Ulysses in Hell Essay

Words: 1062
Pages: 5
Open Document
Baer
Goolsby
Honors World Lit
4 April 2013
Ulysses In Hell
In Dante’s Inferno, Ulysses, a man known for his skillful word weaving, is sent into eternal damnation in Hell by Dante. In the Odyssey, after the Trojan War ends, Ulysses sails back to Ithaca. In the Inferno, Ulysses recounts the story about how he convinced his men to sail with him past the Pillars of Hercules. It was previously believed that nothing lay behind these pillars, until Ulysses and his men discover the Mountain of Purgatory. As they approach the mountain, a huge storm intercepts the ship and kills the whole crew, including Ulysses. Dante decides to place Ulysses in Hell because he tricked people for his own personal gain and committed many acts of fraud.
In the …show more content…
He also gives up on his own people of Ithaca. The residents of Ithaca are loyal servants of Ulysses, but Ulysses abandons them twice to realize his foolish dreams; once to fight in the Trojan War, and once when he decides to sail on to the Southern Hemisphere as an adventure. Dante also sees his entire journey towards the Mount of Purgatory as reckless. Ulysses attempts to go there without any sort of purification, while Dante is able to ascend the Mountain of Purgatory because God wants him to. Dante is also prejudiced against Ulysses because Dante admires the Trojan people and believes they were destined to rule the Earth. This explains why so much emphasis is placed on how Ulysses’ unfairly defeated the Trojans with dishonorable and fraudulent tactics. Dante admits that Ulysses is a great and powerful man, but he claims that Ulysses abuses his gifts from God and deserves to be in Hell.
During his life, Ulysses, while persuading others to do his bidding for his own gain, also condemned many people to death as a result. When Ulysses led his men beyond the Pillars of Hercules on to the Southern Hemisphere, he along with all of his men end up dying as soon as they see the Mountain of Purgatory (Scott 17). Also, when Ulysses manages to get the Trojan Horse into Troy, he condemns the majority of its population to death by the
Show More

Related Documents: Ulysses in Hell Essay

Dantes Inferno Ulysseus Essay

As Dante the pilgrim journeys down into the 8th circle of Hell, he finds Ulysses, a former man of many sins trapped in eternal flame. As Dante finds out his story, we see exactly what put him into such a deep circle. He had committed thievery, abandoned his own family, and tried to travel where no man should go. Though the severity of his punishment is questionable, because he has committed so many severe sins his consequences can be justified. “And in their flame they grieve for their device…

Words 516 - Pages 3

Planet Of The Apes Themes

ruined remains of the Statue of Liberty. This is when Taylor realizes the unfortunate truth that he is not on another planet like he had always believed, in fact he was back on Earth. Then, Taylor recites his infamous “Damn them, damn them all to hell!” line as he is shattered by this truth. Furthermore, after humanity had had been debilitated and weakened by a nuclear war, the apes evolved and took control over Earth too and evolved into more intelligent beings over many years. This goes back to…

Words 513 - Pages 3

The Nine Circles In Dante's Inferno

categorize the punishments for different types of sinners in Dante’s inferno. The more a crime gets worse the harder the punishment would be. The story says each punishment is located in different areas in hell. It is also states that the devil himself is after the 9th circle which is known as the pit of hell. The first circle is for the Unbaptized/Virtuous Pagans. They are struck with grief from a lack of God’s presence. I think they are punished with this because they denied god when they were…

Words 576 - Pages 3

Octavio GutierrezProfessor Hudis Paper 3The age

second, you had no say in what you believed in. In a sense this was the perfect way to control society as a whole. People were forced to blindly follow what others believed the bible interpreted and if you didn't god would shun you and you would go to hell and die. Dante in a sense gave people the oppurtunity to define what they believed in by reading and interpreting literary works for themselves. Another way Dante was influential was not just in the Renaissance, but in the Italian language itself…

Words 1577 - Pages 7

Personal Narrative: The Lewis And Clark Expedition

continue upstream. As I go on my way, I start to hear a loud rumbling sound like thunder from the heavens and a large plume of smoke starts to erupt from a hole in the land. Frightened, I change my course back downstream and flee from this place of hell back to the safety of the expedition.…

Words 715 - Pages 3

Sherman's Moutry During The American Civil War

The American Civil War was a long time coming. Tensions between the North and the South had been building for decades, with both sides preparing for battle.The topic of slavery was at the forefront of this issue, with the North protesting the inhumane practice, and the South defending their traditions. The protests escalated and violence ensued until finally, about a month after Abraham Lincoln’s election, South Carolina seceded from the Union, with the rest of the south following soon after. The…

Words 1528 - Pages 7

Paradise Lost Vs Genesis

books’; and on most occasions calls learning to his assistance. The garden of Eden brings to his mind the vale of Enna, where Proserpine was gathering flowers. Satan makes his way through fighting elements, like Argo between the Cyanean rocks, or Ulysses between the two Sicilian whirlpools, when he shunned Charybdis ‘on the larboard.’ The mythological allusions have been justly censured, as not being always used with notice of their vanity; but they contribute variety to the narration, and produce…

Words 2640 - Pages 11

final paper

Native Americans have had a long and trying journey since the discovery of America. Throughout the course of history they have proven to be driven, fearless, and in many cases even helpful. As we explore the history of the Native Americans through six different events we will see how wars, breaking of peace treaties, and restrictions on their spiritual beliefs forever changed the Native American’s role in America. First I will like to talk about the Nez Perce people who are Native American people…

Words 1738 - Pages 7

Ed More Worth Vacation: A Short Story

“Do you believe in god,” Ed blankly asked himself in the cracked bathroom mirror. He was starting his morning ritual as he did every day, asking himself the same question, stumbling around his one bedroom apartment looking for his things. “WHERE THE FUCK ARE THOSE KEYS,” he barked loudly. The woman nextWhat do you expect when you go on a vacation? A one night stand maybe? Perhaps it’s getting to drunk and waking up somewhere you didn't go to sleep. The party never really stops on vacation, and we…

Words 1421 - Pages 6

Abolitionists: The Second Great Awakening

patriotism was very brave and many men chose to do just that. Others who didn’t actually fight in the war volunteered to help care for soldiers who had been wounded in battle, and help supply the armies. W is for General Sherman said, “War is all Hell.” His famous statement refers to his attack on Atlanta when his army set the city ablaze. Sherman, like many other prominent military personnel, believed that the war must be on combatants and non-combatants. These men believed that in order to be…

Words 2176 - Pages 9