Dante's Inferno: Sowers of Discord

Dante's Inferno: Sowers of Discord

My observation of Dante's Inferno Sowers of Discord is full of guilty sinners who are their because of their own selfish incentives. The eight circles of hell have various types of deceit such as thieves, falsifies, alchemists, counterfeiters, imposters, and liars. Canto XXVII contains people who have caused divisions in three major areas, which are sower of religious discord, sower of scandal and discord, and sower of discord between kinsmen. I will be focusing on the individuals that caused this discord, and how it relates to the contrapasso according to Dante thoughts. Along with this, I will also be unfolding the sensory details, follow by the thought of my own.

In this canto Dante has a couple of encounters with a few the sinners and learn the reason why they are in hell. The first encounter that Dante's has in this area is with Mohammed and Ali. I have come to learn that Mohammed was a cardinal, and because of his ambitions, this created an enormous division inside Christianity Mohammed, and his followers developed a way to splinter off to a this new religious community in the early seventh century and the of this religion named Islam. The contrapasso for this sin is that Mohammed's body split from groin to chin. Accompany Mohammed in this canto is his cousin and son in law Ali. The sin that has Ali in hell after his assassination causes a separation among Muslims into Sunni and Shi'ite.

Ali's contrapasso is his face is cleft from top to bottom. Dante in addition write about Bertran de Born their paths cross in the ninth Bolgia as well. The transgression that put Bertran de Born in this part of hell is he fomenting the rebellion between King Henry II and his son Prince Henry. This disagreement causes a division between father and son. Dante wants to make an example of Bertran de Born so his contrapasso is cutting off his head for him to carry it around like a lantern to representation allowing himself to detach his intelligence from himself. Dante felt that the cause this division between families is very serious transgressions. Dante decide that contrapasso for the sins of Mohammed, Ali and, Bertran de Born should have a logical relationship between the transgression, and penalty is apparent. The evil doing of these men have divide institutions, communities, and families when they were alive. These intimates were physically tormented. They were physically and repeatedly sliced apart for all infinity in the gates of hell.

Establish in the eight pit of the circle are two Greek heroes Ulysses and Diomedes. Dante has plant these men in this circle together for three offenses. The first offense is the Trojan horse that was made to appear like a gift to the people of Troy but enclose are Greek soldiers that participate in the destruction of the city of Troy. The second offense is luring Achilles to leave out of hiding by using his mother Thetis leaving behind his wife Deidamia and their son to aid in the war labors on the island of Skyros. The third offense was actually stealing the statue of Athena which safeguarded the town of Troy. Dante decide that the contrapasso for these two men are to be placed in a single yet divided fire for their many combine exploits, and that speak with a folk fire tongues. These are not two men that didn't give false information but used their position to counsel others to engage in fraud. Dante feels that eloquence without wisdom is more inferior than knowledge without eloquence. He believed this would corrupt cities and undermine the lives of men.

When looking through this entire canto to unearth sensory details, I know that sight, and sound will provide me with the much of my information. The first item that caught my attention is the way Dante and Virgil enter into this circle by descending down a vast cliff, on the back of Geryon, a winged monster. Another image that ingrained into my mind is how this area is describe as battlefield that this part of Hell is bloody and grotesque worse than these two Battles of Troy and in the Battle of Ceprano combined. In circle one the sinners march in separate lines in opposite directions, whipped by demons can imagine what the sound of the cracking of the whip hitting human flesh and the sight of the demons and the sound that sinners cry out because of the pain. There was also a circle, in which two flatterers were designated. These flatterers job was to flatten people who had once in their life flattered others.

I would think that this pit would have a rotten smell; the people being flatting by the flatteries full the pain and would let out screams from being walked over. Along with touching of excrement, and I would think that