The Role Of Identity In Dantes Inferno - 1186 Words

The role of religion, ancestry, and nationality are crucial in forming one’s identity. These items and more come together to create a sense of security for an individual. The narrative epic poem, The Inferno, by Dante Alighieri takes the reader with Dante on his journey through Hell and rediscovery of his identity. Dante’s journey commenced as a result to him falling into temptations whilst falling away from God. This led him to travel through the Dark Wood of Error which symbolizes the worldliness that occurs when one strays from the True Way, or God’s Way. The spirit of the poet Virgil, symbolizing Human Reason, appears and leads Dante away from the Dark Wood of Error and to the Divine Illumination with a journey through Hell. The need†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, those he converses with had impacted Dante in some way during his lifetime. The combination of religion and nationality begin to form the prominent factors of Dantes identity as he comme nces his journey through Hell in order to reestablish himself as a committed Catholic. Not only was Dante overwhelmed by the feeling of chaos due to the fear of losing his identity, but he was also faced with the overpowering sense of disorientation brought upon by being in Hell. The disarray caused the need for Dante to find a way to bring security onto himself. The security that Dante sought was found in increasing the strength of his identity. For many people, identity brings about a sense of security because it allows them to connect with a specific group of people who are similar to them. Knowing that there are people who think, talk, act, and believe in a similar way is comforting to many people. For example, when Dante was exiled â€Å"He was no longer â€Å"Dante of Florence.† He was without identity, nome, or without name† (Brantley). Dante lost the security that came with being a Florentine and being associated with Florence. Instead he was just Dante and bec ause of that the security he had with his identity was shaken. Dante may have shared his Catholic beliefs with others, but once a vital part of an identity is taken away, so is theShow MoreRelatedThe, The Righteous Politician, Mulan, By Robert D. San Souci1275 Words   |  6 PagesDante, The Righteous Politician; Mulan, The Righteous Activist Dante’s Inferno, although written more than 400 years ago, rings a certain familiarity with audiences everywhere. This epic explores concepts systematic to the development and revival of intimate themes throughout modern and classic works of literature and film. There are a myriad of works and themes that weave the web of modern literature drawing inspiration from and parallel to Inferno’s style and concession. 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