Author Archives: Nicoletta Thomas

reflective post 2

In my first reflective post I set a goal for myself to try using more outside sources.  Before that post, I had only used an outside source once.  In my last three posts since then I have used at least one outside source.  I am happy with the quality of these posts over my previous posts and I am glad I chose this goal.

My first post after I set this goal was comparing the Inferno and the movie As Above So Below, which I knew had made various references to the Inferno, but I did not fully understand some of them until after we had finished reading it.  For this post, I first looked for images and other resources through our class site but nothing seemed to strike me as something I could write a lot about.  I had never written about artwork and literature before, but I had written about film and literature which is where I got the idea to connect these two works.  I really enjoyed writing about the movie and its connections to Dante’s poetry.  There were so many references to the Inferno that I only touched on a few in my post, which is why I am excited to write my final paper on the same topic so that I can include more of these connections and adaptations.

I had to write about artwork in connection to Dante’s poetry for the Met post.  I enjoyed going to the Met and seeing these pieces in relation to Dante.  My problem with writing on artwork in previous posts was that art based on the Inferno seemed to be so extensive and it was somewhat overwhelming while at the same time I was unsure of where to begin writing about it.  The questions we were given for this post and the fact that we had specific works of art to see and write about made it easier for me to understand how to write about art and its connection to literature.  Because I enjoyed this post and finally understood writing about art, I chose to write my last post on a piece of art.

Dante is cleansed of his sins

In Canto 31 of Purgatorio, Dante is cleansed in the river Lethe.  This painting represents that scene; however it is represented slightly differently than it is in the canto.  In the image, Dante is dipped in the river feet first past his waist.  In the canto, Dante the narrator describes the incident: “she plunged me, up to my throat, in the river” and then for the second time: “she clasped my head, and then she thrust me under to the point where I had to swallow water” (canto 31, lines 94 & 101-102).  In Dante’s words, his bath in the river Lethe is the opposite of this image; he is submerged head first both times.

At this point in his journey, Dante is about to leave purgatory for heaven.  Just as he grew along his route through hell before making it to purgatory, learning not to pity sinners in hell because their punishment is ordained by God; Dante has to learn and grow from his journey through purgatory before he can reach heaven.  Beatrice comes to him here to get him to confess his sins.  In order to enter heaven, he must be free of sin, but he can not be cleansed of his sins without confessing them first.  In opposition to the non-living souls in purgatory, Dante confesses to his sins after he has made his way through all of purgatory.  If he had been dead, he would not have been allowed into purgatory without having repented.  It is interesting that although Dante has by this point seen all types of sinners, including many whom he related to strongly, the Pilgrim has not shown remorse for his own sins or repented for them until Beatrice tells him to.  She defines herself as the force which had directed him on the right path when she was alive.  Here she reprimands him for losing the path and gets him back on the proper path by having him confess his sins.  It is surprising that the Pilgrim was not required to repent his sins before entering purgatory since the souls who reside there would have been in hell had they not repented in life.  However, having Dante repent his sins and be cleansed of them at the end of purgatory shows how much he has grown over the course of his journey.

Elements of the Inferno in As Above So Below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8xPTba541s&t=605s

^youtube video analyzing the movie in relation to Dante’s Inferno

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLq3zSm5SkQ

^clip from the final scene of the the movie, emerging from the catacombs/Hell

Part of what makes Dante’s Inferno such an important text is that it is still very relevant today.  One example of this is the movie As Above So Below, which adapts some important concepts from the Inferno into its structure.  Throughout reading the Inferno, various references the movie had made became clear and the youtube video provided highlights many of those examples as well as a more in depth look at how the entire movie follows some of the themes from the Inferno.  Rather than repeating the things mentioned in the video, there are some very important ideas in the movie that have clearly been taken from Dante’s work which were not mentioned or not adequately discussed in the video.

