Above is an image that I found under our resource page, poetryintranslation.com.

This image depicts a dark scene in which Dante, in front of an entrance in what it looks like to  me a huge tunnel like cave. Atop this cave entrance reads,

“THROUGH ME THE WAY TO THE INFERNAL CITY:

THROUGH ME THE WAY TO ETERNAL SADNESS:

THROUGH ME THE WAY TO THE LOST PEOPLE.

JUSTICE MOVED MY SUPREME MAKER:

I WAS SHAPED BY DIVINE POWER,

BY HIGHEST WISDOM, AND BY PRIMAL LOVE.

BEFORE ME, NOTHING WAS CREATED,

THAT IS NOT ETERNAL: AND ETERNAL I ENDURE.

FORSAKE ALL HOPE, ALL YOU THAT ENTER HERE.”

where the Devil makes it clear that these are the gates of hell. The devil refers to God as a justice moving supreme maker with divine power, highest wisdom and primal love, further establishing the fact that he is in fact the Devil, hell’s gate keeper, and the infamous fallen angel in which he takes much pride. It is nearly impossible for Dante not to be discouraged and afraid standing in front of the gates of hell to which he confesses to Virgil of feeling that this not-so welcoming message is “hard” to him, implying a sense of hesitance. Virgil then replies, “‘Here, all uncertainty must be left behind: all cowardice must be dead. We have come to the place where I told you that you would see the sad people who have lost the good of the intellect.” Virgil, both encouraging and comforting Dante leads him into the unknown abyss where he finds a plethora of diverse signs of anguish and instability.

I chose this image because I seldom like to think of what heaven will look like but never what hell will look like. I feel that it is hard to picture such unpleasant sceneries and also uninviting to my interest. Instead, when I am provided with such insights on what hell might look like it further intrigues me in reflecting on how awfully severe it might be to end up there.

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