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).

A Change in Dante

In canto 19 Dante the pilgrim makes a switch from pitying the damned souls he comes across to accepting and agreeing with God’s punishment for them. Now in the eighth circle of Hell Dante and Virgil travel to the third “trench” within this circle to see those who chose in life to make wealth and power their God. Their heads and torsos are in these holes in the trench while their legs and feet are exposed to be burned by fire. One soul Dante the pilgrim notices is burned more than the others is Pope Nicholas III. He was the Pope when Dante was a young boy. Dante for once agrees with God’s punishment for souls like Pope Nicholas III and feels entirely sure with Gods justice. This is a very different change from previous cantos where Dante would pity over souls in other parts of hell. In Canto 5, where Dante is met with Francesca and Paolo, he pities their current state and almost feels to blame because their adulterous act occurred after they had read romantic poetry together. Virgil notices this change in Dante and is pleased with Dante’s progress in understanding Gods justice and plan in Hell. After all, Dante’s understanding of Hell is necessary for his journey onto the right path that eventually will lead him back to heaven.

Dante’s tone towards sinners

In Canto 19, Dante and Virgil have reached the third pouch of the eighth circle called the simonists. Dante considers these sinners the worst kind because these corrupt clergy fornicate for gold and silver. The simonists are punished by being buried upside down in holes the size of baptism basins; their feet also protrude only to be burnt by eternal flames. In lines 103-105, Dante says “I would still use heavier words; for your avarice afflicts the world, trampling the good and raising up the wicked”. If Dante did not have respect for the papal office, he would have many more negative things to say regarding the simonists. Throughout the Inferno, Dante’s tone has varied with different sinners. In this particular canto, he feels no pity or sympathy towards Pope Nicholas II and unconsciously takes the role of a friar at a religious confession. Pope Nicholas II is unaware of this and thinks it’s his successor but Dante later on reveals himself. Dante’s attitude toward this sinner is nothing but rage; he does not sympathize with him whatsoever. Similarly, in Canto 8, Dante does not sympathize with the sinner At Filippo Argenti who was an enemy of Dante in the real world. He becomes infuriated with his ambiguous answer regarding why the sinner has become so ugly and pushed him back into the river. Like in Canto 19, Virgil is very pleased with Dante’s attitude towards these sinners because it is showing him not to sympathize with them anymore. He joyously hugs and kisses him in Canto 8 and happily carries him like a baby across the bridge in Canto 19. Nevertheless, Dante does sympathize with some such as the sinners in Canto 20 whose heads are on backwards and they are forced to walk without seeing anything in front them or their future. Likewise, Farinata the heretic in Canto 10, who can dive into the future but know nothing about the present state of human affairs. This fourth pouch consists of diviners, astrologers, and magicians who all cry as they walk while tears trickle down their buttocks. Dante feels so much pity for them while Virgil only feels scorn for the sinners. Dante wept as he did for Francesca and Paolo in Canto 5 who both suffered from lust. Additionally, Dante sympathizes with Pier Della Vigna in Canto 13 who committed suicide due to nasty rumors and Brunetto Latini, his former mentor and sodomite, in Canto 15. Thus, Dante’s attitude toward the sinners in the different circles has varied depending on what sin they committed and who they mean to him.

 

