Inferno
(Dante)

Inferno is a very thematic poem. The story doesn’t make much sense without the major themes that are explored by the characters. Here are five major themes you can’t miss when reading Inferno.

Compassion

Dante spend a lot of time in the first half of the poem showing compassion to the sinner in Hell. He cries for them, weeps over their plight, and he even faints from the sadness more than once!

Justice

What is justice in Hell? Justice here seems to mean eternal suffering, and that is a concept that Dante starts to understand as he continues his journey through Hell. He starts to get angry with, or righteously indignant towards, the sinners he meets. Virgil celebrates this change in Dante, insinuating that such a viewpoint is more like God’s perspective.

God and Nature

For Dante, there is little difference between God and Nature. Since God is the author of Nature, following the ways of Nature is a way of serving God. Therefore, when one goes against that which is natural, he/she is sinning against God. In Hell, there is a special zone dedicated to those that have sinned against Nature.

Levels of Sin

The idea of levels of sin is explored in Inferno. As the travelers descend deeper and deeper into the lower circles of Hell, they see the area dedicated to greater and greater sins, and the punishment for the sinners is more fierce because of that. It’s interesting that the whole idea for what sins are worse is loosely based on the writings of Aristotle, a pagan philosopher. That leads us, by the way, to another theme.

Christianity and Paganism

In Inferno, Christianity and Paganism are mixed. Several sinners are mentioned who are being punished for sinning against a Greek or Roman god, for example. In fact, pagan gods are seen as powerful beings, just like angels of saints. Also, Virgil, Dante’s ghostly guide in Inferno, isn’t even a Christian himself! He resides in Hell, a pagan condemned to the first circle of Hell, Limbo. It seems that Dante mixed and combines pagan myths, ideals, and beliefs with those of Christianity whenever it was convenient for him to do so.

Reputation and Fame

Reputation and Fame were on the minds of many characters in this poem. Many sinners offered to help Dante or tell him things he wanted to know, if only they would become famous by being mentioned in Dante’s poem. Others wished for Dante to carry along messages to their home towns or relatives, to perhaps clear their reputation. Dante would even offer fame to some souls just to get them to talk!