The Inferno continues to fascinate me as it is complex on so many different levels, from the structure of Dante's Hell to the implications of every consequence of sin. One thing, however, continues to puzzle me: Where does the fiction in the inferno end and the truth begin for Dante? Does this structure of Hell make sense beyond the theory? And beyond all else, where do we find God and Love within this Hell? Where do we find God in Hell, and how is love apparent in this place which was supposedly created by love? Or is love here distorted as everything else is? Things to think on, and "take in," as Virgil so wisely advised Dante in Canto XV.
Commented on Rebekah's :)
I think Dante knows intellectually that his version of Hell is not the real one. However, I think that he believes his version could very well be what Hell is like. I also think that Dante paints Hell the way he does so that he can prove a point to people who are sinning in certain ways.
ReplyDeleteI have always have conflict with the fact that every sin is considered a sin in the sight of God with no exceptions as to the severity of sin. I like the way that Dante has kind of address the issue but it is a nice idea but the longer i think about his theories and different levels of hell according to the severity of sins the more complex and hard to understand it is for me.
ReplyDeleteI've always struggled with the question of whether or not God is actually present in Hell. In my opinion, even though God is omnipresent, He is purposefully not in Hell. While no one can really know what punishment will be like in Hell, I tend to argue that the simple fact that God removes His presence from Hell is torture enough because unlike on earth, one can't be ignorant of the existence of God in Heaven or Hell.
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