Violence vs. Fraud

Through the way in which he writes Inferno, Dante evidently believes that fraud is a more evil sin than violence.  On the surface level, Dante puts the fraudulent of Circle eight deeper in hell than the violent of Circle seven.  However, Dante's belief that fraud is more evil of a sin is clear in his diction.  In Bolgia two of Circle eight, Dante notes, "I saw among the felons of that pit/ one wraith who might or might not have been tonsured--/ one could not tell, he was so smeared with shit" (147).  In this passage, Dante chooses harsher words than seen anywhere before in the text and arranges these words in a coarse fashion.  In fact, this is only one of a few instances in Circle eight where Dante deliberately coarsens his language to describe certain types of evil sin.  His disgusting language in Circle eight reflects the disgusting way he feels about the sinner he is describing, and, it means that Dante believes that the sins of Circle eight are more disgusting and more evil than those of Circle seven.  In fact, Dante feel markedly different about the fate of the sinners in the two circles.  When he says, "You were radiance among men/ for that sweet image, gentle and paternal,/ you were to me in the world when hour by hour/ you taught me how man makes himself eternal," Dante feels indisputable reverence and empathy for Brunetto Latino in Circle seven.  Dante the narrator makes it clear through his word choice that his counterpart in the text idolizes Brunetto and is surprised to find him in hell.  Dante feels great sympathy for another countryman in Circle seven as well.  Overall Dante comes across as more personal with the violent sinners.  In contrast, Dante does not feel remotely similar about the sinners of Circle eight.  He is generally looking down upon these souls, showing that he believes himself to be above their despicable crimes.  In essence, Dante shows much more respect for the the violent as opposed to the fraudulent.

Dante is correct in asserting that fraud is more evil of a crime than violence.  The sin of fraud is ultimately more damaging to society than the sin of violence, which is ultimately why this sin is so evil.  Violence can indeed have a negative effect on society, especially in the case of the violent against their neighbor, but the evil fraud sows in society is much more insidious.  What this mean is that the fraudulent use wrongful deception to gain in a financial of some other personal manner: they impede society so that they might gain personally.  The negative effects of violence on society are not as directly opposed to the moral law of God when compared with fraud.  Every sin in Dante's Hell has to do with varying degrees of alienation from God so that the sinners who are more harmful to society alienate themselves further from from unity with God and are subsequently placed in a lower circle in Hell.  Because fraud is more detrimental to society, is causes a stronger alienation to unity with God and therefore deserves a lower place in Hell than violence.

The Dame Fortune

Dante the narrator sees the Dame Fortune as a significant symbol of Divine Fate.  As Virgil, Dante's guide through Hell, explains the importance of the the Dame, he emphasizes, "He made earth's splendors by a like decree/ and posted as their minister this high Dame,... She rules her sphere/ as the other gods rule theirs" (54-55).  The tone with which Dante the narrator describes this creature inspires awe for her.  His words words such as high, rules, and gods in her reference accord the Dame a certain magnificence that Dante bestows upon few during the course of his narration.  The 'He' Dante describes can only reference God, so Dante is implying that this God appointed the Dame to her task.  When he talks about 'the other gods', Dante surely means the other angels, treating the Dame herself as an angel.  In his explanation of her importance, Virgil also notes, "No mortal power may stay her spinning wheel" (54).  The Dame Fortune is a notable figure in medieval mythology.  She is usually depicted as a female figure holding an ever-revolving wheel, a representation that coincides well with Dante's.  This spinning wheel, which Virgil describes, is representative of chance, and by telling that this wheel may not be stopped by mortal power, Dante implies that fate is entirely divine.  By ranking a symbol of divine fate among the angels and giving her a special place for the Catholic God, Dante definitely believes that fate should be celebrated.  However, he is also saying that fate is divine and therefore implying that it is ultimately beyond human control.


Dante's view of fate is both similar to and different than Sophocles' view in the plays Oedipus Rex and Antigone.  The two pieces of literature are remarkably similar in that both present the idea that people have some degree of willpower, but are ultimately fated to the will of a higher power.  Dante writes that God's gift to mankind is free will but also describes how god is all-powerful and fates human kind to salvation or damnation based on their choices in life.  Similarly, the characters in Sophocles' plays demonstrate an unshakable power of will, yet they often end up subjecting themselves to divine fate because of their independent willpower.  The play differ in that Dante's God gifts free will to mankind out of love while Sophocles' gods come across as much less affectionate in their sympathy for the human race.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This illustrative clip shows how the Dame Fortune and fate should be celebrated.  It is both vibrant and symbolic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eleqWoi-Ro

Clarifying Dante's View on Hell

With respect to Inferno, Dante clearly believes that God is the ultimate designer of Hell and that the punishment for the damned is God's responsibility.  As Dante and his guide Virgil are about to enter Hell, Dante reads the following inscription above the gate into Hell: "SACRED JUSTICE MOVED MY ARCHITECT./ I WAS RAISED HERE BY DIVINE OMNIPOTENCE,/ PRIMORDIAL LOVE AND ULTIMATE INTELLECT" (18).  Dante presents God as the architect of Hell in his diction.  His use of words like sacred, justice, divine, and love are all closely associated with God and are never associated with Satan.  He blatantly tells that Hell was constructed in attempt to uphold sacred justice, and he describes this entity in such a way that it can only be God.  For Dante, God is all-powerful and all-knowing yet defined by love and justice.

The idea of God in Hell derives from the idea that God's gift to mankind is free will and is also an example of the contrapasso seen throughout the text.  Dante, in writing Inferno, believes that the human race chooses by its own will to make well or to sin and thereby chooses its own place in Heaven or in Hell.  This entire idea embodies the law of contrapasso because as these souls have chosen to sin in life, so they have chosen to be in Hell.  On the shore of Acheron, first river of Hell, Dante notes, "But those unmanned and naked spirits there/ turned pale with fear... but all together they drew to that grim shore/ where all must come who lose the fear of God" (21).  Even in this part of the book, the idea of contrapasso is ever-present, for as the spirits of the damned lost fear of God in life, they are pale with fear in death.  Also, Dante's use of the word drew in this passage implies that the souls of the dead are eager to cross the river and receive their punishment.  This idea that the souls of the damned are in fact eager to meet their fate ties in well with the idea that those souls who go to Hell have chosen to do so by free will.  The souls who enter Hell have chosen to do so under God and are likely to be eager to behold that which God has in store for them.


This said, Dante seems to pity some souls in Hell, especially those in circles one and two; this pity might be misconstrued as a questioning of Gods methods, but it is, in the context of the book, merely the result of Dante's empathy for these souls.  Additionally, it is possible to view Dante the narrator's pity as pity not only for the souls themselves, but also as pity for their decisions or disappointment, in a sense.  This disappointment is akin to the disappointment parents might feel when children err when they should know better.  Dante feels most empathetic toward these souls partly because he doesn't like to think that these souls, whose sins seem minimal, should live without hope and in torture for eternity; he is not questioning the judgement by God.  In fact, his sad pity without any hint of anger implies that Dante is absolutely submissive to the will of God.