude with which Farinata rises from his tomb. Since Dante primarily notices his breast and forehead, this implies that Farinata rises with his head held high and also puffs out his chest in a robustly confident manner. However, this is very uncommon for a soul suffering eternal torment. Despite his circumstances, throughout the entire canto, Farinata’s demeanor is calm and collected unlike Dante’s past encounters in which the souls are either sorrowful and pitiful or attempt to put Dante’s life in peril. He does not move any part of his body throughout the conversation with Dante and even after Dante begins speaking to another soul, Cavalcante, who suddenly awakens, Farinata’s expression and body language does not change in the slightest. Furthermore, when Dante states, “…as if he had Hell in great disdain,” this implies a tone of superiority. The translator notes, “…the possibility of such a soul’s actually being superior to the sufferings of Hell.” Although none of the souls are above the afflictions of Hell, this bearing that Farinata has connects to his concern with social status, which is a concept he is preoccupied with in his living days. For example, at the beginning of Dante’s encounter with Farinata, the latter asks Dante about his ancestry. This, perhaps, is an attempt to see if Dante comes from the opposing faction of Guelfs who Farinata and his faction battle against and slaughter during the politically tumultuous days of Florence. When Dante reveals that he is, in fact, a Guelf, Farinata becomes indignant and recounts of the opposition they showed him. Although he is no longer living, this reaction shows that his eternal torment is a lesser cause of worry as opposed to the wrongdoings he feels the Guelfs have done him.

In regards to the representation of foresight, it is a reference to Farinata’s inability to see things that are in the present or near future but rather the distant future. This, of course, is unlike human ability and memory and it brings up the question of how much the perception of time and the concepts of past, present and future change when the souls descend into Hell. Since the soul’s sufferings are meant to last for all eternity, perhaps, unlike the living, the souls, such as Farinata, are no longer concerned or obsessed with future events. This allows for a clearer view of what’s to come simply because they are already aware of what will occur.

Farinata arising from a sepulchre to speak to Dante and Virgil, Title: Farinata, Illustration by Gustave Doré

Fraud and the Nature of Love

I was struck by the the focus of the distinction between malice that is intentional and incontinence. To be honest I didn’t know what incontinence meant but the Merriam-Webster definition states it as the, “inability of the body to control the functions of urination or defecation.” This definition very well explains the, “horrible excess of stench” explained at the very beginning of the canto (Inferno 11, 3). It seems a little odd that this punishment of essentially being immersed in ones own waste because of the lack of control would be given to those who have committed fraud, which to my understanding is a choice. I believe Dante did this on purpose. By doing this he created an ironic parallel between the sin and the punishment of these damned souls. This ties in with the fact that fraud is an even greater sin than violence in God’s eyes (Inferno 11, 25). Committing fraud means the manipulation of another’s blind trust that stems from love which, “…seems to cut solely into the bond of love that Nature makes”( Inferno 11, 55). Nature in this case signifies God and we can notice this in the intentional capitalization of “N”. And this all comes full circle to validate why Dante is worthy of going on this journey in the first place by the line, “…your art follows Nature as much as it can, as a disciple follows the master; so that your art is almost God’s grandchild”(Inferno 11, 103). Dante’s romantic poetry is almost like a sign of devotion to God in its own right.

The Deceitful Are Punished


In canto 11 of Inferno Dante and Virgil reach the edge of a cliff in which lower parts of hell are visible to  Dante and Virgil. Dante can already smell that horrible smell that is rising from down below. The two poets take pause during continuing their journey and see a vault with these words written on it: “of a great tomb, on which I made out this,inscribed: ‘I hold Pope Anastasius enticed to leave the true path by Photinus.’” (Digital Dante, note to lines 7-9, canto 11).  The imagery of the vault shows how Dante believes that Pope Anastasius accepted the heresy of Acacius patriarch of Constantinople. Acadius believed that Christ possessed only a human nature and denied that Christ had a  divine power. Therefore, Pope Anastasius is punished by God—because a pope is supposed to be God’s follower and supposed to believe in God’s power, for God was placed on earth by his father to show humans he was the survivor and the only Christ but Pope Anastasius rejects God hence breaking the promise/ trust he has with God. Therefore, popes who are also humans are capable of doing corrupt things; although Popes are mostly devoted to God and are a symbol of purity, Popes can be still choose evilness because they are capable of straying away from God and are capable of straying away from the path of goodness because they are mortal and humane. This quote relates to the overall theme of this canto because while Dante and Virgil are waiting, Virgil explains the different section of hell. Looking down into hell, Virgil says that there are three circles of hell within the cliffs and the circles that commit more monstrous deeds, receive more serious punishments deeper in hell. Fraud is the most damned sin because it is the opposite of love. Fraud breaks the promise of love because fraud destroys faith/ trust. Therefore, Pope Anastasius receives the worst punishment because he committed a sinful crime such as turning away from God, the connection he has with God is now broken. God no longer trusts him, hence Pope Anastasius broke the love between him and God because the pope was deceitful towards God not believing in God for whom he really was and denying God’s divinity. Furthermore, Virgil says that those who commit wrongdoings against heaven end up getting punished, these punishers go to the lowest parts of Hell. Therefore, Francesca and Paolo weren’t placed in the lowest part of hell because their intimacy and love for one another was stronger than the actual punishment itself.

Evil as Contagion in Canto XI

Before decending into the lower divisions of the Inferno, Dante and Virgil’s “descent will have to be delayed, so that [their] sense can become a little accustomed to the evil smell; and then [they] can disregard it” (Inferno XI: x-xii). This passage indicates two medieval concepts, the concept of Hell as an assult of the human senses and the concept of smell idiosyncratic  of contagion. The imagery through out Inferno up until this point has emphasized the exess of the senses being overstymulated by foulness, from deafening noise, hidious oders, to scenes of unspeakable violence to the human physicality. This is the notion that Hell is a display of corporial punishment on the soul for its sins when it once had a true physical form in life. The sense of smell in particular in Hell takes on a whole new layer beyond the notion of over stymulation. Smell in the Middle Ages was considered one of the main ways in which contagion is spread, which is why in the years of the plague the infamous image of plague doctor mask was prominant, because it was believed that smells took longer to travel in these masks and in the beak of the mask there would be sweet smelling herbs to block the foul smell of contagion. When looking at this opening passage in the Inferno (ad just Inferno as a whole) the sense of smell is brought to the center of the delay that Dante and Virgil must edure before their decent. This is because they do not want to be assulted and consequently corrupted by the contagion of evil. Evil, in the Middle Ages, was treated like a disease, which is why evil or unsavory people are usually portrayed as having a form of contagious  illness like leprasy or pox and in Dante’s Comedy this notion of evil as contagion, as displayed in this passage in Canto XI, is salient.