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.


