Virgil Analysis of Dante Inferno
Virgil
Virgil came to be regarded as one of Rome's greatest poets. His Aeneid can be considered a national epic of Rome and has been extremely popular from its publication to the present day.
Virgil- Beatrice sends Virgil to Earth to retrieve Dante and act as his guide through Hell and Purgatory. Since the poet Virgil lived before Christianity, he dwells in Limbo (Ante-Inferno) with other righteous non-Christians. As author, Dante chooses the character Virgil to act as his guide because he admired Virgil's work above all other poets and because Virgil had written of a similar journey through the underworld. Thus, Virgil's character knows the way through Hell and can act as Dante's knowledgeable guide while he struggles alongside Dante when they enter Purgatory together for the first time. As a spirit, Virgil suffers no physical pain and moves through Hell and Purgatory without effort. However, he must make arrangements for Dante to cross chasms, rivers, and walls because Dante retains his physical form. Dante's physical presence gives clues, such as casting a shadow and displacing rocks, that indicate to the spirits that Dante is still alive. The fact that Dante is alive angers many of the spirits, especially the guardians of the underworld, so Virgil also serves as Dante's protector as he warns Dante's would-be foes that their journey was predestined in Heaven.
Virgil as a Teacher
Although Virgil’s official job title is a "guide" for Dante, we all know there is more going on. Virgil quickly goes from tour guide to personal tutor, liaison, and father figure to Dante. Even so, Virgil does a tremendous job as the tour guide. In each canto, he does some straight-up lecturing, but Virgil does show-and-tell too, with real-life sinners. He’s quite a speaker, able to convey to Dante such huge concepts as the role of Fortune in the human realm, the internal structure of Hell, the origin of the Underworld rivers, the geography of the earth, and the Harrowing of
Virgil came to be regarded as one of Rome's greatest poets. His Aeneid can be considered a national epic of Rome and has been extremely popular from its publication to the present day.
Virgil- Beatrice sends Virgil to Earth to retrieve Dante and act as his guide through Hell and Purgatory. Since the poet Virgil lived before Christianity, he dwells in Limbo (Ante-Inferno) with other righteous non-Christians. As author, Dante chooses the character Virgil to act as his guide because he admired Virgil's work above all other poets and because Virgil had written of a similar journey through the underworld. Thus, Virgil's character knows the way through Hell and can act as Dante's knowledgeable guide while he struggles alongside Dante when they enter Purgatory together for the first time. As a spirit, Virgil suffers no physical pain and moves through Hell and Purgatory without effort. However, he must make arrangements for Dante to cross chasms, rivers, and walls because Dante retains his physical form. Dante's physical presence gives clues, such as casting a shadow and displacing rocks, that indicate to the spirits that Dante is still alive. The fact that Dante is alive angers many of the spirits, especially the guardians of the underworld, so Virgil also serves as Dante's protector as he warns Dante's would-be foes that their journey was predestined in Heaven.
Virgil as a Teacher
Although Virgil’s official job title is a "guide" for Dante, we all know there is more going on. Virgil quickly goes from tour guide to personal tutor, liaison, and father figure to Dante. Even so, Virgil does a tremendous job as the tour guide. In each canto, he does some straight-up lecturing, but Virgil does show-and-tell too, with real-life sinners. He’s quite a speaker, able to convey to Dante such huge concepts as the role of Fortune in the human realm, the internal structure of Hell, the origin of the Underworld rivers, the geography of the earth, and the Harrowing of