To end my series of Reading Diaries, I've chosen the Dante's Inferno Unit for this week.
Dante and Virgil: Having read this in Italian, I find it so weird to see how the translation doesn't reflect the format of the original work. By format, I mean a representation of terza rima. I've always loved how Virgil introduces himself, "Not a man: but a man I once was." In this part, I can just see Dante going up to Virgil on his knees to show his respect.
Limbo: The idea of souls waiting on a shore to arrive at the place of their judgement is moving. It's almost as if they are disembarking from their mortal life. Wow, I never took notice of how Virgil describes the punishment for the shades in Limbo: "...we are only tormented, in that without hope we live in desire."
Paolo and Francesca: I love the constant warnings that emerge in Inferno, and another here comes from Minos. This part of Inferno seems to be the beginning of what I would call the prevalence of cameos. I still find it so interesting how literature is the cause of sin for Paolo and Francesca.
Fortune and Phlegyas: Vigril seems to give an impassive, neutral quality to Fortune, and that seems to be a response to so many people who blame fate for what happens to them. I do disagree with the punishment for the sullen; I am aware that it disregards mental illness, that is depression. Phlegyas seems to reflect the anger of the people he sails over.
The Furies and the Heretics: It goes to show that even the powerful Virgil needs help and confirmation from the heavens to continue his journey into Hell with Dante. You know, I wonder if there's meaning behind including the heretics within Dis.
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