1. Briefly summarize the work you read (2-3 sentences).
Dante’s Inferno is a literary speculation on hell from the Abrahamic religions. It reads very
similarly to a modern self-insert fanfiction, with the people that Dante admires or loves guiding
him and making an appearance, and the people that he despises or dislikes being punished. It
acts like a guide to Dante’s interpretation to hell, as well as a speculation on what people
imagined it to be like in that time.
2. Choose 2-4 important characters from the reading and describe each of them.
● Dante - Both the author and the main character of the Inferno, who is guided through hell
to heaven after he loses his way.
● Virgil - A Roman poet known for the Aeneid who guides Dante through hell.
● Ulysses - A character from Greek mythology known for leading a doomed quest out of
arrogance which lands him in Hell in Dante’s Inferno for the crime of manipulative
counsel.
3. What do you think the author’s purpose for writing this work is? (Be specific!)
I think that the author’s purpose was speculation, an interpretation of the overarching religion of
Catholicism of the time, and a bit of self gratification. It is a very indulgent work, with much
speculation, and little grounding in the Bible that is taken as the canon, both at the time and now,
and Catholic values are rampant throughout. Ultimately I think it's his interpretation of what
comes of immorality and how such things might be classified.
4. Choose a quote from the work that you feel helps connect the reader to the author’s
purpose. Explain why you think this quote best suits the author’s purpose. Don’t forget to
cite the quote. Failure to cite will result in no credit for this portion of the assignment.
“Under the midpoint of that other sky
the Man who was born sinless and who lived
beyond all blemish, came to suffer and die.”
This is said by Virgil after their ascent out of hell when he explains how they left. It connects to the
Catholic values and the speculation with Dante’s interpretation of humanity. The other Sky
referred to Earth, and his referral to mankind coming to suffer and die implies that there was
another option other than to be born and to live, a choice against free will. Dante’s interpretation
is very indulgent in its lack of choice, stray once and you have a place in a circle, in hell. It
doesn't leave much wiggle room for humanity to do much else than tie their own noose unless
they have themselves a Virgil to guide them.
Dante’s Inferno lines 114-116, The Norton Anthology of World Literature 1061
5. What issues/themes does the work bring up that are still relevant today?
Betrayal and balance are both themes in Inferno, along with various others. Balance is addressed with
authority, and to a tee the governments world over are out of balance, mirroring the severe offset of
authority that the Catholic Church held at the time. Betrayal is also rampant, with politicians betraying
their promises, couples betraying each other to the point that there are whole television show on the
matter of cheating, and money dictating choices of everyone. The strictness of the Abrahamic religions
has eased slightly since that time, but many of the Christian values also hold, despite the interpretation of
hell having changed multiple times over since the Inferno was written.
