top of page

A note on Dante's Divine Comedy and International Law


Inferno is an exceptionally imaginative poem of immense scale and emotional power. It is an adventure story, a metaphysical epic of mind and spirit that takes the reader through purgatory, the monster steps out of hell and out again into the elevated glow of the heavens. It was written in the 13th Century by Dante Alighieri, a Florentine. Philosophy, mythological teachings and Catholic church preaching led to Dante’s exile, Dante composed the Inferno in a way that used the text not only to unpack political and church systems and areas of corruption but to grind axes with the powers that be in Florence the catholic church's teachings are found all throughout Inferno especially Catholic perceptions of god's will dictating morality and virtue the harrowing of hell. The last judgement occurs at the end of time when Christ returns to judge all who have ever lived determining their eternal fates in a way Dante's inclusion of characters and references from works written by Greek and Roman philosophers and poets makes Inferno relatable and accessible to readers across time familiar with popular epics.


It also helps transpose some of the values of Dante himself, poet guide Virgil is the author of a famous roman epic Aeneid. Dante's hell is structured according to the categories of Sin in the Nicomachean Ethics [1]of Aristotle and all manner of creatures. He rose from Greek and Roman Mythology and inhabit the entirety of hell. Also one must understand Cantos for sections of a long poem and the Turks are emma form which Dante invented for this work. As for the work itself in the Plot of Inferno. The introduction presents the narrator and central character Dante Alighieri lost both in life and literally in the woods. During the rising action poet guide, Virgil arrives and says he will guide Dante. Together the two main characters journey through the circles of hell, sinners are punished in different sections of hell’s nine circles and the poets observe their behavior and punishments. Occasionally speak with them learning their sins, crimes and misgivings. A number of figures in hell are Florentines or mythic figures from Greek And roman mythology repurposed for Dante.


As the poet's descend the circles of hell were smaller with each Punishment growing more brutal and vicious than the last as the distance, from god grows wider and the distance to

Lucifer himself. Hell's king grows narrower, and hell's final circles are not full of fire and brimstone, but our frozen icy landscapes. In the climax, Dante and Virgil reach Lucifer, the king of hell himself, a giant whose torso protrudes from the ice chewing. Three traitors Cassius, Brutus Judas and Iscariot. The poet must climb down Satan's huge body to escape during the falling action Virgil explains to Dante, that hell was formed when Satan fell from heaven which created the centre of the earth. The poets are now emerging from in the resolution, Dante emerges from hell and sees the stars overhead now this establishes continuity leading the way. Divine Comedy- a of trilogy purgatory, inferno, and heaven is a deeply representative text whose central symbols the path itself darkness and the duality of ascent and descent all speak to tremendously powerful themes that till resonating today. Sin, punishment, love, physicality and the human condition- all of these themes represent the relationship between humanity and god between divine justice and mortal foibles about nature and the purpose of life. The spiritual redemption of Dante's hell is a vast sprawling place some parts are terrifying and painful others tragic. Some are just hilarious or an epic journeys. That is literature influential poetry- a study of class power and morality history mythology Dante's Inferno.


Inferno is rich with a multitude of symbols but here are the most important ones. The first is the path Dante reveals, he has lost the path that does not stray this is first represented as being lost in the woods but quickly the implications are clear that Dante himself, is a man lost in the middle of his life. Unsure of where to go now this path is one towards God, or the path of virtue repentance and forgiveness it, leads to enlightenment. Virgil, his poet guide tells him he must follow a different path and so Dante goes on this new longer path that represents his spiritual journey that will eventually lead to his Redemption. Virgil leads him along this path through the nine circles of hell and as he progresses he gains greater knowledge, wisdom and clarity. He grows as a person and he becomes more understanding of the ways of God. Finding his way back to the path ultimately leads to Dante's Redemption. Darkness is another major symbol in Inferno. It symbolizes life spent separated from God's light darkness itself is a kind of loss without being able to see and without the illumination of God's righteous power. There's no way to stay on this symbolic path of goodness Dante begins his journey in a dark forest and the light is increasingly dim as he descends lower into the circles of hell some levels are lit by fire but there is little other light along the way the juxtaposition of the fire and brimstone of hell with the scenes of dimly-lit torture and agony help establish hell as a horrible brutal place. Dante in the final canto emerges out of the darkness of hell and into the shimmering starlight of God's creation it is this reconnecting with natural light that firmly establishes his place back towards God. Where it belongs ascent and descent are both important symbols Dante must descend into hell so he can ascend into heaven descending Dante moves further away from God. Hell is a realm shaped like a funnel made of smaller and smaller descending circles even within hell Dante must occasionally travel up and over dangerous obstacles he often finds these small aspects difficult showing that inhale upward motion is all but impossible now in the other parts of the Divine Comedy Dante ascends Mount purgatory as he moves upward toward heaven establishing movement itself as a key symbol of the entire trilogy.


While the Divine Comedy and international law may seem like vastly different subjects, there are some interesting connections that can be drawn between the two. For example, Dante's depiction of Hell as a place of punishment for sins committed in life can be seen as a metaphor for the way that nations are held accountable for their actions under international law. Similarly, the idea of Purgatory as a place where souls are purged of their sins before ascending to Heaven can be seen as a metaphor for the process of negotiation and conflict resolution that takes place between nations in the international arena.

Furthermore, Dante's portrayal of the different levels of Heaven, where souls are rewarded according to their deeds in life, can be seen as a metaphor for the way that nations are rewarded or punished according to their adherence to international law. This can be seen in the way that nations that uphold the principles of international law are often rewarded with greater respect and influence in the international community, while nations that violate international law are often subject to sanctions and other forms of punishment. Another interesting connection between the Divine Comedy and international law is the way that both deal with issues of justice and morality. Dante's poem is filled with moral and ethical lessons, as the poet encounters various souls who are punished or rewarded according to the deeds they committed in life. Similarly, international law is based on the idea that nations should be held accountable for their actions and that there should be a system of justice in place to ensure that nations act in accordance with universally accepted moral principles.

In conclusion, Dante's Divine Comedy and international law may seem like vastly different subjects, but there are interesting connections that can be drawn between the two. The Divine Comedy can be seen as a metaphor for the way that nations are held accountable for their actions under international law and the way that nations are rewarded or punished according to their adherence to international law. Additionally, both the Divine Comedy and international law deal with issues of justice and morality, which are important to both the individual and the international community.


Comments


bottom of page