Ulysses in Hell
Baer
Goolsby
Honors World Lit
4 April 2013
Ulysses In Hell
In Dante’s Inferno, Ulysses, a man known for his skillful word weaving, is sent into eternal damnation in Hell by Dante. In the Odyssey, after the Trojan War ends, Ulysses sails back to Ithaca. In the Inferno, Ulysses recounts the story about how he convinced his men to sail with him past the Pillars of Hercules. It was previously believed that nothing lay behind these pillars, until Ulysses and his men discover the Mountain of Purgatory. As they approach the mountain, a huge storm intercepts the ship and kills the whole crew, including Ulysses. Dante decides to place Ulysses in Hell because he tricked people for his own personal gain and committed many acts of fraud.
In the Inferno, Dante does not account for Ulysses’ journey in the Odyssey. Dante does this because the Odyssey was not available to him, so he would not know the events that occurred in it (Raffa 102). Instead of sailing back home to Ithaca, Dante explains how Ulysses convinced his men to sail with him beyond the Pillars of Hercules to “experience the world beyond the sun” (Borges 3; Alighieri 26.109). After he and his men passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, they continue sailing to the southwest. After five months of traveling, Ulysses and his men laid eyes on the Mountain of Purgatory. Ulysses relayed how “Our cheers were hardly sounded, when a squall broke hard upon our bow from the new land…” (Alighieri 26.126-127). It is not Ulysses’ sense of curiosity or adventure that Alighieri deems worthy of damnation, but Ulysses’ habit of convincing other souls to meet their doom in order to further Ulysses’ quest for glory and knowledge. Ulysses consistently abuses his gift of being naturally persuasive to his own benefit, and eventually leads his men to their deaths.
During the events of the Aeneid, Ulysses also commits many acts of fraud and trickery. His theft of the Statue of Athena, which gives vital protection to the city of
Goolsby
Honors World Lit
4 April 2013
Ulysses In Hell
In Dante’s Inferno, Ulysses, a man known for his skillful word weaving, is sent into eternal damnation in Hell by Dante. In the Odyssey, after the Trojan War ends, Ulysses sails back to Ithaca. In the Inferno, Ulysses recounts the story about how he convinced his men to sail with him past the Pillars of Hercules. It was previously believed that nothing lay behind these pillars, until Ulysses and his men discover the Mountain of Purgatory. As they approach the mountain, a huge storm intercepts the ship and kills the whole crew, including Ulysses. Dante decides to place Ulysses in Hell because he tricked people for his own personal gain and committed many acts of fraud.
In the Inferno, Dante does not account for Ulysses’ journey in the Odyssey. Dante does this because the Odyssey was not available to him, so he would not know the events that occurred in it (Raffa 102). Instead of sailing back home to Ithaca, Dante explains how Ulysses convinced his men to sail with him beyond the Pillars of Hercules to “experience the world beyond the sun” (Borges 3; Alighieri 26.109). After he and his men passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, they continue sailing to the southwest. After five months of traveling, Ulysses and his men laid eyes on the Mountain of Purgatory. Ulysses relayed how “Our cheers were hardly sounded, when a squall broke hard upon our bow from the new land…” (Alighieri 26.126-127). It is not Ulysses’ sense of curiosity or adventure that Alighieri deems worthy of damnation, but Ulysses’ habit of convincing other souls to meet their doom in order to further Ulysses’ quest for glory and knowledge. Ulysses consistently abuses his gift of being naturally persuasive to his own benefit, and eventually leads his men to their deaths.
During the events of the Aeneid, Ulysses also commits many acts of fraud and trickery. His theft of the Statue of Athena, which gives vital protection to the city of
Cited: Alighieri, Dante. “Inferno.” Literature World Masterpieces. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2003. 622-44. Print. Prentice Hall. Borges, Jorge Luis. “The Divine Comedy.” Classical and Medieval literature Criticism, Vol. 3. Raffa, Guy P. Danteworlds.