March 10, 2014
Lit 5th
Mrs. Fitzgerald
Dante’s Inferno sends many souls to Hell and each circle contains a different sin and punishment. In the story of Oedipus his wife/mother would be sent to Hell according to Dante’s circles of Hell. Jocasta the mother and wife of Oedipus would be sent to circle 7 and 9. Jocasta’s crime includes being harmful to self and treacherous to kin. Jocasta would be sent to these circles and have to suffer the punishment.
Jocasta left her newborn son, Oedipus, bound and helpless to die on a mountain although her and her husband were told to do this because it would be their demise it was still considered a large sin. Jocasta left her newborn son to die sentencing her to circle 9 in Hell. Circle 9 consists of people who are treacherous to their kin, country, guests or master. Jocasta is sentenced to this circle of Hell because she attempted to murder her only son. Jocasta was clearly treacherous to kin. The punishment she would receive would be being frozen in a block of ice until her neck. Jocasta deserved this punishment because she willingly wanted and attempted to kill her newborn son. She was extremely cruel towards her kin and this lands her in the worst circle of Hell, circle 9.
Another sin Jocasta committed was killing herself. Although this crime is not worse than being treacherous against kin it is still considered a hell-worthy sin. Jocasta commits suicide after she finds out her son whom she thought she killed was alive and was her husband. Jocasta knew this later on in the tale but refused to admit it to Oedipus because it was too awful to bear. Once