The Weakness of Human Nature in Dantes Inferno Essay

Dantes Inferno is full of themes. But the most frequent is that of the weakness of human nature. Dantes descent into hell is initially so that Dante can see how he can better live his life, free of weaknesses that may ultimately be his ticket to hell. Through the first ten cantos, Dante portrays how each level of his hell is a manifestation of human weakness and a loss of hope, which ultimately Dante uses to purge and learn from. Dante, himself, is about to fall into the weaknesses of humans, before there is some divine intervention on the part of his love Beatrice, who is in heaven. He is sent on a journey to hell in order for Dante to see, smell, and hear hell. As we see this experience brings out Dantes weakness of cowardice,†¦show more content†¦But Virgil comes to the poor, powerless Dante. He will never really do anything alone from this point on, which is good because in order for Dante to understand and learn he must have a teacher, t here must be some authority for Dante. There is a grey hound that is mentioned (canto 1, line 78-88, Alighieri). I think that this grey hound is Virgil, because he represents the savior of Dante. He is said to represent intellect, and in Dantes mind that is what is needed to be reasonable, and reason conquers all desires and weaknesses. As they venture into hell, they first weaknesses they encounter are those of Dantes. In Canto two and three Dante battles weakness in the form of doubt of his worthiness (canto 3, line 10-12, Alighieri ) and cowardice. These will hinder his journey if he cannot get over them within the two cantos. So we see that cowardice and weakness are his faults. If Virgil is the only thing that keeps him from harm, and Virgil represents intellect and reason, then Dante is learning. And one can only learn and be reassured through reason and intellect that the weakness and the feelings one is having is false and to battle them. Virgil provides a counter action for Dante, because he hasnt lost the good of intellect like the souls of hell. They have no guide (canto 3, line 11-15, Alighieri ) Plus Dante shows remorse for the souls, which shows that he is above what they are,Show MoreRelatedThe Divine Comedy By Dante Alighieri1277 Words   |  6 Pagesnarrates Dante’s pilgrimage through hell, purgatory, and heaven while guided by Virgil and Beatrice. Throughout this journey Dante conforms himself to virtue, properly orders his passions, and conforms his conscience, â€Å"Dante s psychopoiesis operates through the mimetic deformation, reformation, and transformation of conscience† (Macready, 2). This essay will examine what a true conscience is according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and explore the nature of the conscience in Dante’s DivinaRead More journeyhod Journey into Hell in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness953 Words   |  4 Pagestoo, is a product of the dominant society. 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