Beginning of Dante's Inferno

Dante's Inferno

   I just finished reading Canto X of Dante's Inferno. At first, I did not think I would be able to make it through the book because Canto I was very difficult to understand, but I read it a few times and that helped to understand it. Dante realizes that he has lost sight of his path, literally and figuratively. A shade of the poet Virgil meets him on the path, who tells Dante that to get to the top of the hill, he must travel through Hell and Purgatory then reach heaven. Virgil reveals that he found out about Dante from Dante's former lover who is now among the blessed (in Heaven). This part confused me a little because I did not understand completely why Dante was in need of help. The first two cantos introduce the theme/idea behind the novel. It is supposed to reflect everyone's journey through life and how to grow closer to being blessed and how to avoid Hell. As Dante and Virgil make their way through the first few levels of Hell, Dante sees people he recognizes and realizes what all these different people have done wrong throughout the years. This teaches us what to avoid doing in life to escape the punishment of Hell. It still amazes me that he feels pity for all the people in Hell, no matter what they have done, and whether or not he knows them. I also think it is interesting how Virgil seems to have some power in certain areas of Hell, and needs help getting through other areas. Canto IX was very interesting, because of a mysterious character that Virgil says comes from Heaven to help them. I assumed that this was alluding to Jesus, because after his death on earth, he descended into Hell for three days. It may have been simply an angel, but it was definitely strange how the character did not address those he had come so far to help.