Comparison and Analysis of "What Dreams May Come" and "Dante's Inferno"

Two Visions of HellDante Alighieri's epic poem the Inferno and director Vincent Ward’s movie, What Dreams May Come each depict the vision of an afterlife in Hell. What Dreams May Come is a movie about a man named Chris, who goes to heaven after he dies. Chris’ children have also died in a previous car crash and his wife committed suicide. In Inferno, Dante is guided through the nine rings of Hell by the legendary poet, Virgil.

The types of Hell created in the book and movie are very different in the structure. Dante’s view of Hell is much more divided. Everything is standardized and designated rings for certain crimes are present for all sinners. An example would be Circle Seven. In this Circle resides those who were violent yet there are many little subdivisions that include violent against God, art, nature, self and neighbor. Each subdivision has its own punishment.

English: Dante Alighieri's portrait by Sandro Bott...

Domenico di Michelino, La Divina Commedia di Dante...

High resolution scan of engraving by Gustave Doré...

The movie’s vision of Hell is much more subjective than Dante’s objective vision. In, What Dreams May Come, Chris’ wife Annie shows that her vision of Hell is one in which she is without her husband and children. She is in her home on earth yet everything is vapid, dull and lifeless. In the Inferno, the suicides are located in Circle Seven among the violent against self subdivision. The punishment that they receive is not their fear but determined by Minos. Suicides in the Inferno are turned into trees and eaten by Harpies who painfully eat their leaves for eternity. The Suicides can only speak when they are bleeding from being eaten. Just as they have defiled the body that God gave them on earth, they are given no body and are a tree.

In both the Inferno and What Dreams May Come, the common theme...