Through Dante's journey in hell, it is obvious to readers what sins he is more sympathetic towards. In circle two, Dante explores the sin lust or the destructive force of sexual desire. Dante exhibits a level of understanding to those who are lustful considering Dante himself was lustful towards Beatrice. His heart break caused by Beatrice allows Dante to relate to the spirits of circle two.Although the punishment of the lustful is still unpleasant, Dante's past explains the unseverity of the punishment compared to the other circles of Hell.
Dantes pity for the lustful puts them higher up in hell making the punishment less severe than others. The lustful are thrown around in stormy winds in the darkness without the hope of rest/" The infernal storm, eternal in its rage, sweeps and drives the spirits with its blasts," (27).The punishment chosen by Dante shows that he understands the power of lust and how it has the ability to throw one around endlessly and aimlessly. Dante realizes that love is a hard thing to escape, as discovered with his infatuation for Beatrice.The contrapasso of the punishment suggests that the never ending raging winds represent the never ending and violent storm that is love. The dark represents the lack of reason wich made the lustful blind in life due to their preoccupation with lust.I found it very emotional when Dante faints as a result of Francesca and Paolo's story. Its almost as if the weeping of one of the spirits brought up past memories in Dante and old pain arose/" The other wept in such a way that blurred my senses; I swooned as though to die, and fell to Hell's floor as a body, dead, falls,"(31). Dante fainting represents the power that love had over Dante and how it literally swept him off his feet as it did to the souls in circle two.His emphasis on the word dead makes me think of how love can take so much emotion out of you that at times one can feel "dead". Dante is again very sympathetic toward Francesca and Paola whereas in other circles he is not so understanding of the sin. For example, Dante most likely would have been more understanding towards the Gluttons if he had been one. It is apparent,not just in circle two, that the punishments and placement of the sinners in hell says something specifically about Dante and his character.
05 I Will Follow You Into The Dark by whiteroom aglow
The song above, to me, represents the attachment between two people when they are lustful towards each other. Lustful people are often blinded and dont listen to anything but their desires.
Great work here Abbey - you have an insightful and well-written post here. Your audio and visual serve to greatly enhance your commentary. One things to remember - we cannot assume Dante lusted after Beatrice but we can - through the text - see he had love for her and that he is sympathetic towards the souls here. Make sure to not be too absolute in your analysis when discussing background but rather talk about the text itself. Keep up the great work!
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