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Examples Of Human Reason In Dante's Inferno

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"'Nothing can take our passage from us / when such a power has given warrant for it / (VIII 101-102). The Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri's poem, Divine Comedy. Virgil guides Dante through the nine Circles of Hell. Throughout the poem, the readers see numerous examples of Dante always asking questions towards Virgil, and showing his emotions. Virgil guided Dante through Hell with his wisdom and reason. Dante Alighieri has the main character, Dante represent Human Soul, Virgil as Human Reason, and even though Virgil is shown to be intelligent, sometimes he can be shown ineffective. Dante is innocent and naïve, and asks questions while showing emotions, therefore making him Human Soul. In the Second Circle, Virgil is naming off …show more content…

At the City of Dis, Dante refers to Virgil as intelligent. "I turned to that sea of all intelligence / (VIII 7-8). Dante asks Virgil to explain the flames they see on the walls of the City of Dis, while referring to Virgil as intelligent. This example shows the readers that Dante sees Virgil as intelligent, making him a perfect fit for Human Reason. Virgil fails to get past the fallen angels. "That great Soul stood alone outside the wall. / Then he came back; his pain showed in his pace. / (VIII 113-114). Without the help from an angel sent from Heaven, Virgil would have never been able to get past the City of Dis. This portrays that Virgil's reason is powerless without …show more content…

Virgil fails to get past the fallen angels, who deny them the entry to the City of Dis. "Above the gates more than a thousand shades/ of spirits purged from Heaven for its glory/ cried angrily: 'Who is it that invades/ Death's Kingdom in his life?'" (VII 79-82). Nothing Virgil says or does has any effect, so this portrays that Human Reason is limited against evil. This is the first time through their journey in Hell that shows his powers are demonstrated to be ineffective. Virgil finds out from the hypocrites that Malcoda lied to him. "At last he said: 'He lied about this business, / who spears the sinners yonder with is hook'" (XXIII 137-138). Virgil finds the collapsed bridge and realized that Malacoda, who supposedly was trying to help Virgil, purposely gave him false information to torture him. This is the second time that shows even wise Virgil can be deceived. Virgil often seems helpless to protect Dante from the true dangers of

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