Dante's Inferno Justice

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In the epic The Divine Comedy: Inferno by Dante, the main character, Dante, sometimes referred to as the Pilgrim, witnesses many different types of punishments depending on the sin that was committed during each soul’s life. Dante wrote the epic based upon a society that had a very fixed idea of justice compared to justice presently. The way Justice is carried out in the Dante’s work is that if the soul committed a sin, knowingly or not, they were sentenced to Hell. If the person had committed an act of lust while alive, he is forced to spend the rest of eternity being blown around by a violent storm in the dark. The soul is stuck in the second circle of Hell with no way of leaving and no way of stopping his punishment. Although some people…show more content…
Within each circle, there should be levels of severity based upon how the sin was committed. That way when a soul had sinned once, they are not punished the same way as the souls that had sinned multiple times. If there were levels, then the circles would have more order and the less severe sinners could receive a less severe version of the punishment for that sin. When two people commit an act of lust, instead of both souls being punished the same way, each soul should receive different versions. The instigator should receive a greater punishment than the soul that just went along with the instigator. If society today was run with the same mindset as the society in Dante’s work, then people would not enjoy life. Each person would live everyday with the worry of them making one mistake that could force them into jail for the rest of their life. Everyone would be living a life full of fear making themselves miserable. People would not be able to live their lives without worrying about what the consequences would be for everything they…show more content…
People would be less likely to commit crimes due to them immediately going to jail for life. Although some may commit the crimes anyways, there would be far less than there is today. Jail is not a place where most would prefer to go, which is why many would stay safe and not do anything that could possibly be a sin. But worrying about the small things and having to live a very sheltered life is not a life that is enjoyable. This society may work for a short time with its idea of justice, but it is not a way of living for long. People will eventually revolt and the views will change. In today’s society, justice is a concept where everyone gets a free trial. Because people are not judged based upon one single act, people are able to live more fulfilling lives. People who do break the law are given a fair trial, in which the motives are investigated and then a sentence is determined based on the individual alone and not the results of other

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