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Dantes masterpiece, Inferno, is one of the most influential pieces of literature ever written. While the Inferno has no divine inspiration behind it, it serves as an example for many people to depict the horrendous tortures that await those who disobey Gods rules. Dante had hell divided into nine layers. These layers are limbo, lust, gluttony, avarice, wrath, heretic, violence, fraud, and treachery. There were different, creative punishments awaiting the victims on each layer, and the severity of punishment depended on the severity of ones infractions in the real world. One of the more interesting parts about reading through the cantos is seeing which famous historical figures have ended up in hell.
While the Bible says not to judge one another, it is always interesting to analyze different people in terms of their worst sins. If Dante had been alive in the twentieth century, he most certainly would have put the following people in hell for their sins. Limbo was a place reserved for the virtuous pagans. The people residing in limbo may have led noble lives, but they are doomed for eternity for not being able to pick the correct religion. A non-Christian who was a good person at heart was doomed to sit around in limbo, clinging to the hope that they might one day see God.
A prime example of such a person is Mohandas Gandhi, the Indian peacemaker. Gandhi is often cited as the founder of nonviolent protest. Through years of nonviolent protest, Gandhi managed to free India from the oppressive rule of the British empire. At the time, Britain still had colonies around the world. Like most of these colonies, the native Indians were treated unfairly. Gandhi put his life in serious jeopardy so that he could free his people.
However, Ghandi was not a Christian. He was a devout Hindu, so he must reside in Limbo. One of the most often cited of the deadly sins is lust. Lust is a favorite vice for most of America, and likewise, most of the world.
Most of the deadly sins can be depicted in a good sense, if a word with a different connotation is used. Lust, in its simplest sense, means sexual desire. However, the word lust conjures up thoughts of a depraved obsession with physical gratification. The word passion describes sexual desire in a much more positive light. Many modern figures are guilty of lust. However, few couples are more famous for their lustful acts than Pamela and Tommy Lee.
Tommy Lee is the former drummer for the band Motley Crue. The Crue is famous for a song called Girls, girls, girls which describes the bands penchant for taking physical pleasures to the extreme- with as many women as possible. Pamela Lee posed nude for Playboy before starring on the show Baywatch. Both were guilty of lust before they found each other. However, after they got together, they made a videotape of themselves indulging in lust. This video was stolen, and posted on the Internet.
They can look forward to spending the rest of existence in the lust layer of hell for the sins they committed with each other. All those who eat and drink to excess are guilty of gluttony. Therefore, one could make the logical assumption that many grossly overweight people are guilty of gluttony. One of the greatest fat people to grace the silver screen was comedian Chris Farley. Farley worked on Saturday Night Live, and starred in many comedic masterpieces including Tommy Boy, and Beverly Hills Ninja. Unfortunately, Farley died.
This big man drank to excess, and looks as if he ate to excess as well. Many would like to think Farley went on to a better place, but this comedian was very fat, and most assuredly resides in hell for being gluttonous. Avarice is another sin that could be displayed in a positive light. Avarice describes greed and excessive desire for wealth and power. Ambition is a word that means nearly the same thing. It is difficult to determine when an ambitious person crosses the line and becomes avaricious.
But one could assume that the most successful businessperson in the world crossed that line a long time ago. That power-hungry, ruthless businessman is none other than Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft. Mr. Gates has more money than anyone could dream of, and in todays dog-eat-dog business world, it is clear that Gates must have acted on his greediest desires to get where he is today. For his obsession with the materialistic things in life, Gates will burn in hell forever. The next deadly sin is that of wrath.
Wrath is a violent vengeful anger- the most extreme hate. There is one duo in modern entertainment whose anger far surpasses that of other cartoon characters. That duo is Rocksteady and Be-Bop. They are both mutants who were originally a rhinoceros and a pig before being transformed by mutagenic ooze. Now they are walking, gun-toting mutants with a bad attitude. Rocksteady and Be-Bop were always angry, throughout the entire run of the Ninja Turtles series.