One of the most unmistakeable references to the Inferno comes at the end of the movie, where they exit “Hell” or the catacombs.  This scene directly correlates to the scene in the Inferno where Dante and Virgil leave Hell.  Throughout their journey through the catacombs, the characters were told that the only way out is down–just like Dante and Virgil, they must travel through all of Hell before they can leave.  The most striking similarity comes when the group jumps down a deep well with a sewer grate at the bottom; believing in gravity and the downward direction they have been headed in this whole time, they try to lift up the grate but find that to get out they must push it down.  This is the same as the Pilgrim’s realization that he is climbing down Lucifer and not up as he had thought: “I raised my eyes, thinking to see Lucifer as I had left him, and I saw that his legs were extended upward” (canto 34, lines88-89).  This similarity continues after the emergence from Hell.  Dante describes the Pilgrim’s emergence out of Hell as the moment “I saw the beautiful things the heavens carry, through a round opening” (canto 34, lines136-138).  Dante is describing the stars and showing the reader that he comes out of Hell back to earth, not directly to purgatory.  This image Dante gives us is almost exactly the same as the image in As Above So Below, since the group is upside down, when they push the sewer grate they are looking up at the earth–through a round opening–and see nothing but the night sky, a tree, and a street light.  This image is taken directly out of Dante’s writing.

One other similarity between the movie and the Inferno that is not discussed much in the video is the saying “as above so below” itself.  This saying comes from alchemy and is explained in the movie with an image on the wall in the catacombs, shown in the youtube video at 9:08, this part in the movie explains that it is a symbol meant to show the connection between heaven and earth in alchemy–“as it is on earth so it will be in heaven”.  However, this movie has nothing to do with heaven, since the catacombs are a metaphor for Hell, so it is clear that this image (which is upside down) is inverted to mean “as it is on earth so it will be in hell” in relation to the characters in the movie.  This theory (although here cited as from alchemy–a practice damnable in Hell by Dante’s standards) bears a striking similarity to the theory of the contrapasso in the Inferno.  The contrapasso is essentially a punishment which fits the crime and the word itself is specifically associated with the Inferno.  Using the structure of the words in the movie, one could use “as one was on earth, so they will be in hell” or “as one is in life, so they will be in death” as a synonym or explanation of Dante’s contrapasso.  Dante’s use of the contrapasso creates some of the most striking images in the Inferno.  For example, Ugolino and Ruggieri in canto 33: as Ugonlino was starved to death by Ruggieri in life, so Ruggieri is eaten by the one he starved in death.

reflective post 1

Upon reviewing my blog posts, I have noticed that I have been mainly following the theme of remembrance through the Inferno.  With the exception of my third post, which focuses on the Old Man of Crete and Dante’s use of classical mythology, all my other posts have either directly addressed the way the act of remembrance is used in the text or alludes to it by examining the representation of sinners in comparison to their living appearance.  In my most recent post, I still follow this theme, but take it in a somewhat different direction by addressing it in relation to Dante and the Pilgrim as opposed to the sinners as I had been doing in my other posts.

As I follow this theme through the cantos, my ideas in my posts have become more complex as the theme itself expands in the text.  In my first post I commented on how some sinners are allowed to be remembered and others are not and that this act of remembrance is an act of pity and alleviates suffering.  At that early stage in the Inferno this was all clearly defined as Virgil told the Pilgrim (and the readers) which sinners could and could not be remembered and why.  However, later on this becomes more complicated as the sins become worse.  What we knew changes–being remembered can be an act of punishment, some sinners can be remembered but not by physical appearance which alters their previous identity, and in my last post I reflected on Virgil’s explanation to the Pilgrim that there are different types of remembrance (fame and infamy) for different people.  This last one ties together all the confusing and conflicting things the Pilgrim feels and describes surrounding the memory of the sinners he encounters.

