Canto III

The Gate of Hell

The Opportunists
I AM THE WAY INTO THE CITY OF WOE.
I AM THE WAY TO A FORSAKEN PEOPLE.
I AM THE WAY INTO ETERNAL SORROW.
SACRED JUSTICE MOVED MY ARCHITECT.
I WAS RAISED HERE BY DIVINE OMNIPOTENCE,
PRIMORDIAL LOVE AND ULTIMATE INTELLECT.
ONLY THOSE ELEMENTS TIME CANNOT WEAR
WERE MADE BEFORE ME, AND BEYOND TIME I
STAND.
ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE.
 Importance of Inscription

Portrays Hell as a city,

which defines much
of the geography of
the poem.

Bound and contained

by walls and contains
a vast population of
souls.
 Importance of Inscription
Portrays hell as a place of eternal woes,
pains, and loss, situating it as the center of
Gods strict punishment of sinners, a place
which there is supposed to be no escape.

The tradition of St. Augustines the city of

God, written 5th century A.D.
Augustine's City:
In the city of God, the forces of charity,
kindness, and love hold people together.
In the city of man, everyone is out for
themselves and prey on one another .
In the Infernos city of hell, the
Opportunists live there because they are
only out for themselves- relating to
Augustines theory.
God created hell for the sake of justice-
desire to see sin punished and virtue
rewarded consequences of sin.
 Opportunists
Neither good nor evil
Only out for themselves
These are the nearly soulless whose lives
concluded neither blame nor praise, (32-33).

Outcasts who took no sides in the Rebellion

of Angels
Mixed with that despicable corps of angels who
were neither for God nor Satan, but only for
themselves, (34-36).
 Punishment
I saw a banner there upon the mist.
Circling and circling, it seemed to scorn all pause

These wretches never born and never dead

ran naked in a swarm of wasps and hornets
that goaded them the more the more they fled

And made their faces stream with blood gouts

of pus and tears that dribbled to their feet
to be swallowed there by loathsome worms and
maggots (49-66).
 Symbolic Retribution
Meaningless of banner parallels their time on earth-
pursued own interests now pursue a meaningless
banner.

Sin was a darkness- they are in darkness.

Guilty conscience pursued them in life- hornets &

wasps pursue them in death and force them to take
action.

Actions morally filthy - run in filth.

 Celestine V
I recognized the shadow of that soul
Who, in his cowardice, made the Great Denial (56-57)

Reference to Celestine V
Priest Benedetto told him his soul in danger, that no
man could live without being in danger
He withdrew from worldly affairs and renounced
papacy
Benedetto became Pope- Dantes biggeswt enemy