The Role of Satan in the Inferno - Paper Example

Introduction

The Inferno is a fictional work by Dante Alighieri. The narrative poem describes Dante's journey through hell with the Help of Virgil. According to the poem, the underworld is made up of nine regions with each sinner sorted into the various circles of hell. The poem suggests that some sins are worse than others. The circles accommodate sinners based on the hierarchal order of their evil-doing- the ninth circle holds the worst of sinners. According to Dante, treachery is the greatest of all sins. Cantos thirty-one up to Cantos thirty-four concentrates on the core of hell, where Satan dwells. In the Inferno, Satan is the most significant sinner for his treachery against God. Contrary to the widely perceived myth that Satan reigns over the underworld, Satan embodies the suffering of sinners, and he is the most prominent prisoner in hell. He is but a weaker form of the early self.

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The presence of Satan is also felt in others circles of hell. As Dante explains, Satan was fanning two great wings, so that three winds went out from him (Meadows 2). These winds are what kept Cocytus frozen. Similarly, the wind was felt in the other parts of the underworld. Also, the entry into the sixth circle, the City of Dis, helped to announce the presence of Satan in hell. This is another term that describes Lucifer. The city is actively guarded by demons who deny entry to Dante and his guide. Through that, the author successfully explains the role of Satan in sucking the hope out of souls as it was seen in Dante's case. Although the messenger from heaven intervened to facilitate the entry of these guys into the sixth circle, the scene had already stressed the message at the gates of hell, which is "abandon all hope, you who enter here."

In Canto 33, the write of the Inferno might be attempting to foreshadow the gnawing of the treacherous in Canto 34. Dante encounters a creature devouring on another. The shade introduces itself to Dante as Count Ugolino. The Count action of eating the body of Archbishop Roger foreshadows the scene in Canto 34, where the Satan eats chews Judas and two other sinners in his three mouths. Fear is successfully instilled in Dante. And, as a result, he becomes frightened as he enters the ninth circle of hell. His presence before such a nightmarish situation, therefore, demonstrates the severe consequences of sins to Christian believers (Herrick 43). In the event, it discourages them against sinful acts.

Satan is referred to as a king. However, he is not the king of the underworld. Instead, the author describes him as the emperor of the dolorous kingdom. He is only a leader of the grieving city with eternal sorrow (Conrod 91). Dante gives an emperor title to Satan as he shares in the pain of other sinners. In fact, Satan is the biggest sufferer in hell. Therefore, the reference of Lucifer as the king is meant to describe the fact that he is the biggest sufferer in hell. Lucifer is the chief prisoner in hell, the prince of the underworld. He is held hostage at the deepest circle of hell, where the suffering is the most. Dante uses the title satirically. That is, while God is the king of the universe and reigns high, Lucifer is only the emperor of grief and source. Thus, the author correctly demonstrates the consequences of Satan's ambition to be more powerful than God.

Contrary to the popular beliefs, Satan does not have control over hell in the Inferno. Instead, he is subject to the suffering of the underworld just like every other sinner. His lack of power and control is seen when the demons at the gates of the City of Dis unsuccessfully prevent Dante and Virgil from entering his territory. If he had control over hell or part of it, he would have had the power over even a city name after himself. Instead, an intervention by a heavenly messenger amounts to quick entry into the city. Furthermore, the creature is restricted within the ninth circle of hell. Its immobility and lack of power could be seen when the two protagonists climbed down the gigantic being without getting a reaction (Meadows 3). Other than punishing the sinners who committed treachery against man and God, the Satan does not have any other task. This is additional evidence of Lucifer's inferiority following his defiance of God.

One other role played by Satan is the illustration of the greatest fall as a result of sin. Before going against God, Lucifer was once an angel. Due to his magnificence, he was even named Lucifer which means light-bringing. He was the most beautiful among the angels. However, the consequence of his inequity resulted in his exiling from heaven. Lucifer was thrown to earth with a force that led to the formation of the bottomless pit. Now, Satan is just but a prisoner. Like human beings, he experiences suffering (Conrod 91). He is an ugly, speechless and powerless being. He has been reduced to a creature that is restrained from moving, not even in the ninth circle of hell. By doing so, the writer captures the attention of readers. Additionally, he manages to warn them against defying God by describing the pain that many individuals go through as a result of going again.

