Dante’s Inferno is a commentary on the religion and the politics of Italy in the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Dante grew up during a time of political upheaval and that resulted in his involvement in politics throughout his life. Dante was very supportive of the church and the pope as long as the pope was the same political party as himself. Religion during these times was strongly tied to politics and the pope was a prominent political figure.
Dante’s Catholic beliefs clearly influenced the construction of the Inferno. His religion dictated what sins qualified someone to spend eternity in hell and what sins were worse than others. Dante’s uses his political alliances to influence who he placed in the fifth level of hell, his reaction to finding Filippo Argenti, a Politian in the opposite faction of Dante, shows this especially. Dante himself hated Argenti and his character while in hell wanted to see this person being punished, and even wishes that he would be punished even more harshly “…master, it certainly would make me happy to see him dunked deep in the slop just once before we leave this lake—it truly would” (Dante 140.52-54).
Dante’s political stance and his religious beliefs clearly contributed to the people who he sentenced to eternity in hell. Most of the people found in the inferno either committed a sin against the views of the Catholic Church or against Dante’s political party, or both. He used writing to share his views on many political figures and how he thought they deserved to be punished. For the people that he admired, but felt should reside in hell; such as his guide Virgil, who was born before Christ and therefore did not believe, to keep with his religious beliefs he dealt them lesser punishments.
Dante’s Catholic beliefs clearly influenced the construction of the Inferno. His religion dictated what sins qualified someone to spend eternity in hell and what sins were worse than others. Dante’s uses his political alliances to influence who he placed in the fifth level of hell, his reaction to finding Filippo Argenti, a Politian in the opposite faction of Dante, shows this especially. Dante himself hated Argenti and his character while in hell wanted to see this person being punished, and even wishes that he would be punished even more harshly “…master, it certainly would make me happy to see him dunked deep in the slop just once before we leave this lake—it truly would” (Dante 140.52-54).
Dante’s political stance and his religious beliefs clearly contributed to the people who he sentenced to eternity in hell. Most of the people found in the inferno either committed a sin against the views of the Catholic Church or against Dante’s political party, or both. He used writing to share his views on many political figures and how he thought they deserved to be punished. For the people that he admired, but felt should reside in hell; such as his guide Virgil, who was born before Christ and therefore did not believe, to keep with his religious beliefs he dealt them lesser punishments.