Dante's Inferno And Love

At the beginning of Canto XVIII, Virgil continues his discourse on love. Dante is still confused but he “said nothing, thinking, “He may well be tired of all this questioning i put him through’”(5-6). Dante is reluctant to ask more questions which could indicate that he is participating in the laziness being punished on the mountain of purgatory. Virgil is speaking to Dante about love and Dante asks, “Dear and gentle father, please discourse more fully on that love in which you say all good and evil actions have their source”(13-15). Dante wants Virgil to elaborate on the psychology of love that fascinates him. Virgil, in response, has Dante focus on his next words about souls and love. Virgil claims the soul is created to love and therefore

This leads to the role of reason which is “the innate counsel” (62) and it makes decisions between what is morally good and bad. Bad things should be blocked at the doorway of the soul or the “threshold of accent” (63). “This is the principle… it reaps and winnows good or evil love in you” (64-66). Dante is claiming that if you live by reason and block bad things at the doorway of your soul, then you will reap good love and vice versa (if you don’t live by reason and let morally bad things into your soul then you will reap evil love). Virgil talks about ancient philosophers who advocated for free will and gave ethics to the world- freedom to choose between good and evil. Just the same as the theme of timshel in East of Eden. Now, even though “All love… springs from necessity; you still have the power to check it’s sway”(69-71). Dante grants that love is necessary for humans, but that doesn’t me we can’t control it. Free will still implies to the necessary love we are granted. Virgil finishes by reminding the pilgrim to “keep the term well in mind of The Free Will” (74) just in case Beatrice speaks about it as God’s most precious gift to

Loving incorrectly can be seen through loving things that draw him farther from God or doubting God’s judgement. In canto VI, Dante still hasn’t learned his lesson about grief and pity. for in this circle he “sees new torments and new souls in pain about [him] everywhere. Wherever [he] turns away from from grief [he] turns to grief again”(3-6). Dante the pilgrim is still doubting God’s judgement by feeling sorrow for the sinners. He is “loving” these sinners for he is showing deep sorrow for them. He feels particularly bad for Ciacco, as he proclaims, “your agony weighs on my heart and calls my soul to tears”(55-56). This a very extreme thing for Dante to say. His soul is crying for this sinner. In Purgatorio, Virgil describes love as an attraction and inclination to an object. By that definition, Dante loves these sinners because his very soul weeps for them. This is an example of loving an unworthy object. This sinner is in Hell for a reason; Dante shouldn’t spend his time pitying him for it will lead to lies and betrayal because Ciacco is in Hell. Dante also falls short when Beatrice dies. “He turned his steps aside from the True Way, pursuing the false images of good that promise what they never wholly pay” (130-133). Dante fell completely off the rails after her death. He admits that he should have loved her when she died but he didn’t. He turned to other