Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” as the quintessential work of the early Renaissance period marking the transition to humanism renders a range of crucial themes that would, later on, become the focal point of and source of inspiration for other essential works of art. Among the key themes that “The Divine Comedy” addresses, compassion represents an essential issue and a crucial virtue to develop. However, as Dante witnesses the pain and suffering of Paolo and Francesca, as well as Brunetto Lattini, at a comparatively early stage of hi exploration of the fathoms of Hell, his immediate empathy to these characters could also be attributed to his naivete and inexperience.
More specifically, the observed scenes imply a combination of both, leading to uninformed empathy. Although the specified emotion is particularly resonant with most readers on an instinctual level as the basic sense of sympathy, it lacks the depth that the understanding of the situation and the weight of the consequences would have given to it. Therefore, the scene under analysis proves that Dante is ready to start his spiritual journey, yet he is still guided by his naïve perceptions of sin and virtue.
The fact that Dante’s sympathy represents a product of his naiveté does not negate the fact that the specified feeling stems from his spiritual growth. The two notions should not be seen as incompatible; in other words, while Dante’s character could not have undergone such a rapid process of spiritual growth, he has demonstrated the premises for it. Namely, the fact that he is capable of emphasizing the souls of those condemned to Hell, albeit its second circle, already illustrates that the protagonist can perform an emotionally complex task of recognizing the moral problem whereas maintaining his humanity. In other words, his empathy does not suggest that he fails to embrace the depth of Paolo and Francesca’s sin.
The protagonist’s understanding of the extent of depravity that Paolo and Francesca committed and the rationale for them to be placed in the pit of eternal suffering is evident in the specified question: “But tell me; in the time of your sweet sighs, By what, and how love granted, that ye knew Your yet uncertain wishes’” (Alighieri). The specified statement indicates that Dante demonstrates that he is aware of the sin that Francesca and Paolo committed. Moreover, Dante realizes the somber justice that as granted to the characters, agreeing that their sins must be punished accordingly.
However, the specified acknowledgment of Paolo and Francesca’s sin does not suggest that the protagonist’s empathy is not naïve in its nature. Dante’s empathy for the pain that the characters demonstrate overwhelms him, allowing him to recognize their humanity and feel pity for them despite their crime. At the same time, the protagonist is only at the beginning of his journey, and he is still naïve enough to retain the much needed sympathy: “your sad fate/Even to tears my grief and pity moves” (Alighieri). The described sentiment, uttered before Dante became privy to the story of Paolo and Francesca, is indicative of his naiveté; however, as he hears the full story and continues to empathize with the characters and their plight, he demonstrates his readiness to grow. Namely, Dante’s ability to embrace the complexity of the situation proves that he is ready to step onto the path of emotional and spiritual growth at the very beginning of his journey.
In a sense, the combination of naiveté and willingness to grow as a character not only fail to contradict each other in the specified scene, but remain perfectly compatible throughout it. Namely, Dante’s naïve intention to sympathize with the characters combined with his recognition of their undeniable sinfulness proves the protagonist’s willingness to acknowledge the nuanced nature of the situation and extend his condolences to the couple, while admitting that their failure to follow the path of virtue was the main reason for them to suffer the fires of Hell.
In other words, the fact that the ability to show empathy to the characters of Paolo and Francesca is compatible in Dante’s protagonist with the acknowledgement of their sin demonstrates that he has made the first step on the path of spiritual growth. Indeed, spiritual development in Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” should not be constrained to the somber condemnation of all sinful souls and damning them to hell. Instead, the spiritual growth in the specified context would suggest developing the ability to balance out complex moral dilemmas and being able to reconcile with one’s emotions regarding the fate of those sentenced to Hell while also retaining one’s humanity. Indeed, it is Dante’s human characteristics that allow him to remain believable and relatable as a protagonist: “My cry prevail’d by strong affection urg’d” (Alighieri).
Furthermore, in the end, the character is not expected to become stiff and unmovable in his newly acquired knowledge as a paragon of morality and righteousness. Instead, the spiritual growth that Dante’s titular protagonist is expected to show should be represented by him being able to remain humanistic even in the light of knowledge that he obtained: “While thus one spirit spake/The other wail’d so sorely, that heartstruck/I through compassion fainting” (Alighieri). Therefore, Dante’s ability to empathize with Paolo and Francesca at the very beginning of his descent into Hell is illustrative of the beginning of his spiritual growth, while also signaling of his naiveté in relation to his exposure to sin and sinners.
In fact, the idea that Dante’s sympathy should vanish after he is exposed to sinful souls and their stories to a larger extent appears to misalign with the entire point of the “Divine Comedy.” Therefore, the protagonist demonstrating his empathy for Francesca and Paolo should not be seen as an either-or situation but, instead, as the sign of his readiness to evolve morally and ethically combined with his evident naiveté as his journey has just started. Therefore, the two concepts in question, particularly, Dante’s naiveté and his determination to continue his path of spiritual development, should not be seen as contradictory to each other; instead, they need to be viewed as linked to each other and, therefore, interconnected.
Representing a product of the combined phenomena of naiveté and humanity, the empathy that Dante’s character feels toward Paolo, Francesca, and Brunetto Lattini implies that the character is ready to start his spiritual journey. Therefore, the specified scene represents a combination of Dante’s naiveté and his readiness to step on the path to spiritual growth. The character demonstrates his ability to empathize while developing the resilience to face much more somber parts of Hell. Therefore, Dante’s naiveté coexists with his spiritual growth in the specified scenes.
Work Cited
Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy. Project Gutenberg, 2004. Translated by the Rev. H. F. Cary, M.A. Web.