The Inferno And The Poed By Dante Alighieri And Inferno

1257 Words3 Pages

Mankind has constantly struggled with the decision of right and wrong. Throughout history men and women have constantly fought for what they believe to be right. This popular mindset has resulted in many literary works. One for example is the epic poem Beowulf. It tells the story of a brave hero who fights for what he believes by battling terrifying creatures. The author or authors of Beowulf is unknown and historians say the epic poem was written over a long period of time. During this time, the religion of Scandinavia changed from Paganism to Christianity. The shift in the beliefs of the Anglo-Saxon people from Pagan to Christian becomes apparent when describing the monsters, the battles between good and evil, and even when Beowulf dies. Literary works such as the Inferno and …show more content…

These stories both use monsters to contrast good and evil. At the beginning of the Inferno three beasts halted Dante. Each of the beasts symbolized a different sin. Dante described one of them as a she-wolf that personified avarice. Avarice means extreme greed for wealth or material gain. In Beowulf the author described Grendel's mother as a “greedy she-wolf”. Once Dante turned around the poet Virgil greeted him. Virgil prophesied that a greyhound would come to drive the she-wolf back to hell. The greyhound represented a savior figure who would come to redirect the world to the path of truth and virtue. Beowulf shares many character traits with this savior figure and he also killed the she-wolf. Finally, in both epic poems the main characters descended into some type of underworld. In Beowulf, he spent hours sinking under the water in order to battle the sea witch. In the Inferno Dante spent the entire epic descending further into the nine circles of hell. These stories share clear resemblances because the theme of good battling evil is and always will be

More about The Inferno And The Poed By Dante Alighieri And Inferno

Open Document