The punishment of looking back vs. the punishment of looking forward

Dante and Virgil are in the fourth pouch of the eight circle. The sinners walk with their heads facing backwards.These sinners are those who “wanted to see ahead.” Therefore,the prophets, astrologists, and magiciansin this circle are punished for attempting to see into the future. Dante states, “for the face was turned toward the kidneys, and they were forced to walk backwards, since seeing forward was taken from them” (canto 20 lines 13-15). The punishment of not being able to foresee the future is the opposite to Farinata’s punishment in which he and his fellow sinners can see the future but know nothing about the present state of human affairs which occurs in Canto 10. Dante asks Farinata how he and other souls in hell seem to be able to foretell the future but cannot know the present. Farinata responds but saying the souls in Canto 10 are only able to see distant things – the future as well as the past, but not the present. Farinata also can foresee Dante’s exile. Farinata also explains that he and the other punished souls are blind to see what is directly in front of them, which is a punishment in itself because he and Cavalcante are left wondering about what is happening with those they knew and cared about. Dante feels pity for the punishment of his friend’s father and Dante asks Farinata to tell Cavalcante that his son Guido is still alive. Although Dante also feels pity at first for the souls in Canto 20, Virgil reminds Dante that the soothsayers are punished because they altered the future ordained by God. Dante writes, “Here pity lives when it is quite dead: who is more wicked than one who brings passion to God’s judgment?” (Canto 20 lines 28-30). This gives Virgil the chance to re-emphasize this idea that all the suffering occurring in hell as well as in this canto is part of God’s divine justice. Virgil teaches Dante that to weep at what God has rightly ordered against the wicked is itself wicked. The fortune-tellers in this circle also guilty of fraud, because they use tricks to make money. Therefore, Virgil tells Dante that he shouldn’t pity these souls unlike how he feels pity towards Farinata and Cavalcante. Virgil tells Dante to look at one of the backwards-facing souls whom is known as Amphiaraus. Virgil explains that because Amphiaraus tried to see too far ahead/ into the future, he now can only see behind him. This is illustrated when Dante writes, “Look how he has made his breast his back; because he wished to see too far ahead, now he looks backward and treads a backward path” (Canto 20, lines 37-39). Virgil also mentions Tiresias and Manto. Manto was a female soothsayer who settled in Mantua, located in northern Italy which is also Virgil’s birthplace. After she died, people named the city Mantua which was a dedication to Manto. The people also gathered and built a city around her burial place. Virgil points out to Dante that these three famous soothsayers are of classical myth. As a demonstration of God’s divine justice, their punishment fits their sin. Because the sinners in this canto wished to see far ahead, they can now only see behind them. Hence their punishment matches and completes their sin.

 

Canto 19: Dante Condemns the Catholic Church

“Simonists” by Gustave Doré (http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/gallery10.html)

In Canto 19, Dante and Virgil arrive in the Third Bolgia of the Eighth Circle. The sinners there are Simoniacs, corrupt clergy who bought or sold sacred heavenly services for money. From the very start of the Canto, Dante immediately angrily criticizes the Simoniacs saying, “You who the things of God, that should be brides of goodness, rapaciously adulterate for gold and for silver.” (Canto 19, Lines 1-4).

Canto 19 solidifies just how important God means to Dante the writer and Dante the pilgrim. The canto also displays how strongly Dante feels towards those who are disloyal and disrespectful to God. Dante, the pilgrim, does not feel sympathy nor pity for the Simoniacs as he has felt for sinners in previous Cantos. Instead, he feels content with their punishment. Dante tells Pope Nicholas, “Therefore stay here, for you deserve your punishment.” (97). He continues and states, “You have made gold and silver your god.” (112). Dante’s tone throughout Canto 19 is pure rage and intensity against those who chose money as their god and therefore did not worship the right God. His hatred for the Simoniacs shows how passionate and how serious God means to him. Dante finds that those who did not take God seriously deserve eternal punishment. Dante adds, “And were it not that I am forbidden by my reverence for the highest keys, which you held in happy life, I would use still heavier words” (100-103), meaning that Dante’s respect for the papacy is keeping him from insulting the Simoniacs even more. Virgil is pleased with Dante’s angry speech towards the Simoniacs. As Virgil was proud of Dante in his interaction in Canto 15 with Brunetto Latini, the pilgrim again believes his leader is pleased “with such a contented smile he listened” (120). 

As shown in the Gustave Doré artwork, God has punished the Simoniacs by stuffing their greedy heads and bodies into holes in the ground with their legs and feet hanging out. In Doré’s work Dante seems to be speaking to Pope Nicholas and if you zoom closely into Dante he has a facial expression of disgust and revulsion. Dante compares the holes in the ground to “places for the baptizers” (17). It is compelling that the sinners are stuffed into the ground head first as oppose to their body first like during a baptism. I think this punishment for Simoniacs fits with the unorthodox and sacrilegious decisions they made during their lives.

Post 5 (due March 4)

For your next post, consider Dante’s tone and techniques in canto 18-21, or try to single out connections, similarities with or differences from previous cantos. Another option for you is to select a painting or image representing one of these cantos and compare it with the text of the Comedy.

The writing tips are still the same as last week’s.

Since we talked about the structure of Inferno, it might be interesting to watch the videos available here.

The tour of the Scrovegni chapel is available here.

Have fun and see you in class.

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.