by Ian Essling

Created on: June 12, 2007

Slime and Punishment: Dante's Inferno Gives Back to Sinners
What They Gave the World

No one would ever intentionally ask to live in a sludge pit for eternity, nor would they demand to have limbs chopped off or their bodies frozen in ice; however, by sinning in the way that they did, the sinners depicted in Dante's nine circles of Hell essentially did just that. Throughout Dante's Inferno, sinners are punished allegorically and symbolically, based on how they acted in life. Essentially, it is a type of mirrored punishment. They put certain attributes, whether it was an action or inaction, ahead of their faith in God, and now they will forever be forced to live with that thing that they so cared about.

The first example of this can found with those who have been overcome by lust, and they reside in the Second Circle of Hell. These souls are perpetually battered and beaten in a violent storm. This symbolizes the fact that in life, they were blown astray by their passions. It is interesting the note that it is not only the carnal pleasures that banishes someone to the second circle; the second circle could also be called the realm of unrestrained impulse. Whether it was pleasures of the flesh, revenge, fame or something else, these people allowed themselves to be carried away on the winds of their desires, so to speak, and thus the power of lust follows them to the underworld and blows them around in an aimless and turbulent storm, beating their listless bodies together.

The circles of Hell are not exclusive to only one crime, however, and in no place is this truer than the Fourth Circle, the realm of the hoarders and wasters. In life, the hoarders and wasters were opposite ends of the same stick: the hoarders never used or shared what they had, and the wasters squandered what they did have. Here, they are forced to struggle against each other while encumbered with huge weights. This is appropriate for both sides, because the hoarders are forced to use the weight, while the wasters are forced to use something to its full potential, instead of symbolically throwing it away. This circle is for those who left the normal path of moderation, in regard to material goods; they were either too much or too little, so being forced to use heavy weights is a fitting punishment for both sides, but for different reasons.

The Fifth Circle, which is the last circle of Upper Hell, is another contrast circle and plays host to the wrathful and the sullen. The wrathful have to struggle

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