The Allegorical Nature Of Dante's Inferno

If only Dante’s development stopped here, he would remain grieved but personable, but the final circle of Hell, and the despicable people in it drive him towards an emotional stance that borders on sinister. He still feels intensely towards the inhabitants of Hell, but in the final circle, he temporarily adopts an attitude of frustration and damnation. George Santayana elaborates on this new Dante, saying he feels "...that good is dishonored if those who condemn it can go scot-free, and never repent of their negligence… and that the everlasting shrieks and contortions of the damned alone will make it possible for the saints to sit quiet, and be convinced that there is perfect harmony in the universe" (98). In this circle, where sinners are

Through his advancement of faith and physical space towards his god, change of perspective of sinners, and increased comprehension of divine justice Dante truly does develop throughout his time in the underworld. The allegorical nature of Inferno allows for both a surface level and deeper progress in Dante’s life and his goal of oneness with God. Although he starts out sympathetic towards sinners, as time goes on and he experiences more in Hell, Dante begins to understand God’s reasoning more, and thus begins to feel less positively towards sinners, but he still manages to understand the thought behind the sin. Walking into Hell, Dante did not know the first thing regarding Divine justice, being close to becoming a recipient of it, conversely, when he leaves he has conquered sin, the idea of it, and come to understand the necessity of the punishment of all misdeeds. Looking at Inferno in an allegorical sense of a man’s journey to better understand theology makes it valuable in more than the intended aspect of a faith-based view. Reading philosophy one disagrees with can still yield positive results and a more well-rounded understanding of the people and world around them, and Dante was a philosophical and theological juggernaut of his day. Not allowing for the growth of the character Dante stifles the message as the story seems to only be driven by the plot, which has no real development of its own and is simply the recounting of a setting-based description. Indeed, to see any real conflict in Inferno, one must view it as not a journey through Hell but a journey of self-discovery and change, because Hell is only the medium through which change occurs for Dante, the real battle is in his soul. Truly, Inferno is incomplete if Dante is viewed as static and unchanging, and why rob oneself of such a unique and influential piece of