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Imagery In 'Canto I In Dante's Inferno'

646 Words3 Pages

Chris Billy
Ms. Jonte
Inferno
09 February 2022
Inferno Essay
The start of a story is often just like the end. The opening chapter, or Canto I in Dante's Inferno introduces the theme of the book, but also introduces the recurring imagery that is present not just throughout each canto, but more importantly, each circle. Inferno is not just arranged spatially, but it is also arranged in a way where the line of reasoning matches the spatial structure of the book, meaning that the more cynical the imagery gets, the deeper in hell Dante goes and sees the images introduced in Canto I. Dante also notices things that ties back to the theme shown in Canto I.
The theme of Inferno is about Dante exploring the human condition, which is first introduced in the character of Virgil the shade, who is described as; "Dante's symbol of HUMAN REASON" (Dante 3). The book explores these symbols of sins …show more content…

Virgil isn't just a symbol of Dante's human reason, but of all human reason. Each human condition Virgil explains to Dante and he figures out how to get to the next circle, he's using reasoning and a logical thought process before he acts and relies on that to save him. Unfortunately this will not always work, which is when Dante relies on God. Whenever Dante experiences hardships he runs back and cries to God for help, which is so incredibly, human. That is a

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