Question

Hello Everyone. For this week, you have read a short selection from Dante's Inferno. So for the discussion this week, I have a couple of questions to get you started.

First, think about the term contrapasso. From the section I gave you, tell me why you think the punishments described are appropriate. Also in the lecture, I stated that the punishments are ironically appropriate. What do you think I mean by that? Feel free to look up Dante's Inferno online to see what other punishments are found in Dante's Hell.

Next. One of the things that Dante's Hell emphasizes is that the world we live in isn't fair, and that people commit all sorts of crimes and get away with them. The Inferno shows us that all people will eventually have to pay for their sins. Even if one doesn't believe in the Hell that Dante describes, I think everyone has a secret hope that all criminals will get what they deserve. In our modern world, we see this all the time in literature and Movies. Describe a work of fiction or movie you have seen recently where the concept of contrapasso is in full effect. (Example: on a recent Game of Thrones episode, an evil character met his end by being eaten alive by his own dogs, dogs he had previously used to kill his enemies.)

Answer 1

I think that the punishments mentioned in the Dante's Inferno are appropriate because, when people do wrong deeds such as engaging in violence, murdering someone, physically or sexually assaulting others, engaging in fraudulent, stealing or betraying other people, they must get the punishment that they deserve. When people reject spiritual values and perform sinful actions they must be punished.

In his book, Dante mentioned nine circles of hell, each for a different level of sins. The people who had committed the lesser sins and those who are virtuous non-Christians are placed in the first circle of hell which is like a inferior type of heaven, whereas people who committed more serious sins are placed in the ninth circle and the deepest of hell where they frozen in icy lakes.

Contrapasso refers to the punishment given to the souls in the hell which either resembles the sins they have committed or the punishments that are contradicting to it. This concept could be seen in movies or in literature such as in the movie, "Avengers: Infinity war" where Thanos killed many people and some of the avengers to obtain the infinity stone and destroyed half of the world, but then he gets killed by the avengers who then saves the world. This example represents contrapasso, that shows how a person who tried to kill others was killed by them itself.