Family ties

One trend in themes we have seen since the summer work of this course is the significance of family and lineage throughout the novels. In the beginning of the year we certainly recognize that theme and addressed it in the early works of the semester however as time is going on we stop talking about the themes of family in our readings  From One hundred years of Solitude and Sing Unburied Sing to Hamlet and Oedipus, family and lineage has played a huge role in the way these works were composed. With the slight exception of Dante’s inferno, I think a very significant theme to keep in mind for the midterm on Monday is the importance of family and lineage in literature.

Justice

One of the themes that I feel could apply to many works that we have read this year is a character’s need to make things right and achieve justice. This could be because of a disruption in  the great chain of being or just one person feeling as though there is a situation where someone has been wronged and it needs to be fixed. This concept of justice is most prevalent in Medea and Hamlet. In Medea, Jason broke his promise to her by abandoning their marriage and their children to marry the princess of Corinth. In order to get revenge, Medea kills his new bride and their children. Medea felt as though she was wronged, so she took matters into her own hands to make Jason suffer. In Hamlet, Hamlet needs to avenge his father’s murder by killing his uncle.

¿treacherous?

First of all, it took quite a few tries before I was able to spell treacherous for the title. But the point of this blog post is to relight the topic of treachery in the pieces we read this semester. We see treachery in almost every work. In Media, we see it when she poisons the dress and kills her children and others. In Hamlet, it occurs all the time, with the people listening to others conversations and planning murders with poison. In the Inferno, there is an entire circle of hell, which happens to be the worst circle, just for individuals who committed treacherous acts in their lifetime. Just a reoccurring topic that might be handy to keep in mind as you all prepare for the midterm. Cheers

Why Horatio?

As we all know, Shakespeare’s Hamlet has a devastating ending. Just about every character that we came to know in the story dies. This starts with Ophelia’s suicide caused by her madness. Then in the last scene we see the deaths of the Queen, Gertrude, followed by the King Claudius, then Laertes and finally Hamlet. As Hanlet is dying, he speaks to his good friend Horatio and tells him to live on to tell Hamlet’s story. The thig I was wondering is why does Shakespeare choose to keep Horatio alive out of all the characters? Horatio is the only major character to survive so why him? What’s the importance of Horatio? I decided to some research on this and I found something interesting. Shakespeare possibly gave Horatio his name because it is based on two Latin words: ratio meaning “reason” and orator meaning “speaker”. Knowing this shows two important characteristics of Horatio. Horatio I noticed often serves as someone who shows reason and common sense (mostly when it comes to consulting Hamlet) For example, Horatio doesn’t believe Hamlet at first when Hamlet tells him of seeing his father’s ghost. Also, at the end, when Hamlet telling Horatio to stay alive and tell his story is a reference to how his name based on the Latin word for speaker. Horatio serves as the speaker of Hamlet’s story. That is why Shakespeare chose to keep him alive I believe.

The Supernatural

All of the works we have read this year have one thing in common: in some way or another, they all have elements of the supernatural. In Sing, Unburied, Sing it was the ghosts, in 100 Years the gypsies, in Dante’s Inferno just about everything. Since the prompts on our exam are not about any book in specific, I think keeping in mind the supernatural elements in all of our readings could be important for the exam.

