Dante and the Three Beasts

Name:

Course:

Lecturer:

Date:

Dante and the Three Beasts

Introduction

The book, ‘The Divine Comedy: Volume 1: Inferno’ by Mark Musa is a story about hell in addition to how different kinds of sins are punished in hell. The author has used this book in a very comical way to show the fears of hell. He shows this by the use of different cantos, which illustrate the places/locations of hell and how it feels to be there. Additionally, this book has given the reader a good taste of feeling of how hell is, as well as the kind of punishments that are most likely to be in hell. Moreover, the book has given the Christians a taste of how hell feels like before they go to heaven.

In the story Inferno, the pilgrim, Dante, passes through a dark and threatening wood, with three beasts blocking his passage. The beasts are a lion, a leopard, and a she-wolf. These beasts chase the pilgrim away from entering into hell (Musa 3). Dante finds himself in the underworld and as he is trying to go to hell, he encounters with the three beasts. The three creatures chase him out of the woods, and on the way back with no hope of entering hell, a Virgil appears. At first, the Virgil refuses to help Dante to find a better route but after persuading the Virgil, the Virgil accepts and leads Dante towards another path (Musa 3).

Discussion

The effects of the opening of the story

The three beasts in the opening of this essay have been used by the author to show the reader the different character traits of the different personalities. At first, the reader is able to see the characters of Dante the poet, which are how he thinks and the way he has visualized the story and writes it for the purposes of the reader. Secondly, the other person in the book is Dante, the pilgrim (Aligheri & Lombardo 4). The character trait that has been portrayed is that of a man with fear. He fears for his life. The way Dante runs in order to escape the beast shows that Dante is afraid of getting hurt and that he does not want to die.

Moreover, the opening has been used to show that Dante is not dead and that he belongs in the world of the living and not the underworld. When the beasts are chasing Dante from entering into hell, it shows that the beasts have smelled the smell of Dante who is not yet dead. Therefore, Dante belongs into the world of the living and not the world of the dead. Additionally, the author has used the beasts significantly because the beasts are wild cats that have a very strong sense of smell therefore, they are able to smell Dante and recognize that he is not yet dead.

In the opening of the book, the author has used the beasts to symbolize several things and show the importance of the story. The three beasts have been used very well to show the different categories of sin, which are experienced in hell. The three sins are; one, those that involve violence, two those that are adulterous and three, those that are very mischievous. The first sins are punishable in the first to six cantos; the second sins are punishable in the seventh and eight cantos while the last sins are punishable in the other cantos (Aligheri & Lombardo 3). This gives the pilgrim the real meaning of what is to be expected in hell.

The starting of this story by using this description instills fear in both the pilgrim and the reader of the story. This is used to show that hell is a very horrific place even before somebody enters it. Additionally, the beasts are used by the Christians to show that the path to salvation is filled with many trials. This is experienced where the pilgrim is trying to find the correct path to hell but the three beasts chase him away making it difficult to enter but eventually he is saved by the Virgil who directs him in his journey to hell in the correct path. Therefore, the beasts can be used to symbolize trials, hell can be used to symbolize heaven, and the Virgil can be used to symbolize a savior to heaven or the salvation.

Additionally, the author has used the animals, especially real life animals, to show the reality of hell. The author has shown the readers that hell exists and with the use of real animals, which are known by the common person, instead of using those imaginary animals, which are non-existent. This has made the reader believe in what the author is talking about because he has used reality in his book. Therefore, the readers have become more interested in learning what the reader has written. Additionally, the author has used the pilgrim to show the reality of what will happen if the pilgrim went to hell. This has captured the reader very much because he takes interest in wanting to know what the will happen to the pilgrim when he is hell.

The effects of the opening of the story had the author not used the description

On the other hand, if the author had not used this description of entering hell, it would not have given that horrific feeling that hell is not a place of laughter but a place of horror. The beasts are a symbol of fear when one is entering into hell (Aligheri & Lombardo 4). The reader would have not seen or experienced fear if the author did not use this description in the starting of the book. Additionally, it would not have instilled fear to both the pilgrim and the reader about hell. Therefore, if it were not used, the story would not have given the reader any idea of what is to be expected in the book.

Moreover, if the author never used the descriptive he would not have captured the reader eyes because the reader would not have had the feeling of the fear and the captivating, heart pumping start. However, the reader would have seen it like another book in the shops to read about hell. Additionally, the reader would not have seen the need of looking at the book because the book has started like another book. Stories about hell are usually told inform of description of how hell looks like but the author has started in the form of a story capturing the eyes of the author therefore, if he never started writing in this form, then the reader would not have been captivated.

In conjunction to this, if the author had not used this descriptive starting, he could not have shown the different trials that Christians go through before they reach heaven and the different categories of sins, which are to be expected in hell. The three beasts have a lot of symbolism to the Christians who are readers of these books because the starting has clearly indicated of what is expected ahead of the book (Musa 3). Therefore, the reader is able to know the different trials that he is going to pass through before reaching the gates of heaven.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the author has used the three beasts to symbolize that hell is a place to be feared and that the categories of sin are three. Additionally, the author has used this kind of description in his starting to show the author the different characters traits of the main character as well as what the reader should expect of the main character (Musa 3). Therefore, if the author had not used this kind of starting, he would not have captured full attention of the reader.

Works Cited

Aligheri, Dante, & Lombardo, Stanley. Inferno. Cambridge, MA: Hackett Publishing, 2009. Print.

Musa, Mark. The Divine Comedy: Volume 1: Inferno. Bloomington, IN: IndianaUniversity Press, 2004. Print.