Dante and Daphne

When reading about the tree's in Dante's seventh circle of hell, I was reminded of the story of Daphne  in Greek mythology. In short, the story goes that Daphne was being pursued so intently by Apollo for her beauty, that she begs to the gods for help, and is eventually turned into a laurel tree.

While this is very different from the stories of the trees in Dante's seventh circle, I think there is a running theme of the body in both. In Daphne's case, she is being pursued by Apollo for her beauty, and by praying for Apollo to stop, it may be interpreted that she is indirectly begging for her body to be changed or taken away. Of course, Daphne was probably just terrified and praying for some divine intervention, but the solution ultimately given is pretty interesting.

In the case of the trees in the seventh circle, the people there "willingly" gave up their bodies as well (of course this is a point of controversy). And while I don't think Daphne necessarily wanted her body to be changed into a laurel, I think there is some similarity between the stories.