Lack of freedom and its consequences in Hamlet

I believe one of the major themes of Hamlet is that the lack of freedom and the feeling of being trapped by one’s situation can lead to extreme actions, such as suicide, in order to escape and regain control. The two biggest examples of this is Hamlet hamlet and Ophelia. Hamlet is trapped in a situation where his father was murdered, his mother whom he thought loved his father enters into an incestuous marriage quickly after he death, he is told to get over the death of his father only months after, and he is forced to live with the killer of his father, his uncle. When he learns of the murder, he simply can’t tell everyone because that would be treason against the king. Everyone around him, including his friends and Ophelia, are used against him by Claudius and he feels he can trust no one, and to top it all off, the ghost of his father assigns him with the task of revenge. He feels that there is no way out of his situation, so he contemplates suicide as a way out multiple times as a way out, with the most famous occurrence being his “To be or not to be” soliloquy”. He can’t even find it within himself to take revenge because he ponders too much, leading him into a death spiral of depression and hopelessness. On the other hand there is Ophelia, who actually goes on to commit suicide. She is trapped in a world where she has absolutely no control. Her own father and the king manipulate her at every turn and force her to be bate in order to trap Hamlet. When she revealed in the beginning that she loves Hamlet, both her father and her brother forbade her from seeing the man she loved, claiming hey knew better than her when it came to her won life. And, she is forced to listen, because she lives in a society where women have no autonomy and are considered the property to the men closest to them. Then after she is forced to bate Hamlet into a trap, he doesn’t allow her to explain and completely blames her. The man she loved and who she thought to love her back tells her he never loved her, and goes on to jeer at her and make sexual puns towards her to put her down even more. When her father is mindlessly murdered by her ex lover while her brother is away, that is her last straw. She goes completely mad and commits suicide. There are many other examples of this throughout the play, but I believe these to be the two major instances.  

Chaos and Order: Dante's Inferno, The Aeneid, Hamlet

In Vergil’s Aeneid Chaos, Aeneas’s main enemy, is represented by disfigured monsters several times. For example, the giants, with extra limbs and heads, are referenced, and represent chaos. They were also created by nature in response to a disturbance in the great chain of being when some of the gods were overthrown and killed by others. In Dante’s inferno, the creatures and monsters in hell also represent chaos and disorder. Cerberus, with three heads, is greed, for example. In Hamlet, the land is rotting and Hamlet seeks revenge at the murder of his father, which disrupted the great chain of being. Chaos in Hamlet is shown by the confusion characters hold and in the backfiring traps they set; everyone is trying to look over their shoulder and swing their sword at the same time! I think the idea of restoring order or peace is something that is present in most of the prices we have been working with and could be incorporated into an exam essay. Even in Sing, Unburied, Sing, there is a sort of chaos in that there is racism and a past being ignored which needs to be remembered so that peace and justice can be reached.

¿Tragedy?

If I had to guess there will probably be a question on the concerning one of the two types of tragedies. There are two types that we have discussed this year. One of them is the Aristotelean tragedy and the other was the Shakespearean revenge tragedy. 

I suggest you keep in mind the differences between the two, specifically between the "heroes" of both. The Aristotelean hero is someone of imposing stature that has a tragic flaw, such as hubris, that ultimately leads to their downfall. The hero of a revenge tragedy downfall, however, is caused not by a tragic flaw, but instead by actions that the character happens to be thrown into. For example, it wasn't Hamlet's own doing that put him into the situation, it was Claudius and his mother, Gertrude, who killed Hamlet's father. Hamlet got put into a situation that wasn't of his own doing. 

That is just one of the differences between the two, but that difference is a big portion of the distinction between the two genres. What other differences can you think of?  

Foils to Hamlet

In Shakespeare's play, there are two glaring foils to Hamlet: young Fortinbras and Laertes. Fortinbras was also named after his father, who is dead at the beginning of the play, and struggles with the consequences of his death (although not to the same degree as Hamlet, since Fortinbras's father died nobly in combat). He is the prince of his country, and his uncle is the King of Norway, like Hamlet's uncle Claudius is the King of Denmark. Laertes, like both Fortinbras and Hamlet, is a nobleman and has lost a father (although it is a more recent death and part of the play's action). Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet all have a common duty they struggle with: the obligation to avenge their fathers' deaths.

However, while Hamlet questions himself and puts off revenge time and time again, Fortinbras and Laertes both take action rather immediately. Not long after his father's death and subsequent loss of territory to the Danes, Fortinbras raises an entire army and prepares for battle, blatantly ignoring the wishes of his uncle, the King of Norway. As soon as Laertes learns of Polonius's murder, he seethes with murderous intent, saying he will "cut [Hamlet's] throat i' th' church," (Shakespeare 116), implying that he will do anything, even commit a murder on the holy ground of a church, in order to avenge his father's death. Laertes immediately forms a tangible plan with Claudius to murder Hamlet. All three men seemed to be concerned with their fathers' and their own honor, but while Fortinbras and Laertes take action, Hamlet does not do anything significant except talk about getting revenge for most of the play. There's a reason why most of the deaths occur in Act V: Hamlet delayed revenge for so long that things got out of hand, causing many pointless deaths. If Hamlet had just killed Claudius when he had the chance (when Claudius was praying), Polonius, Gertrude, Laertes, Ophelia, and maybe even Hamlet would still be alive.

