Dante Degli Alighieri, born in Florence, Italy, in 1265 CE, was a prominent Italian poet and author. Dante, a successor of the Guelph lineage, began pursuing studies such as theology, philosophy, and the texts of Latin poets at an early age with the help of his mentor Brunetto Latini (Bowden 3). Dante later became increasingly more involved in Florence’s political system which was centered around the constant strife between two families, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, by joining the military and eventually acquiring a variety of different political positions in Florence (Musa 16). However, the Black Guelphs eventually exiled Dante, who identified as a White Guelph, after they took over the city and he became politically unfavorable among the people of Florence. Despite this, it was during Dante’s exile …show more content…
Based on Dante’s Ninth Circle of Hell, Dante views betrayal as the ultimate sin and a transgression much worse than any sort of sexual immortality or violent crime. As scholars such as Paul Chevigny suggest, this speaks to the social and political values held in Italy during Dante’s time that were based on honor and loyalty (794). Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus Christ contradicts Dante’s deep-rooted value of being loyal and faithful to one’s leaders instilled in him by the Florentinian culture. Furthermore, betrayal of Jesus Christ is, in Dante’s opinion, the worst offense one can commit and, thus, deserves the ultimate punishment because Christ is the ultimate power in Dante’s Christian faith. This speaks to Dante’s piousness as a Christian. It is this piousness and his Florentinian value of loyalty that is Dante’s basis for his placement of Judas Iscariot as the ultimate transgressor and gives him the worst