Life Of Meaning And Purpose In Dante's Inferno

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To live a meaningful life is a very individualistic aspiration, one may say it is to do good in the world while someone else may say that to live a life of meaning and purpose is through personal success. Much like any other person, philosophers and biblical figures would agree that a life of meaning and purpose is dependent to personal experiences. To live the experience of a meaningful life often depends on the circumstances and experiences that people endure. A life of meaning and purpose for Dante is about avoiding sin and doing good. For Perpetua and Felicitas, a life of purpose is achieved through devotion to God, and Plato would say to live a meaningful life is to live a life of reason. Inferno is Dante Alighieri’s journey through the many layers of hell with his trustee guide Virgil, Dante’s favorite Roman poet. Dante finds himself lost in the woods, “Midway in our life’s journey, I went astray from the straight road and woke to …show more content…

They are martyrs who were pressured into denounce their faith in God for the sake of their lives, but even through the pressures coming from family members, they prevailed and did not let the possibility of dying get in their ways of expressing their faith in God. They overcome these temptations of lying about their faith with knowledge that God will help them if they stay true to their beliefs. Perpetua had an infant son and Felicitas was pregnant during their imprisonment, making it even more difficult for them to choose their faithfulness in God over their children’s health. Felicitas prays to God that her child be born before they are killed so that she can die with Perpetua in public. This is the first wish that is granted, as Felicitas gives birth to her child before the public killings. They are all able to die at their own desire with God’s command, a final granted wish for staying faithful during times of