Dante's Inferno [Response 5]

"Who could ever, even with unbound words, tell in/full of the blood and wounds that I now saw, though/he should narrate them many times?/Every tongue would surely fail, because our/language and our memory have little capacity to comprehend so much" (Canto 28, ln 1-6, pg 433).

I think that this quote comments on the work as a whole. The farther Dante the pilgrim travels in to Hell, the worse and more grotesque the punishments get. I think that this quote represents Dante's overall experience through the Inferno. There is so much horror that although Dante writes about it, we can never fully comprehend what he sees. There are no words possible to describe it, nor have we ever seen anything like this that our memories could create a true image of what he is telling us.

This relates back to the themes of myths in many ways. First, all of Dante's narrations are stories. Although they are stories, they still include a search for meaning. When Dante sees the punishments of Francesca and Paolo, for example, he realises that he could meet the same end for his actions on Earth. Myths are also timeless, as is this story. We are all familiar with the idea of Hell, and if we are Christian (or more especially, Catholic), we are taught that if we commit sin and do not repent, we will end up in Hell. Hell is always portrayed as a fiery pit, but Dante's depiction shows us a more human side to it, with immense pain and suffering. In this way, his Inferno makes Hell more horrible and real concept.

"'Death has not reached him yet, nor does guilt/lead him,' replied my master, 'into torment; but so/that he may have full experience,/I, who am dead, must lead him through Hell...'" (Canto 28, ln 46-51, pg 435).

I find this quote to be representative of the work as a whole, but I also have some issue with it. Virgil is right, death has not sent Dante into Hell. But I think that guilt, on some level, has lead him down there. He has strayed from the "right" path, and now needs to see the horrible things that can happen to him if he continues to stray. When he sees the punishments of Francesca and Paolo, he becomes afraid this will happen to him because of his love for Beatrice. If he hadn't done anything wrong, he wouldn't have been afraid of this punishment. The same goes for the situation with Brunetto Latini - Dante has a desire to join the homosexuals, then becomes worried he could suffer the same punishment. He shouldn't have to worry about suffering these punishments if he had not done anything wrong, but he is clearly feeling some amount of guilt for whathe has done.

Also, on the level of myth, Dante is lead through Hell to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. He must experience all of these horrors so that he can rise up and become a stronger and more righteous man.