They would always scream with anger, Were gonna get those turtles! After their attempts were foiled by the turtles, their anger only grew more vengeful and intense, to the point where they would physically harm each other as an outlet for their misdirected rage. There is no doubt that this team of misfits was guilty of wrath. These two will be in layer five of hell for all of eternity.
A heretic is one who speaks out against God, and more specifically, against Christianity. Ozzy Osbourne is as guilty as sin. The vocalist for the legendary metal band, Black Sabbath, has a reputation for going against all things good and pure. Ozzy did not accept Christian ideas of how he should live his life, and he was very open in his defiance. He often spoke out against peoples religious beliefs. He is, after all, a Satanist, which makes him a prime example of a heretic.
Ozzy will be in layer six of hell, burning in a coffin for all of eternity. But for a man who bites the heads off of bats, he will probably be happy. I would also have to classify myself as a heretic. I always have been a skeptic, and I do not accept Christianity as a valid religion. In fact, I do not accept any religion as valid, because they have no evidence to back them up.
While I certainly admit that there might be a Supreme Being, I have trouble following any organized religion. I have trouble believing everything the Bible has to say, when a lot of the history is inconsistent, and certain books contradict each other. Inconsistencies like these are, in my opinion, evidence that mortal men wrote this book. However, if I am wrong, I am going to spend eternity in a burning coffin, right next to Ozzy Osbourne. Violence is probably the most logical sin to be classified as deadly.
Those who physically harm others, for no justifiable reason, are guilty of violence. Many, many people are famous for committing this sin. For most people, the first offenders to come to mind would be O. J. Simpson, Hitler, and Ted Bundy. However, one could easily overlook the violent actions of child-star Gary Coleman.
The former Different Strokes star is angry at life for dealing him a bad hand, and he easily loses his temper. Those who are near at hand when Coleman resorts to violence should run the other way: he turns into a tiny tornado of rage. One woman learned the hard way. As Coleman was leaving an event, he was hounded by photographers and fans. He became angry, and assaulted a female fan who only sought to get his autograph.
For violent acts such as these, Coleman can be expecting to go to the seventh layer of hell as punishment for his acts of violence. Many villains in comic book lore attempt to gain power through sheer macho displays of power and destruction. There is, however, another category of villains that seek power through deception and trickery. One of the trickiest villains is the Joker, arch-nemesis of Batman. The Joker is always attempting to gain power through some seedy and underhanded plan. He has more than once fooled the city of Gotham, and even the Caped Crusader himself.
These sort of mischievous plans can easily be classified as fraudulent. Once he is dead, the Joker will be forced to burn in level eight of hell. The last deadly sin, and most severe according to Dante, is that of treachery. Treachery describes the breaking of loyal bonds to ones family, country, friends, etc. Traitors can be found throughout history, and within the many films in the James Bond series.
One of the most notable traitors is Agent 006, Alec Trevelyan. In the movie Goldeneye, Alec betrayed his partner, Bond, so that he could join forces with an evil Russian general. Not only did 006 betray his longtime friend James Bond, he also betrayed his homeland of England. God is not favorable to those who commit crimes against the Queen, or anyone else for that matter. Traitors belong in the bottom level of hell, where they will undergo excruciating torment for the rest of eternity. Agent 006, without a doubt, will go to hell for treachery.
Dante probably would have agreed that these people were guilty of violating the deadly sins. One often overlooked aspect of Dantes Inferno is the hypocritical nature of Dantes accusations. In the Christian Bible, it is often noted that no one has the power to judge except for God himself. Yet Dante freely condemns many prominent historical figures to whatever punishments he sees fit. Despite this inconsistency, Dantes literary work carries with it a certain quality that makes it enjoyable all generations of readers. One of the most intriguing aspects of the Inferno, is that all people are guilty of a few of the sins to at least some degree.
Our human nature makes it unavoidable to go through life without committing one of these sins.
Free research essays on topics related to: historical figures, sexual desire, deadly sins, nonviolent protest, ozzy osbourne
Research essay sample on Modern Figures In Dantes Inferno
