Thursday 1 December 2011

Canto Five: The Lustful

In canto 5 Dante explores the relationship between love and lust. The lustful in hell, whose actions often led them and their lovers to death, are "carnal sinners who subordinate reason to desire"[1] From the examples presented, it appears that for Dante the line separating lust from love is crossed when one acts on this misguided desire. Dante presents Contrapasso here as the lustful are “tossed into a howling wind”[2]. The lovers are thrown into “the black wind”[3] because they were self-indulgent and carried adrift by their passions, they’re punishment is to drift forever.


[1] Dante, “Hell”, Penguin, Trans. Dorothy. L. Sayers, Canto 5, Line 38-9.
[2] Dante, “Hell”, Penguin, Trans. Dorothy. L. Sayers, Canto 5, Introduction.
[3] Dante, “Hell”, Penguin, Trans. Dorothy. L. Sayers, Canto 5, Line 51.

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