It is hard to find a literary work with such detailed descriptions of the universe as Dante’s Divine Comedy. Readers can completely immerse into dimensions that mortals do not have access to during their life, such as Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. That effect is achieved mainly due to the author’s use of sensual imagery, which makes these dimensions as vivid as the real world. What impresses the most in the Inferno is a believable description of the sufferings of sinners bearing their punishment. Various details, elaboratively embedded in the described world picture, leave no doubt that the author was convinced in his vision of life after death.
In other scenes of the Inferno, the one that takes place in Canto III is filled with fear and sorrow. Right from the start, the words are written on the summit of a gate “All hope abandon, ye who enter in!” giving the impression that everything is controlled by divine powers who created this inscription (3; 9). Readers understand that on this road to hell, they will encounter desperate people. Then, the author puts the characters into complete darkness where the sounds of “sighs, complaints, and ululations” are audible (3; 22). The words “languages diverse, horrible dialects” reflect Dante’s idea that all sinners will be equal, and nobody will escape punishment (3; 25).
These sounds are so tangible that the author compares them to the sand raised by the whirlwind (3; 30). This comparison symbolizes the fate of these miserable people whose life was not marked by any deeds and who, therefore, are doomed to an endless state of uncertainty.
Canto III continues with an episode where the characters reach the river and meet Charon. The choice of this location represents the transition “to the accursed shore” and the inability to turn back (3; 107). People who throw themselves into the river are compared to falling leaves and birds trapped in a lure, which again highlights their weakness (3; 112-117). The image of Charon envisioned by the author is also remarkable.
The ferryman has “wheels of flame” around his eyes, and this color accent sets him apart from the crowd of people who look like pale shadows (3; 99). Although this connection to fire seems quite terrifying, the author does not describe Charon as the embodiment of evil, more like “an old man, hoary with the hair of eld” (3; 83). It can be understood from the conversation with the Guide that Charon is fair and punishes those who deserve it. Thus, Canto III shows that even though Dante is compassionate with the sinners, he understands that all the torments to which they are subjected are predetermined by the laws of existence.
In Divine Comedy, Dante managed to explain his vision of the world and create a scheme embracing all parts of the universe. However, this poem is attractive to readers not only as a source of knowledge but also as an engrossing literary work. Sensual imagery plays an essential role in the Inferno, making the descriptions of hell even more terrifying. Sounds, visual images, and locations are among the meaningful elements of Divine Comedy because they intensify the characters’ feelings. Considering these details, the readers can fully comprehend how small and helpless people are compared to the unbreakable laws established by divine powers.
Work Cited
Alighieri, Dante. Divine Comedy, Hell. Translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, G. Routledge, 1867.