NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
In Dantes vision of hell, fairness is, essentially, the entire point. It seems in this divine vision, hell is a heaven of exquisite fairness. Not only does everyone get what they deserve for what they did on earth, they understand exactly why they have ended up where they have and are supremely repentant because they understand so well. There really isnt an aspect of Dantes hell that isnt fair.
Probably the fairest aspect of the Inferno is the punishments themselves. The gluttons are gnawed, the violent submerged in blood, fortunetellers walk backwards, look backwards for eternity. These individualized penalties are almost excruciatingly correct for the crime committed. If ever we have tried in our own judicial system to mete out punishments to fit the offense, these seen the most perfect of all. You can almost imagine, while taking this tour of hell, exactly how each person punished finds some part of their punishment especially terrible because of the relation it has to what they have done to find themselves here. The intense regret, the torment of your own stupidity on earth, where you could not see what would happen to you.
This is probably why we find tales like "A Christmas Carol" so fulfilling and relieving, almost, because we know in the back of our mind, we could be doing things that put us into hell just as easily as Scrooge and all the tormented in the Inferno did. Also, the punishments are related directly to the crime, so we are able to connect and understand why each soul has been placed at each separate section. Nothing is random, which is comforting to the reader, we are then able to examine our own thoughts and deeds, which is probably exactly as Dante intended. The perfect fairness of Dantes levels, where each different kind of sinner lies is another effective aspect of the Inferno.
If all the damned were simply thrown in together, it would seem so much more hopeless, the levels make the psychology of the place very intense and interesting. I find myself imagining ways to advance a level in the Inferno, like some kind of ancient video game. If the reader began trying after reading this, to bring himself out of hell, or higher up in hell, then they would begin leading a better life. It seems Dante tried to illustrate exactly what he meant by each crime with the addition of famous people who would come out of each level and explain why they had ended up in there. This made each sin and consequential punishment even more clear to the reader. The reader can even examine the life of an actual condemned person.
He demonstrates the exact fashion one come to be in hell by these people that have put there fairly, though we have thought of many o them as good people. Helen of Troy, for instance, we might not expect to be there, but she is, and it is fair, and we can then see what similarities we have wit her and change them. Then, of course, Dante unable to resist- puts his own little revengeful fairness into the account. He places his own enemies in the depths, perhaps more to seek revenge than for actual reason we dont know this, but it seems possible only because he is so exultant when he finds them there. This is Dante indulging himself a bit, but it is probably harmless. The account, in effect, becomes a map, or a manual to all of the aspects of hell; Dante is handing the reader a way to escape the torment he describes.
This is the ultimate fairness, anyone can read this and find a way not to go to hell. He puts damnation on an equal ground for everyone and we are able to save ourselves from his vision. What could be more fair than that? Bibliography:
Free research essays on topics related to: inferno, dante, fairness, punishments, dantes
Research essay sample on Aspect Of The Inferno Hell
