While walking in a deep dark forest, Dante falls into trance and wakes up in a grand vision of hell. In this vision, he meets Virgil, an ancient Roman poet who becomes his guide. The two take a trip through the abyss, going through all the nine circles of hell. People who sinned while they were on earth are depicted to be in hell being punished for their sins. In the underworld these people are in a state that seems as if they are alive but are also not living in a way that befits everyday human life. Throughout the Cantos, various sins are mentioned, and the sinners are facing their punishments. The main focus for this paper will be on Cantos XXXII. Breaking the bond of brotherhood and betraying people who are close family is a great sin punishable by being put in the deepest pits of hell.
In Cantos XXXII, the sin that the people are being punished for is treachery towards those with whom they had close relationships. Treachery is a sin, as explained in the Cantos, the sinners are punished for betraying the faith that people placed in them and this is considered cold and inhumane (Puchner et al. 394-500). One of the spirits frozen in the abyss lets Dante know that “Napoleone and Alessandro disrespected their close bond of brotherhood in life and are now fittingly doomed to be frozen together with each other for all eternity” (Dante Cantos XXXII). It is essential that people put family close to their hearts and not betray them.
Treachery is a great sin as explained by Virgil, and there is a punishment that befits the sinners. Individuals guilty of this sin are found in the ninth circle of hell, in an ice lake. Every sin needs punishment and betrayal is one such iniquity. Dante narrates in the Cantos that the betrayers have been put in this mighty lake of ice. They have been placed here because of their treachery against the people with whom they had close relations (Puchner et al. 500). Being so far into the pits of hell represents the fact that they decided to be far from God. God is love, and he who does not love his or her neighbor, therefore, does not love God. They are also in a lake of ice to represent their cold, treacherous hearts.
The punishment given to these sinners is befitting the sin that they committed and, therefore, they must atone for their sins. Betrayal is a cold and dark act that breaks the heart of the victims. A betrayal is a cowardice act, and the offenders of this sin require to be put through such a punishment. Having been so cold in their betrayal, they are equivalent to being placed in the lake of ice and as Dante narrates “Camicion recognizes the justice of Napoleone and Alessandro’s punishment” (Dante Cantos XXXII). Betraying close friends and family is an act that lacks love. People who cannot love other human beings cannot love God and, thus, should be put far away from his indiscriminate love. People always have a chance to rethink betrayal, and when a person goes on to carry the betrayal, it is never a mistake. The treachery they take part in is, therefore, in their nature. When these individuals get the punishment equal to the one described in Cantos XXXII, it can be considered fair and justified.
Work Cited
Puchner, Martin et al. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 4th ed., W.W Norton & Company, 2019, p. 1536.