How Did Greek Mythology Influence Dante's Inferno

Greek society had been a dominant world power, even influencing aspects of the Roman Empire in areas such as the fine arts. Even while Christianity and the Church became the prominent religion and belief system, especially in Italy where the Pope was headquartered, Greek mythology remained incredibly influential. Dante Alighieri was an Italian politician and poet, which meant he was aware of Greek mythology and was able to use figures in his poetry. Citizens may have not been well educated, but they would have heard mythology and been able to understand it. Inferno, written by Dante in the early 1300s, uses significant mythological allusions in order to embody the sins his Circles of Hell stand for. Throughout Inferno, various kings and

To Italian citizens, the difference between the powerful human king and wretched monster must have been shocking. Minos to his citizens would be the same as the Pope to Christian Italians. The idea of an authority figure who carries significant influence being warped to an extreme extent would have horrified them to imagine. Pope Boniface VIII, their head of the Church, was their equivalent of King Minos. They could not imagine the Pope as a monster, so Minos being a scaled beast would have struck terror in their hearts. Another Greek king who the people would have been familiar with was Odysseus, a victorious hero of the Trojan War. However, the deceitful way he led the Greeks to triumph situated him to the punishment of an evil counselor, where he was to forever “lament the ambush of the Horse” (212), along with fellow tactician Diomede. Especially with Italians who were familiar with Homer’s

For Italians engaged in the drama aspects of the fine arts, seer Tiresias would have been recognized. Antigone was written by Homer in 441 BC, meaning that it would have been performed by theater troupes while Dante was alive. Tiresias was a fortune-teller who completed his mystical arts through the use of “his conjurer’s wand” (162) and was renowned for his gift of prophecy. Unfortunately, his chase of fame and fortune was ended by his death and subsequent placement in the Circle of Hell dedicated to seers. Italians would have been able to relate to Tiresias in his hunt for something more or better. If they weren’t noble or had connections, citizens worked hard to set themselves apart. While most commoners did not resort to foretelling the future, as many of them were a part of the Church, they could relate to what Tiresias sought. Similarly, many famous Greek warriors resided in the tamest Circle of Hell: the First Circle. The closest thing Hell had to paradise, people were placed there for the simple fact that they were born and died before Jesus. Very few souls were taken from Circle One until Jesus died and “chose for elevation among the elect” (28), selecting the best of the best to join the ranks of heaven. The inhabitants of the First Circle were not particularly sinful, which the majority of Italians would be classified as.