ipl-logo

Canto II: The Use Of Allegory In Dante's Inferno

780 Words4 Pages

Inferno In the first part of Dante’s Epic poem, Inferno, hell is described as a tunnel with nine circles which stand for different stages of sins to go through. The poem discusses the idea of afterlife. Dante wrote the pieces after his exile from the political power in Florence, so in some way Inferno is beyond just an allegory of a journey to hell. Through close reading, I realized that there are many allusions, metaphors, allegories, and mythological references in this piece of great linguistic work and Canto II is a notable example. I aim to use Canto II to demonstrate the writing techniques Dante uses throughout the Inferno. Every two stanzas rhyme in “ABA BCB” form that consists of the last syllabus in lines rhyming. Take the fifth and sixth stanza for example:

Made to immortal realms although he stayed - A
A …show more content…

Throughout the poem, people who are not necessary sinners share an eternal life in the poem and hell because they will be heard and remembered. The literature piece also becomes a remarkable entity to witness the pathway of the protagonist in the book and the author’s immortal achievement.
Dante uses straightforward allusions referring to his life surroundings. Inferno contains a manifestation of Dante’s personal love life. In the fifteenth stanza Virgil told Dante that he was sent by a lady to guide the way, and the lady identifies herself:
To Save him; offer the help you have to give
Before he is lost, and I will be consoled.
I am Beatrice, come from where I crave
(Dante Inferno)
In his real life, Dante fell in love with his lifelong childhood neighbor Beatrice Portinari. Dante makes her a goodness, which symbolizes spiritual, pure love in the poem, especially after after her sudden death in

Open Document