Week 3: Hans Jager

When reading The Inferno I was able to understand the text better because of the contrasts that exist within it, especially the contrast between good and evil. The old language used in the text makes it harder to understand and decipher the message that Dante the poet is trying to portray. The contrasts are a recurring theme throughout the story which aid the reader and make it easier for them to understand what is happening because they learn to recognize recurring themes from the beginning.

Arguably the greatest contrast within Dante’s The Inferno is the contrast between good and evil. The title of the text (The Inferno, meaning fire) sets the tone for the reader, who immediately thinks about fire, hell and death because we associate those words with the word inferno. The title gives the reader insight to the text and informs them that there is a dark and malevolent aspect to the poem. After reading the beginning of the passage the reader is aware of another contrast that relates to the main contrast. The contrast between lightness and darkness is made evident because Dante is alone in a ‘Dark wood’ trying to get to the lights at top of a hill. From this contrast the reader knows that light represents good and God whereas the darkness represents evil and Satan. This allows the reader to continue to make these assumptions that everything concerning light represents good and everything dark represents evil.

The three beasts in the text can represent evil and Satan because they are obstructing Dante from getting to the light at the top of the hill. They can also represent the three fates from Greek mythology (also known as Moirae) who are said to control the destinies of all people. This poses the question of what exactly is the message in The Inferno? Was it always Dante’s fate to have to go through hell in order to get to heaven? Personally after reading the text I think that the message that Dante the poet was trying to portray was that everyone trying to get into heaven has to suffer the same fate of going through hell because they have to suffer for the sins that they have committed.

After completing my close reading of Dante’s The Inferno the contrasts within the text made it easier for me to understand what Dante the poet was trying to portray. The contrasts are constant which allowed me refer to them and use them to understand the text better.