Analysis Of Dante s The Of Hell - 1621 Words

The Crucial Role of Symbolism I think Dante’s description of Hell is a wonderful work of literature. Dante uses numerous literary techniques to describe his vision of Hell to the reader. In my opinion, one of the most affective techniques used by Dante is symbolism. It would be a very difficult task to compile a brief list of significant symbols from the Cantos that we read in class. Dante utilized many symbols throughout each canto. Some of the symbols that Dante used in Inferno are well defined and easy to interpret, while other symbols are much more difficult to recognize and understand. For this paper, I will be analyzing multiple symbols from Dante’s Inferno. Some of the symbols came from the Canto’s that were included in class†¦show more content†¦Many times while traveling through hell, Dante is found hanging back so he can talk to the souls about their punishments or he remains behind due to his pity and fear for the souls in hell. During these times Virgil has to repeatedly encourage Dante to stay on the path of the journey that they were intended to travel on. The fact that Vergil has to lead Dante along is, in a way, motivating Dante not to stray from the path of righteousness. The numerous stumbling blocks that threatened to interrupt Dante s journey were not just physical barriers, â€Å"but can be seen as agents of hell that threaten to keep Dante from a pious life.† Dante s deliberate journey toward heaven can also be looked at in contrast with the pointless wandering signified by to and fro movement of many condemned souls that were in hell. Theses souls have completely lost the path of righteousness and literally have no direction in the afterlife. In contrast, Dante has the ultimate goal of reaching heaven in front of him and a motivating force in Virgil, which gives a purpose and direction to his continuing journey. Another symbol that occurs throughout The Inferno is the idea of light and dark. Hell is obviously associated with darkness. Dante remarks many times about the darkness of hell and how some areas of hell are completely