Religious And Political Conflicts In Dantes Inferno

The 14th century is marked by various religious and political conflicts. Specifically, Italy experienced major civil discord as emperors, popes, and elite families sought governmental control. It is within these tense times that Dante lived and wrote his poetic masterpiece, Commedia. Although little is known for certain about Dante, scholars believe he was born in 1265 and lived in Florence for the majority of his adult life. While Dante was by no means poor, his family was not wealthy enough to achieve elite status, so he became involved with politics. In 1302, Dante was exiled from Florence for numerous reasons, including political complicity and opposition to the pope, resulting in him traveling throughout various Italian towns until†¦show more content†¦Passing through the Hellgate and the surrounding area, which was an ante-inferno to torment people who were neither good nor evil, Dante and Virgil come upon the Acheron River where the boatman Charon ferries souls int o Hell. Dante uses the Greek figure Charon to represent the 14th century religious belief that St. Peter held the keys to Heaven. When Charon questions Dante and Virgil’s mission into Hell, Virgil tells him that God has willed it, and Charon steps aside and allows Dante and Virgil to enter the boat. Just as Charon acted as chauffer between one world and the next, Christians at this time believed St. Peter held the keys to Heaven and moderated who entered. Dante draws on both of these perspectives when describing the people who were not accepted by either Heaven or Hell because they were neither good nor evil. Just as Charon can refuse neutral souls from entering Hell, St. Peter can prevent lukewarm Christians from entering Heaven. By creating an ante-inferno area where in-between souls experience constant agony and torture, such as being attacked by insects and eaten by worms, Dante encourages people to choose either salvation or sin, but not live heretical lives. The li nking of Charon and St. Peter, especially regarding neutral believers, demonstrates that although there may be some gray areas, like the ante-inferno,Show MoreRelatedPolitical and Religious Ambitions: Dante’s Justification of Punishments in the Inferno1928 Words   |  8 PagesIn The Inferno, Dante descends through the nine circles of Hell, encountering increasingly serious sins, most of which are crimes. The levels of Hell can be interpreted as a gradation of crimes, with penalties in proportion to their relative gravity of sin. While crimes are transgressions against human law, Dante’s Christian orthodox ambitions translate the treatment of these seemingly earthly crimes as sins, transgressions against divine law. For the purposes of this paper, the two terms can beRead More Inferno as a Manifestation of the Pain of Dante Alighieri Essay1502 Words   |  7 PagesInferno as a Manifestation of the Pain of Dante Alighieri Dantes Inferno was a great epic poem of the early Renaissance. 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