The Varying Principle Of Hell In Dante's Inferno

In Dante’s Inferno, hell is organized into sections that are categorized in ascending order of severity as they descend into the depths of hell. The punishment of the sinners in each category reflects the sin itself, known as contrapasso. However, the severity of a sin and its punishment was never explicitly stated in the Inferno, which can lead to multiple interpretations of the ordering principle of hell. In the Inferno, individuals who committed fraud are punished far more severely than those who committed murder or those who mocked God. With this detail in mind, an interpretation of the ordering principle of hell is the severity of harm and damage of the sin towards society and the government which indirectly harms God’s plan for order.

The placement of Brutus and Cassius is due to their sins of treason. Regardless of the fact that Brutus and Cassius existed before Christianity and should have been placed in limbo, their sins of treason determined their place in hell. Sins of treason harm the government and the reputation of the society as a whole, therefore, sins of treason is the ultimate sin. As the emperor of Rome at the height of its power, Caesar was considered to be the perfect manifestation of a strong government. He was an authoritarian figure that can influence society and order. However, Brutus and Cassius betrayed and murdered Caesar. This act of treason placed both Brutus and Cassius in the mouth of Lucifer along side with Judas, who betrayed Jesus, as stated here, “The black mouth holds the shade of Brutus: writhing, but not a word will he scream; Cassius is the sinewy one on the other side” (299). This scene demonstrates that betraying an authoritarian figure is the same as betraying Jesus himself. This shows that the ordering principle of hell is the severe harm towards the government and society which indirectly harms God's plan for