Fear In Dante's Inferno

“They couldn't bear the idea of death being a big black nothing, couldn't bear the thought of their loved ones not existing, and couldn't even imagine themselves not existing. I finally decided that people believed in an afterlife because they couldn't bear not to.” (Green) The Divine Comedy is a text that is divided into three parts, the most famous of which being Inferno. Inferno follows Dante through his epic journey through the nine circles of hell in his attempt to achieve a higher understanding of the afterlife. Dante is a man that seems to have, both physically and metaphorically wandered into a very dark place. He has begun to sin without repentance, due to the fact that he doesn’t have a broad understanding of the real repercussions

Dante’s development of fear within Inferno is so complex an in depth that it was completely unheard of during it’s time. Dante is using methods of psychological and physical torture that mentally damage some individuals that do so much as dare to read his text. His work is so completely on edge that even an individual that does not completely believe in his work is forced to take a little bit of warning. “. Through me you enter into the city of woes / through me you enter into eternal pain, / through me you enter the population of loss. . . . / abandon all hope, you who enter here.” (Inferno, Canto III) This horrible representation is not the worst part, though. The most tormenting and persuasively effective portion of Dante’s Inferno is his humanization of the souls. Most people would like to see these souls represented as awful ghostly creatures with quite a bit of depth from real life, but Dante takes that idea and shreds it with his incredibly realistic portrayal. He makes these souls completely lifelike, with the ability to experience pain, emotion and process complex thought. “Throughout the Inferno, the souls of Dante’s other world are described as if they possessed visible, human bodies, capable of sense perceptions and physical reactions to the things perceived.” (Heilbronn) This development causes an intentional relation to occur for nearly all individuals that decide to read the text. It is hard for people to separate these punishments from real life when the individuals experiencing the punishments are so relatable themselves, and Dante definitely uses this to his