If the “Divine Comedy” is one of the most important books in literature, there is no denying that “Inferno” is the most celebrated and studied part of this masterpiece by Dante Alighieri.
700 years after the poet's death – the seventh centenary took place this Tuesday, September 14th – the nine circles of suffering and atonement in Dantesque hell continue to arouse fascination in readers around the world, and not only because of their obvious and renowned literary qualities, but also because of the power of empathy .
Stories like that of Francesca and Paolo, protagonists of a forbidden love and whose souls are condemned to wander together in the wind for all eternity, go to the core of human feelings.
If love “forces everyone loved to love”, as Francesca says in the account of her fate in the second circle of hell, the sufferings described by Dante on his journey force everyone to feel something: compassion, anger, indignation, pity. It will depend on each person’s stories and experiences.
“'Inferno' has a theme of sin, human weaknesses, love, which crosses all eras and people and is the basis of everything that is literature”, explains Michele Gialdroni, director of Italian Institute of Culture of São Paulo.
According to Gialdroni, Dante manages to establish a bond of empathy that keeps his work “always current”. “Using the author’s individuality, Dante also places himself in a very special position, that of judging the world. He reacts to this, shows his emotions and seeks identification with whoever is reading or listening to the 'Comedy'. This has passed down through the centuries,'” he adds.
The Italian Luciano Migliaccio, doctor in History of Medieval Art and professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo (FAU-USP), says that “Hell” is the most human part of the poem, the one that shows the figures more impactful from the point of view of passions and feelings.
If the story of Francesca and Paolo has become a symbol of the hardships of love, others are shocking due to their cruelty and their ability to generate even repulsion, such as that of Count Ugolino della Gherardesca, who appears in the 33rd corner of the “Divine Comedy”.
A historical figure from 13th century Pisa, the count was accused of treason and imprisoned in a tower with his two sons and two grandchildren. The captors sealed the prison and threw away the key, causing all the prisoners to starve to death.
In his poem, Dante says that Ugolino's sons offered their own flesh to feed their father and save him from starvation. “I felt them, but none of them moved / I called for two days, after their deaths / Then, more than the pain, the fast could”, narrates the count in “Divine Comedy".
Ugolino is portrayed immersed in the icy waters of the Cocytus – the river of traitors in Dantesque hell – while brutally chewing the skull of the archbishop who had instigated his arrest.
“The other two parts ('Purgatory' And 'Paradise') are exceptional, but there is no doubt that some characters from 'Inferno', such as Count Ugolino, Paolo and Francesca, have become great stereotypes of human passions”, says Migliaccio.
According to him, the count is a tragic character, but at the same time “exceeds all human limits” by devouring his own children. “He is represented as the antithesis of the divine figure himself. Before we get to Lucifer [who appears in the 34th and final song of 'Inferno'], the Count appears, who is the epitome of pity and horror”, highlights the professor.
As Ugolino's story shows, Dante's journey through hell is not serene nor free from mishaps, but the reward at the end of the journey is being able to “see the stars again”. (Ansa, by Lucas Rizzi)
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