I found that while I quote a lot from the Inferno, I do not often quote from outside sources like many other students do.  I did use an outside source in my post on the Old Man of Crete and I noticed that it bolsters my ideas in that post more than just quoting from Inferno does in my other posts.  I will try to incorporate more outside sources in my future posts.  I also have not used any artwork or images in my posts like I have seen many other students do.  I am not necessarily a visual learner in this way and so I did not think to try it, however I would like to try doing one of my future posts this way to see if my understanding of text can benefit from it.

Virgil Speaks to Dante about Fame

In Canto 24, Virgil gives the Pilgrim a lecture on fame, he says: “one does not gain fame sitting on down cushions, or while under coverlets; and whoever consumes his life without fame leaves a mark of himself on earth like smoke in the air or foam in water…” (canto 24, lines 46-51).  This speech serves multiple purposes in this canto.  First of all, it motivates the Pilgrim as a character to continue on his journey after a difficult point in which they were lied to by devils and the Pilgrim sees his master emotionally affected by this (canto 23, lines 139-141).  Secondly, it highlights Christian virtues in two ways, in the first sentence: “you will have to cast off sloth in this way” (canto 24, line 46) and it outlines a non-wasteful way to use the gift of life you have been bestowed by God.  The speech also serves an important purpose outside of the characters; Virgil’s encouragement for the Pilgrim to seek fame can be read as representing Dante’s act of writing the Divine Comedy, to use his life to gain fame by writing poetry.  Lastly, it creates a contrast between fame (which is the best way to be remembered on earth) and infamy (which is the worst way to be remembered on earth and is how Dante writes the sinners in his poetry back into existence on earth).  The next sinner Virgil and the Pilgrim encounter tells them his story reluctantly, understanding the negative image it paints of himself; before telling his story he looks at the Pilgrim “and was covered with sad shame” (canto 24, line131-132).  Dante is the opposite of this sinner, as he and the Pilgrim tell their story with pride and not shame because their story (the Divine Comedy) brings them fame, while the stories of the sinners within the Comedy continue to bring them infamy as long as they are read.

The Pilgrim Begins to Understand God’s plan in Hell

In the 8th circle, there is an important change in the representation of the sinners and the Pilgrim’s disposition towards them.  In the first of the trenches within this circle the Pilgrim encounters a sinner who is hiding “by lowering his face” (canto 18, line 46).  This is the first time on his journey that the Pilgrim encounters a sinner who does not want to be remembered.  In all the previous circles, it is an act of pity and an attempt to slightly reduce the sinners’ suffering by reviving their name on earth.  After entering Hell, sinners are memorialized in all of Dante’s cantos except for canto 3, 7, and 11.  The sinners in canto 3 are not memorialized because they are the cowards who “the world permits no fame of them to exist”; which literally means they are not allowed to be remembered even though the Pilgrim is able to recognize some of them (canto 3, line 49, 58).  The sinners in canto 7 are not able to be remembered because “the undiscerning life that befouled them makes them dark now to all recognition” (canto 7, line 53-54).

The sinner in canto 18 is Venedico Cacciamenico and he does not want to be remembered because of his sin.  It is important that Dante tells his story in this canto because here he is not telling the story out of pity or respect or in an attempt to help.  Though we get Cacciamenico’s story, there is little conversation or commentary from the Pilgrim on this character.  As it is only the first trench of the eighth circle, it is possible that the Pilgrim is not yet sure about the way he feels about his opinion on these sinners.  It is possible that Dante tells Cacciamenico’s story precisely because he does not want it to be told, which shows that Dante understands how the punishments in Hell are part of God’s plan.

The Pilgrim has definitely learned this lesson by the time he reaches the third trench.  There he encounters Pope Nicholas II, whom he berates under Virgil’s approving smile (canto 19, line 121-123).  While this canto is clearly Dante’s excuse to criticize the Catholic Church, because this criticism is directly coming from the character of the Pilgrim, it marks the point where the Pilgrim has first truly understood God’s plan in Hell.