Furthermore, the presentation of Satan to be at the center of the funnel hole helps to put forward the argument that all sins gravitate around him (Herrick 43). Satan is a giant figure in the ninth circle of hell, and the worst sins concentrate towards him. Based on Dante's hierarchy of sin, the seriousness of these inequities increases as one goes down the circles of hell. And, the worst sinners is Satan himself. The presentation of the horrors that the lost souls are going through as Dante and Virgil travel down the underworld is meant to scare and bring fear among believers, and, as a result, encouraging them to avoid the listed wrongdoings (Herrick 43). Satan is the center of attention in the description of hell by Dante. Moreover, he is the greatest sufferer in the Inferno. Thus, the character of Satan in this narrative poem performs its role of painting a nightmarish afterlife for those who go against God.

In general, Lucifer is an embodiment of suffering (Conrod 95). While God controls the entire universe, Satan is but the subject who is restricted to one area of hell. Even within that region, he does not have any control. On the contrary, he is frozen in place and is continuously busy enacting the divine justice that justifies that infliction of suffering to persons who have gone against the religious and cultural precepts as discussed by their religion. Therefore, Satan represents God's triumph over sin. He describes the power of God to tame the most dangerous outlaws and treat them with severity they deserve.

The author also depicts Satan as a betrayer. The wings of Lucifer resembles those of bats. This is an apparent reference to how he broke the trust of God and went against his back Like in Aesop fables, where the bats are punished for betraying birds to the animals, Satan becomes an outcast who is cursed to live his entire life in hell. Although Lucifer had many wings when he was an angel, the current reference to his wings are compared with Icarus. Just like the story of Icarus, Satan had overreached when he attempted to go beyond his limits and seek power from God. Thus, the consequences, also similar to those in Icarus, were very severe. The once favorite angel was therefore forever banished to hell where he would pay for his undoing. Therefore, Satan and other characters who attempted to overreach, that is Judas Iscariot against Christ and Brutus and Cassius against Julius Caesar will forever remain in hell. These characters, according to Dante, will stay in the ninth circle of hell for eternity

Lucifer is also seen to play a strange and ambiguous role in Dante's poem. He is helping God in his purpose of executing divine justice (Conrod 95). Cantos thirty-four describes Dante's encounter with Satan. As he and his guide enters the ninth circle, they witness the massive figure of Lucifer with three mouths. The three mouth were busy gnawing the world most treacherous persons in the world that is according to Dante's ranking. In one of the mouth, Satan is chewing Judas Iscariot while the others carry the biggest traitors to Caesar and humanity. Therefore, in chewing these characters, Satan is helping in extending punishment to these individuals who are generally against God. Thus, although he might seem like an outcast, Satan is an integral part of the puzzle- he is the mill that is given the responsibility to remove waste materials from the harvest.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the vivid description of hell by Dante has influenced numerous historical outcomes. The roles played by Satan in this fictional work are equally numerous. While the presence of Satan might have been felt across many areas of hell, Lucifer was not as powerful as compared to the previous being that he was before his expulsion from heaven. Satan is generally embodied in a weak and ugly being who represents the transformation that he has undergone following his charge to overthrow God. Dante's picture of Lucifer is supposed to demonstrate the consequences of disobedience and treachery against the highest being. His reference as king is rather satirical as he is just the leader of suffering with no significant power over the underworld. He is only but an imprisoned being with all the satanic characteristics than befits his name. In summary, the character of Satan was meant to scare and discourage Christian believers against sinning by showing the outcomes of such an action. This role is generally displaced through the painted suffering of Lucifer.

Works Cited

Conrod, Frederic. "Meditating Hell: An Image of Satan from Loyola's Spiritual Exercises." (2010).

Herrick, Josh. "Classical Literary Influence upon Dante's Conceptualization of the Christian Hell." Noctua: Medieval and Renaissance Studies at The W (2017): 43.

Meadows, Madison. "Classical Literature and Writing at MCA." (2015).