Through this, no other fault,
We are lost, afflicted only this one way:
That having no hope, we live in longing." I heard
These words with heartfelt grief that seized on me
Knowing how many worthy souls endured
Suspension in that Limbo.
In this passage, the reader, as well as Dante, gets a full sense of the injustice of hell (or at least the "level" right above it). It's not just a place for sinners. It's also a place for people whose only fault is being born centuries too soon or for not being baptized. It doesn't seem right that a place that houses all the evils of the world should also house honorable people who just happen to not have the "Christian" label. Though this "suspension in that Limbo" may not even come close to the conditions of the different levels of hell, the idea of being held captive for something completely outside of your control seems immoral (and one would assume immoral things to be unChristian). This situation, and similar ones that follow, show the hypocrisy of hell and the Christian faith altogether.
This passage was written to evoke a different emotion in the audience (sympathy instead of disgust). It's clear that both Virgil and Dante are deeply affected by this place, meaning the audience should take special note of it, too.
It is both ironic and fitting that the people here be made to live in the same way that brought them to Limbo in the first place, without hope (faith). This is true of all the different levels of hell, as later presented in the story.
CANTO V lines 8-13
Minos, great connoisseur of sin, discerns
For every spirit its proper place in Hell,
And wraps himself in his tail with as many turns
As levels down that shade will have to dwell.
A crowd is always waiting: here each one learns
His judgment and is assigned a place in Hell.
This passage introduces one of the most important characters, in my opinion. He's the ultimate form of justice and has the most power of any of the characters introduced so far. Does he just get to decide on his own what punishments will be given? If he truly is "dreadful," then can be really be fair in his judgments? Or are these judgments subject to his temperament? I wonder if this character is actually reasonable or if he just makes it up as he goes along. It seems that if each level of hell is made for people who committed certain sins, then his jobs isn't all that difficult. He simply matches specific sins to their broader categories, right? If this is true, then perhaps he's not the most powerful character. Maybe he's simply the messenger of someone who made up all the rules. Either way, his character appears to be one of the more interesting and maybe even one of the most mysterious. Instead of verbally telling people which level of hell they go to, he speaks by wrapping his tail around himself. Does this characteristic have a greater purpose? Or is it solely to increase his inhuman qualities?
What also seems odd about this character is his place (and an important one at that) in a book about the Christian faith. Adding a mythical creature mixes religions/ideas, which is ironic considering (it seems like) such a thing could get you sent to hell.
Most importantly, I'd like to know: was he picked for the job because he's "dreadful" or was it the job that made him this way?
No comments:
Post a Comment