Lust In Dante's Inferno Essay

Words: 1559
Pages: 7

Introduction
Inferno was the first part of an epic poem Divine Comedy and it tells Dante’s experience in Inferno to show Dante’s recognition of sins. Dante was deeply influenced by his contemporary social value and religious faith. Inferno mostly follow Dante’s beliefs to Christian. Though lust was denied to some extent in Christian doctrine, Dante didn’t totally agree with it that he showed his love to Beatrice in Inferno and his sympathy to sinners in the second circle Lust. Dante divided the concept of love into spiritual love and flesh love. To figure out the comparison between Dante’s attitudes to love and lust in Inferno and Christian doctrines, this essay will discuss about: (1) similarities and difference between Christian doctrines in Holy Bible about lust and the setting of Lust circle in Inferno, (2) Dante showed his love through the appearance and image of Beatrice in Inferno, (3) Dante showed sympathies to sinners in Lust circle.
…show more content…
These nine circles contain diverse souls for their different crimes and give them different treatments even cruel punishments. The deeper the circle is, the heavier punishment sinners should take. The second circle Lust in Dante’s inferno was set for people who were dissolute and had crimes mostly for sexual love. Being dissolute and having lust are denied in Holy Bible. According to Tem Commandments in King James Holy Bible, the god said that “thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus, 20:14). This commandment is the seventh commandment which means the follower of god should not have unconscionable relationships. Lewdness and wrongful sex are regarded as a kind of crime in both Inferno and Ten Commandments. According to Holy Bible, people with such lust crimes can’t enter into the kingdom of God — Heaven (Corinthian 1, 6: 9). So they must go to inferno after their death and Dante did so. In this case, Dante agreed with Christianity and punished people with lust