Death As the "Great Equalizer" in Hamlet

Throughout the play, Shakespeare (through Hamlet) makes many statements about the nature of death, specifically that it truly is the "great equalizer." In Act IV, Scene III, right after Hamlet has killed Polonius, the King asks Hamlet where Polonius is (despite knowing the answer). Hamlet answers, "'At supper [...] not where he eats, but where he is eaten. [...] Your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service--two dishes, but to one table. That's the end'" (Shakespeare 98). Here, Hamlet is questioning the true nature or purpose of social status and wealth. Neither is eternal; no matter how rich or powerful we are, we are all going to die eventually (and be eaten by maggots in the soil of the Earth). Later on, in Act V, Scene I, when Hamlet and Horatio are in the graveyard, Hamlet picks up a skull and again questions the meaning of life: "'To what base uses we may return, Horatio! [...] Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth to dust [...] Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay [...]'" (126). Here, Hamlet references two great leaders of the past, Alexander the Great and Caesar. While they were magnificent figures in life, they shared the same fate as Yorick, the old court jester Hamlet once knew. Hamlet's sentiment that Alexander "returneth to dust" echoes the Book of Genesis's famous quote, "For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return." In Hamlet, Shakespeare conveys that no matter our station in life, we will all die--a sad but true reality.

Hamlet and The Haunting of Hill House

One of the motifs we have discussed in Hamlet is traps, and especially, backfiring traps, as well as acting and false appearances. I recently finished the last episode of a chilling series on Netflix called The Haunting of Hill House. (Minor spoilers!) The house itself is almost alive; it shifts itself and creates mentally impactful visions to pull the family in and swallow them up one by one. For instance, it tried several times to lure characters into the Red Room by taunting them with a seemingly perfect reality. These attempts were all traps and false appearances; many deaths were caused by falling into these traps. The characters too try to trick the house, but these plans always backfire and end up leading them into danger. The house's tricks follow the characters, even if they are far away; the ghosts seem to be keeping an eye on them, just like Hamlet's mother and uncle, wherever they go. This show wasn't truly about the horror, though; it was about family and emotions. Hamlet, in a similar way, isn't only about vengeance or evading traps; there is a focus on the emotion aspects to each decision, mental struggles, and character relationships.

Hamlet and Destiny 2

Hamlet's main goal in the play is to get vengeance for his father's murder. While playing a game I love, called Destiny 2, I realized a few parallels to the play regarding vengeance. One of the main mentor characters in the game is killed and it's up to the player to avenge him by taking up arms and seeking out the enemy. The other two remaining mentors have very different views about the morality of revenge, though. One of them had a view I thought was similar to Hamlet's; she saw it as a duty to avenge their friend and saw it as cowardly to shy away from the deed. Hamlet too feels that not avenging the murder would make him a coward. The other of the two mentors thinks that it is better to focus on the city and that taking vengeance would be useless. This reminded me of when one of Hamlet's friends thought he should focus on the kingdom and on being next in line for the throne. I also thought about the traditional Christian view on revenge and Hamlet's view; The second destiny mentor seems to take the more traditional view while the first takes a view similar to Hamlet.

Shakespeare Adaptations Throughout the 20th Century

As a person whose been involved in theater for a while now, I can't help but admire adaptations of Shakespeare plays that have both retained the charms of the original play and created its own. Romeo and Juliet is arguably the most famous play from Shakespeare, so naturally it has seen countless adaptations throughout the years. "West Side Story", first premiered in 1957, is an excellent example of a "modern spin" on Shakespeare that maintains the essence of the original play. Who said Romeo and Juliet can't involve racial tension, gang violence, and great musical numbers? Another more recent example is probably one of my favorite movies of all time, "Romeo + Juliet (1996)" - and no, it's not because Leonardo de Caprio plays Romeo. The color scheme of every frame is eccentric and captivating, making the passion, violence, and heartbreak all the more extravagant. 

