History Book Review of the Inferno of Dante. History Book Review

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History Book Review of the Inferno of Dante
Introduction
‘The Inferno’ is a 14th-century poem that was written by Dante. The poem is all about Dante leading a sinful life. In the poem, Dante has strayed from the righteous path. Dante is a true representative of the minority of society. That is scholars, politicians, judges among others. The poem starts when Dante is in his middle life. The scene where Dante gets lost in the forest represents his separation from God. In contemporary society, human beings can sometimes get so much involved in other activities such that they will forget God. When it comes to Dante, people will always find the correct path to live and lead righteous lives. “The Inferno” is a book which reflects on many issues on political life and natural history, which can interest a reader. Additionally, it creates curiosity and the desire to know what occurs to the souls in the next circle. This paper will give a summary of the book, the main arguments of the book, and why people need to read the book.
Summary
The inferno is Dante’s description of his journey towards salvation. It starts when he loses his way when halfway through the journey and cannot seem to be back on track. He is unsure of how that happened and is filled with fear. Dante tries climbing but he gets sprawled by three beasts. The first beast is a hungry lion, the second beast is a leopard which he seeks to avoid, and the third one is a she-wolf which chases Dante away. While in the dark woods, he meets the great roman poet by the name Virgil who is ready to guide him back to his path. He, however, warns that they will go through hell but will eventually reach heaven where his beloved Beatrice will be waiting. They both enter hell and go through its nine circles (Alighieri, 117). They encounter different scenarios in each circle, whereby each one holds a diverse group of sinners that are judged depending on their sins. Some crimes are treated more harshly than others, with the harshest being betrayal. He is surprised by the massive number of dead souls, whereby he identifies most of them by names. It’s at the ninth circle that they come in contact with Lucifer and have to execute the most challenging task, which is climbing on the devil's back to go to mount Purgatory. The poetic piece has various themes and leaves the reader thinking whether the read was worthy.
Themes and arguments
One major theme dominant in the story is the justice of God, which is made to look perfect. The author reveals a significant connection between human sin on earth and the punishment that befall souls in hell. In Canto 111, the writings on the gates of hell are that justice is the driving force behind God creating hell (Alighieri, 220). ...