Dante's Inferno is a poem that is profoundly medieval and profoundly renaissance. As this poem was written during the middle ages, there are plenty of medieval qualities throughout the poem. The medieval qualities in this poem are that this poem is very narrow-minded. Without questioning, Dante puts souls in Hell where they should be, because they should be there. Never does he question, I liked this person, should he or she really be there? For example, while placing the great poets such as Homer, Horace, Ovid and Lucan in the first circle of hell, he does not question whether or not it was these poets' fault that they were born before the advent of Christianity. He simply knows that these people were not baptized; therefore they were not Christian and places them in hell. He does not question the character of these people, asking himself if they really deserve to be in hell This is very much a quality of the medieval times, "things are as they are, not as they should be."
Titans and other giants are imprisoned in Hell in ...
High resolution scan of engraving by Gustave Doré...
Gustave Doré's illustration to Dante's Inferno. P...Everything in hell is the way it should be, and never does Dante let his own thoughts or views come into the way, while writing about hell. For example, he puts one of his own party members and closest friends, Brunetto Latini as well as his own relative into hell, although in his opinion they may be decent men or he may be fond of them and love them.
The Unquestioning Attitude of Dante's Inferno
This essay is a profound disappointment because it reflects a failure to engage with a poem that is much more subtle that the writer allows. Consider a few details: first, there are some pagans in the Purgatorio, indicating that not all pagans were condemned to even the uppermost circles of Hell. Second, Dante does question whether the soul in Hell were properly placed there. This is particularly true of one of the first souls with whom he has an intense encounter, that of Francesca de Remini. Throughout her conversation, Dante is torn by the idea that she is a victim, but any close analysis shows that her "victim-hood" was based on silliness. She and her brother-in-law, knowing that they were alone together, knowing that the book they were reading amounted to a passionate how-to guide, decided that they had to read the sexiest passages, and they were (somehow) overcome with lust. Dante only later, as he moves through the various circles, comes to realize the complexities of sin. Sadly, this writer never really recognized that.
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