Throughout
Dante’s Inferno, he demonstrates
vanity, one of the seven deadly sins. Dante even acknowledges that he struggles
with pride when he mentions that the lion is one of the obstacles blocking his
path to heaven (5). However, although Inferno
is a warning to the reader about the consequences of sinning, Dante does not
make an attempt to stop being prideful and vain.
That
Virgil is a poet reveals Dante’s own pride in being a poet. Virgil represents
logic and wisdom, as is clear by his title “guide” throughout the novel. Virgil
is also labeled “teacher,” “sage,” and “wise master” (45, 59, 73). Each of
these descriptions of Virgil emphasize that he is intelligent and should be
revered. Virgil’s intellect is second only to God’s power in Inferno. This is made clear by Dante’s
reference to Virgil as “you who can defeat / all things except for those
tenacious demons / who tried to block us at the entryway,” (127). At this point,
Dante is pointing out the only instance where Virgil’s logic was not sufficient
in allowing them to pass to the next level of Hell. Aid was required from
“Heaven’s messenger” at the gate of Dis (81). That the single time Virgil’s
wisdom failed was also an instance when only help from God could succeed
suggests that Virgil’s intelligence is greater than everything except God’s
power. As the author of the poem Inferno,
Dante demonstrates pride in his own great wisdom by placing the intellect of
poets, whom Virgil represents, just below the power of God.
The
pilgrim Dante also identifies his pride as a poet in Inferno. He offer’s renown to those in Hell who are willing to tell
him their story multiple times, stating “So that your memory may never fade /
within the first world from the minds of men / but still live on – and under
many suns - / do tell me who you are and from what city,” and “‘I am alive, and
can be previous to you / if you want fame,’ was my reply, ‘for I / can set your
name among my other notes,’” (269, 297). In both of these instances, Dante
states that he will write about the person he is speaking to in Hell if that person
will give him information about their sins. Dante essentially promises eternal
fame to the sinners. He is therefore stating that his own writings will be read
by many people for the rest of time. Dante’s vanity is clear in his offerings
to those he speaks with in Inferno.
For
an author focused on counseling his audience against sinning, Dante shows quite
a bit of pride in his vocation as a poet. Though he identifies vanity as a sin,
he does not overcome it throughout the novel, as is evident in his portrayal of
Virgil the poet as the voice of logic and wisdom and in his bribes of acclaim
to those in Inferno.
The relationship between Dante and Virgil provides understanding of how Dante sees himself. Dante displays his pride through Virgil, who he displays as the “poet as the voice of logic and wisdom” as Kimberlyn said. Although at first Dante sees himself as better than or equal to Virgil, as the plot develops, a father/son relationship is formed with his guide, as Virgil proves to Dante why he was chosen to lead him through Hell. Virgil is not only representative of a wise poet, but as a mentor and father figure as well.
ReplyDeleteDante aims to please Virgil, as seen through his levels of pity throughout the novel. In Canto XIX when Dante reproaches Pope Nicholas III he is trying to earn praise from Virgil and show that he can be strong and trust God’s judgments. Virgil’s approval is shown as Dante “[does] believe it pleased [his] guide: he listened always with such satisfied expression to the sound of those true words. And then he gathered [Dante] in both his arms,” (121-4). Dante is like a child, seeking praise and approval from Virgil. This relationship is further developed in Canto XXIII, when Virgil “snatched [Dante] up instantly, just as the mother… will lift her son” and “race[s] down that embankment while bearing [him] upon his chest just like a son, and not like a companion” (37-40, 49-51). As they journey deeper and deeper into Hell, Virgil and Dante grow closer, becoming more of father and son than companions or guide and mentee.
Dante’s pride is exemplified in the scene where he and Virgil enter the first circle of Hell. He even places himself among such historical figures like Virgil, Homer, and Ovid when “they invited me to join their ranks- I was the sixth among such intellects” (Canto IV). Yet he damns these great poets to Hell for the sin of not being Christian-before Christianity was invented. While Dante the character shows pity for these souls by saying “Great sorrow had seized my heart on hearing [Virgil], for I had seen some estimable men among the souls suspended in Limbo” (Canto IV), Dante the author shows a great sin of pride by placing these people in Hell, and himself as equal in skill but superior by being Christian.
ReplyDeleteI think what Kimberlynn said about Dante also showing his pride through Virgil is really interesting, I hadn’t thought about that before. Something I wondered about is how Dante views Virgil like a father, second only to God. However, he places Virgil in Hell. Is he saying a resident of Hell can be more virtuous than a mortal or someone who hasn’t been damned? God’s choice of Virgil as a guide seems strange.