Divine Love In Dante's Inferno

Inferno is the first and most famous of a three part series by Dante Alighieri known as the Divine Comedy that describes his journey to God through the levels of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise written in the early fourteenth century. Scholars spanning over nearly seven centuries have praised its beauty and complexity, unmatched by any other medieval poem. Patrick Hunt’s review, “On the Inferno,” states, “Dante’s extensive use of symbolism and prolific use of allegory— even in incredible anatomical detail—have been often plumbed as scholars have explored the gamut of his work’s classical, biblical, historical, and contemporary political significance” (9). In the story, each of the three main characters, Dante, Virgil, and Beatrice, represent

Dante represents humanity; Virgil represents reason, and Beatrice represents divine love. The three characters together symbolize how humanity needs reason and divine love to escape sin and receive salvation and create the deeper meaning of the allegory.

Inferno begins with Dante lost in a dark wood. When he tries to exit, three impassible beasts blocked his path. Dante is rescued when Beatrice sends the spirit of Virgil to lead him to salvation. However, Dante must journey through hell first. Dante and Virgil then journey through the nine circles of hell, with the occasional help of a heavenly messenger sent to aid Dante in his journey. Dante meets many significant people and hears their stories in each circle. The First Circle of Hell or Limbo is resided by virtuous non-Christians and unbaptized pagans. In the Second Circle, Dante and Virgil find people who were overcome by lust. In the Third Circle, they find souls of gluttons that are seen as more than the usual excessive eating and drinking but also drug addiction. In the Fourth Circle, Dante and Virgil see the souls of people who are punished for greed.

When Dante is slow to learn these lessons, such as when he sympathizes with sinners or remains too long in one circle of Hell, Virgil often grows impatient with him, a trait that humanizes his usual impersonal nature. He is wise, commanding, and resourceful, but he is often helpless in protecting Dante from the true dangers of Hell and completing the journey. In Canto VIII, we see the inept side of Virgil when he requires assistance from an angelic messenger to enter the City of Dis. Allegorically, this trouble shows that even reason and wisdom cannot overcome every obstacle and that divine intervention is far more powerful than anything a human has to offer. However, reason is necessary in life to provide morals to a soul by helping him distinguish between and understand good and evil, explain the nature of moral law, and even lead him to the threshold of perfection, but reason cannot offer redemption. Only divine love provides the purification and final salvation. This is why in Purgatorio, Beatrice must take over as the guide in the Garden of Eden, where man is restored to