Dante’s Inferno tells a story of more than just a man lost in the woods. His story is a reflection of everything Dante found to be wrong and unjust during the late thirteenth century in Florence, Italy. In the late thirteenth century, Florence was lacking strong political and religious grounds, thus increasing the level of both political and religious corruption. On the surface, it may seem that the sinners are placed into different circles of Hell according to the severity of their sins as judged by Dante himself, but as one digs deeper into the story, we realize that Dante’s own political and religious views may have been highly influential.
It is clear that Dante’s religious beliefs had an enormous impact on the path drawn in the story. Catholicism played a deciding role in Dante’s choice of assignment of individuals to each circle of hell and their designated punishments. Dante’s structure of Hell took inspiration from the seven deadly sins from the Bible, namely, lust, greed, and pride. Dante’s religious background instilled in him several strict moral laws to abide by, and emphasized the importance of steering clear of the seven deadly sins. The strong Catholic overtones are apparent from the very first circle of hell, Limbo, where unbaptized individuals and righteous non-Christians reside. As Dante and Virgil enter the first circle of hell, Virgil states “…they did not sin, and if they have merits, it is not enough, because they did not receive baptism, which is the gateway to the faith that you believe (Inf. 4.34-36). Philosophers and thinkers of the past whom Dante admired were placed in this circle of hell, for they had not committed atrocious sins found in the higher circles of hell, but had nonetheless been blind to the truth of Christ. Most notably, Aristotle and Homer resided in this circle of hell. Instead of the condemnation that he feels toward the individuals who were punished and assigned to the deeper levels of hell, individuals found in the first circle were pitied by Dante. Dante’s religious views also influenced the second circle of hell where the lustful reside. Lust is one of the seven deadly sins mentioned in the Bible, and one that the Catholic faith places a big emphasis on, so it is unsurprising that Dante took inspiration from it. Several famous individuals from history such as Cleopatra are to be found in this circle. A noteworthy lustful individual who is subjected to the torments of the second circle of hell is Francesca Da Rimini, who was sent to hell for adultery, which is a sin so great in Christianity that it is one of the ten commandments. The lustful and sinful nature of the women Dante chose to place in this circle of hell are influenced by the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, the latter of whom is credited as committing the original sin. Dante continues with the theme of the seven deadly sins and assigns glutinous individuals to the third circle of hell. The gluttons are sent to the third circle of hell for overindulging in worldly pleasures, such as food and drinks. The third circle of hell is guarded by Cerberus, who is a monster from Greek mythology tasked wit guarding the gates of hell. By incorporating these mythological creatures from pagan faiths, Dante seeks to establish Christianity as a superior faith. Among the gluttons is Ciacco, whom Dante speaks to about the political climate in Florence. Ciacco informs Dante that the city of Florence is predicted to become even more divided as the Guelphs and Ghibellines fight for the control of the city. Ciacco predicts, “After much quarreling they will come to blood, and the party from the woods will drive out the other with much harm. Then later this party must fall within three suns and the other rise, with the power of one who now hugs the shore" (Inf. 6.64-67). In predicting these events through the character of Ciacco, Dante draws attention to actual events that had taken place only a few years before he wrote the poem which resulted in Dante’s exile from Florence. In continuing with the political and religious theme, Dante represents more Christian sins through the circles of hell and their designated sins. Among these is greed, appropriated described in Canto 7 as follows, “… the brief mockery of the goods that are committed to Fortune, for which the human race so squabbles; for all the gold that is under the moon and that ever was, could not give rest to even one of these weary souls” (Inf.7.61-65).
Among the highest of sins in Christianity is suicide. “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1:21).” Similarly, Dante has designated seventh circle of Hell for people who have committed violence against themselves. Dante the Pilgrim meets a character by the name of Pier delle Vigne in the Wood of Suicides. After being wrongfully convicted of a crime he had not committed, Pier committed suicide. Although Dante acknowledges that Pier is innocent of the crime he committed in life, he nonetheless believes that by taking his own life, Pier is indeed guilty of committing a grievous sin in the eyes of Christianity. Dante expresses his pity as follows “You ask him again about what you think will satisfy me; for I could not, so much pity weights on my heart” (Inf.13.82-84).
Perhaps the most directly religious of the sins that Dante addresses is heresy and simony. A heretic as described by both Dante and traditional Christian theology is any individual who openly speaks out against the word of God. Farinata degli Uberti is found in this circle for the acts of heresy he committed by commanding the forces of the Ghibelline party, which was opposed to the Pope. Dante supported the Pope whereas Farinata supported the Roman Emperor. Moreover, Dante believed that Pope Anastasius II also deserved to be sentenced to the sixth circle of hell for allowing a heretic to take communion. In addition to the encounter Dante the Pilgrim had with Ciacco, the placement of Filippo Argenti to the fifth circle of hell, characterized by wrath, further betrays Dante’s hatred for those individuals who oppose the Pope. Filippo Argenti was a member of the Black Guelphs whereas Dante was a member of the White Guelphs and this political opposition is apparent in Dante’s reaction upon seeing Filippo’s tortures in the fifth circle of hell. Dante expressed “A little later I saw him torn apart by those muddy people in such a way that I still praise God and thank him for it” (Inf.8.58-60)
It is apparent that Dante’s Inferno was highly influenced by both the political and religious background of the time in which Dante was writing. His strict religious views created worlds of punishments for those who acted against the word of Christ, thus receiving appropriate punishments in the different circles of Hell. His strong political views and perspectives were also apparent in his writing as expressed in many of the cantos of the Inferno. Both his religious and political affiliations served as the building blocks of the structure and foundation of The Divine Comedy.