However, dante takes a small step backwards in canto 20 when he begins to feel pity once again, now for the sinners in the fourth trench.  The sinners here are contorted so that their heads are turned all the way around and they must walk backwards; Dante tells his readers: “now think for yourself how I could keep dry eyes” (canto 20, line 20-21).  Here, the Pilgrim is reacting to the disfigurement, but is quickly reprimanded by Virgil for having pity on such sinners (canto 20, line 26-30).

The Old Man of Crete–Dante and Greek Mythology

In Canto 14, Virgil explains the rivers of Hell to the Pilgrim.  The rivers originate in a mountain in Crete where there is a statue of an old man, he describes this man: “his head is formed of fine gold, and pure silver are his arms and breast; then he is of brass as far as the fork; from there downward he is all refined iron, except that his right foot is baked clay” (canto 14, lines106-110). The imagery used here is very closely connected to Greek mythology.  Crete is an important location in myth as it is where many of the Gods originate from and where many of the mythical stories take place.  Dante mentions one of those stories here with the connection to Rhea, who he says: “chose it [this mountain in Crete] once to be the trusted cradle of her son” (canto 14, lines 100-101).  Rhea’s son is Zeus–her youngest child whom she saved from being consumed by his father, Cronus, by tricking him into swallowing a stone wrapped like a child and hid Zeus on the island of Crete until he could defeat his father and save his siblings.  The structure of the statue reflects an idea rooted in Greek mythology as well.

The myth of the creation of humans states that the Gods had created man 4 times: the first group of humans were from the golden age, the second from the silver age, the third from the bronze age, and the last from the iron age.  The only element which makes up the old man of Crete which is not a part of this myth is the baked clay, which our book says may refer to the Catholic Church.  This statue represents all the men who have ever lived and stands strongest on the final piece–the Church (canto 14, line 111).  However, Virgil says that every part of the old man is cracked except for his golden head.  Therefore, every part of man, including the Church has been corrupted and damaged except from the original created state which no longer exists.  Dante writes that it is the old man’s “tears” that run through these cracks to form the rivers of Hell.  The tears would come from the eyes, where there are no cracks–so the earliest humans are crying for what they have become.  However, since Dante was Christian and wrote from his beliefs and not those of the Greeks, the head must still represent the earliest humans who were closest to God.  The Pilgrim knows that God is present in Hell and that He made Hell with love as He did everything else because of the inscription above the gates of Hell.  The un-cracked golden head represents not only those humans who were close to God, but also God’s love for them which causes His tears and theirs.  The rivers that flow through Hell are the tears which flow from the love of God.  It makes sense that the flames in the next few cantos are extinguished on the banks of the river since the river is so closely connected to God, it is free from the source of pain and suffering.

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.

Who gets remembered and who does not

The idea that the only hope for those in Hell is for them to be remembered on earth has come up multiple times.  We have already seen in canto 3 that the cowards true punishment is that they can not be remembered, that they are not worth writing about and are unaccepted by both Heaven and Hell.  In Canto 3, line 64, we are told that these sinners “never were alive”.  However, in Canto 6, the Pilgrim encounters Ciacco, who asks the Pilgrim to remember him on earth, he tells him: “when you are back n the sweet world, I beg you, bring me to people’s minds”.  Despite Ciacco’s sin being worse than the cowards the Pilgrim encounters in Canto 3, he is able to hope for remembrance and receives it.  The inclusion of Ciacco in the text is the granting of his wish and the only ease of suffering he can get.  In the next circle, the Pilgrim wants to have pity for the souls there and asks Virgil if he would know any of them so that he could remember them, but similar to the cowards, the souls in this circle are not able to be granted that small hope.  Virgil tells the Pilgrim that part of their punishment is to be undistinguishable from each other, which makes it so that they may not be remembered.  Even in Canto 8, when the Pilgrim encounters the soul who attempts to touch the boat, a soul the Pilgrim wishes to be further punished, receives the kind act of being remembered on earth as Dante writes his name into the poem: “Filippo Argenti”.