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Divine Comedy – Indignation and Sin in Dantes Inferno

Dante’s and Virgil’s scorn seems at first glance to echo the sin of intemperate anger which infects the foul waters of the Stygian marsh. Filippo Argenti, the weeping sinner who emerges from the mire, is eternally punished for his anger. However, the pilgrim’s denunciation of Filippo is not only permitted, but lauded by Virgil with the praise given Jesus: “Blessed is the womb that bore thee! ” (VIII, 43-44) Even the pilgrim’s further, seemingly sadistic request to see Filippo attacked by his brethren is granted and accepted as appropriate.

This seeming discrepancy in behavior can be reconciled by understanding the underlying motivations of the speakers. The pilgrim and Virgil travel with Divine sanction through Hell. The pilgrim’s entire being learns to become entirely subject to the will of God. Virgil’s journey is in obedience to the three angelic women who are Dante’s patronesses: Our Lady, St. Lucia and Beatrice. However, Filippo Argenti is described by Virgil as “full of arrogance” (VIII, 46) Filippo Argenti’s primary concern is Filippo Argenti. The essential element that separates the pilgrim from the sinners in the marsh is his subservience to God.

Due to their divergent natures, the treatment of Filippo Argenti by the pilgrim and Virgil reflects the supreme triumph of the righteous over evil and serves as a warning to the reader. The nature of the sins punished in the Stygian marsh is anger. However, it is clear that some forms of anger are acceptable to the divine will. After all, Jesus is portrayed in the Gospels attacking the money changers in the temple. In Jesus’ case, his anger stems from his disgust at the desecration of his Father’s house. Jesus’ anger is primarily concerned with his father’s glory, not his own.

As we know Jesus “emptied himself and took the form of a slave. ” (Phil. 2:7) This emptying, this subversion of the human will to the will of God is the justification of the human soul. The pilgrim admits that he is totally at the mercy of God; without divine sanction and even intervention, the pilgrim would be doomed for all eternity. Of course, Dante’s situation is just an extreme example of the condition of all men and women on earth. Without God’s grace, we are doomed to the ultimate damnation; we are left to our own devices.

The true sin of Filippo Argenti is the refusal to submit to the divine will. Filippo’s anger is concerned with his own power and prestige. Filippo’s “shade is furious” because no goodness remains “to adorn his memory. ” (VIII, 47-48) His arrogance is offended that God would dare to punish him. This perversion of our human will serves as a clear warning signal to the reader. Having identified the root of the sinful nature of the sinners in the marsh, it is important to understand the implications of this scene for the general reader.

It is evident that the sinner is representative of humanity’s baser nature, while the pilgrim and Virgil are responses of the human soul striving towards its more perfect nature. The symbols which support this also support the common theme of service and oblation which separate indignation and wrath. Like most situations in the Inferno, several biblical images and parallels are evoked by the scene. The main image, the main element, in this scene is water. The sinners are immersed in a bubbling, marshy mire.

Virgil and the pilgrim travel across the water, not falling into it, at great risk. The image of the evil symbol emerging from water pervaded Judeo-Christian thought. Specific examples of this concept can be found in the apocalyptic books of both the First and Second Testaments. Daniel’s dream while captive in Babylon contains sinister beast rising from the sea. In his dream, the water is disturbed by “winds… blowing from all directions and lashing the surface. ” (Dn. 7:2) In the Inferno, Virgil explains that cries of the damned under the marsh “make the water bubble on the surface. VII, 119-120) The arrogance of Filippo matches a feature of the fourth beast, who has an unusual horn, which “had human eyes and a mouth and was boasting proudly. ” (Dn. 7:8) This theme of evil arising from the sea is echoed in Revelation, where John “saw a beast coming up out of the sea. ” (Rev. 13:1)

Like Filippo, the beast was a leader of men and refused to subject itself to God’s will. It is significant that Virgil and the pilgrim are never touched by the water. They, like Noah, pass safely through the water with God’s assistance. It is important to remember that Noah “lived in fellowship with God. Gn. 6:10) The Elhoist goes on to emphasize that “Noah did everything that God commanded. ” (Gn. 6:22) Noah, because of his voluntary subjugation to the divine will. Another significant parallel is the Exodus of God’s people from Egypt. The Sea of Reeds is a marshy region to the North of the Red Sea proper. However, the Israelites, who “did as they were told,” were able to cross “the sea on dry ground. ” (Ex. 14:4, 22) The Egyptians, who were motivated by selfish anger at the loss of their slaves were destroyed. The bodies of the Egyptians were submerged in the mire.

The parallel is very close to the description given by the poet of the fifthe circle of Hell. Moses’ indignation at the oppression of God’s people stands in sharp contrast to the arrogant wrath of the Pharoah and provides the reader of the Inferno with a brilliant image with which to understand the fte of the wrathful. In this exchange, Filippo Argenti is the representative of humanity under the influence of scornful arrogance. The reaction of Virgil and the pilgrim to Filippo’s belated and misdirected attempt to escape from final damnation mirrors God’s rejection of the man in death who rejected God in life.

Virgil thrusts Filippo off of the boat saying “Away there! ” (VIII, 42) CHrist has warned that on the final day, he will denounce those who have denounced him, crying “Get away from me! ” (Lk. 13:27) The last view of Filippo comes as his fellows turn on his and tear him to pieces. This fall from his final slim chance of salvation is terrifying to anyone who, like myself, is prone to extreme arrogance. Since most readers can identify with the sin of insolence, the denunciation and hideous destruction of Filippo Argenti is shocking and serves as the proverbial 2 x 4 which gets the mule to move.

Given the strong message against indulging in self-concerned wrath, the reader is challenged to find the method to attain the protected and favored status given the pilgrim. The pilgrim’s main concern in the scene appears to be disgust at the perversion of the human will to selfish and wicked ends. The question that should be foremost in the mind of the reader is what method or process was required for the pilgrim to acquire this self-abasing attitude. One key element appears to be the realization of his inability to survive without God’s assistance. The failed attempt to climb Mount Purgatory serves as a moment of revelation.

After being driven back by the embodiment of his faults, he receives divine assistance in the person of Virgil, who is the medium by which the grace granted by Our Lady is dispatched. The example of docility towards the divine will is a challenge to each reader to cry out in the words of the Psalmist “Not to us Lord, but to your name give the glory. ” (115:1) The reader is called to shift allegiance, as it were. In order to achieve the redemption promised “in the fullness of time,” it is necessary to identify with the self-denying pilgrim rather than the self-edifying sinner.

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