Kronborg Castle

Hamlet and the rest of the royal court live in Kronborg Castle, which is still around today. The castle has been around since around 1420. It was burned to the ground in 1629 and had to be rebuilt. Every summer, the play is put on in the castle's courtyard. It is located on a sound that connects to the Baltic Sea. Here are some pictures of this beautiful castle.

Why I much prefer watching "Hamlet" rather than reading it

Hamlet is a great story. This is not an opinion. It's a fact--a fact that is proven given its still vast popularity over 400 years after it was written. One that is proven given it was written by Shakespeare, an undisputed literary genius. Just as one can not deny Tom Brady's greatness even if they themselves do not like him, there is no denying the greatness of Hamlet.

With that in mind, though, I believe that by reading Hamlet, readers sacrifice much of the work's brilliance. Hamlet is a play. It was written to be a play! It was written to be watched! No matter how well-translated the story may be or how good the footnotes may be, reading it simply doesn't do it justice. Although Hamlet is still often performed by various casts, watching the play is not always a plausible option. Firstly, it's unlikely that an iteration of the play is running near you when you want to experience it. Secondly, in order to truly study Hamlet, a play isn't a very feasible option, as you have to watch it straight through. With a movie, you are able to visualize the scenes (as intended) and you are able to pause the film in order to analyze important speeches. For these reasons, I believe watching Hamlet as a film is the best way to experience it.

Kenneth Branagh

The film adaptation of Hamlet, made in 1996, features Kenneth Branagh as the main character. As I watched him in class, I was stunned by the emotion and craftsmanship involved in his performance; he overflowed with the passion and angst that Shakespeare's Hamlet embodies during the written play. He uses Hamlets "madness" as an instrument for what some may call excessive acting, doing all with such intensity that many believe it to be too much. Critic Waitsel Smith believes this confidence reflected in his acting was due to overwhelming success and ego, stating that "he was beginning to fancy himself as a sex symbol, a movie star and the successor to Lawrence Olivier." He notes other perceived "flaws" in his portrayal of Hamlet (Branagh directed the film as well as acted in it) as he notes that the anachronistic approach taken makes the film "overtly opulent".
For insight into Branaghs vision, watch this interview in he which describes some of his intentions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGX_qtZFtGc

I'm interested to hear what you guys think regarding the intensity of the acting and the portrayal of Hamlet. Though I can understand how the audience may find the film to showcase "overacting," I believe this sort of delivery is necessary in such an assertive and pathos filled play. After all, "to be or not to be" is not a light question - you can't ask it in a normal tone and expect the weight of the words to be perceived. That being said, this form of acting definitely requires someone who is not only genius, but has a deep capacity for emotion.
Smith puts it well when he states,"Hamlet is extremely interesting because it shows, on the one hand, the beauty of Kenneth Branagh's genius, and, on the other, the excesses of his madness."

"To be or Not to Be"

I'll be completely honest: before reading Hamlet, I was entirely unaware that the famous phrase "To be, or not to be" comes from this Shakespearean play. I had heard the phrase of course but was clueless as to its whereabouts. To be fair, though, I don't think I'm in the minority in this regard. When I asked my parents about this quote, they both responded that they are entirely familiar with it but neither knew its origins. My sister, too, admitted that she only became aware of this famous adage's origins after reading Hamlet her senior year.

All that being said, however, I still believe these words and the soliloquy in which they're found invoke some intriguing existential thought. In the most simple of explanations, Hamlet essentially asks whether it is better to live or to die. He speaks this soliloquy when he is suicidal, so he seems to believe that death is better than life. Hamlet says the only thing stopping him (and others) from suicide is the fear of the afterlife. He feels that life is awful but that he and others are too weak to commit suicide.

While I appreciate the thought that Hamlet's speech engenders, I don't like how Hamlet extends his depression to humanity as a whole. Hamlet seems to associate his hatred of life with everybody else hating life. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think Hamlet is acting out of emotion here or that he truly believes that all humans hate life?

Hamlet and Kate Chopin's The Awakening

SO this is a bit of a throwback to sophomore English when we read The Awakening by Kate Chopin but as I was reading Act 4 Scene 7 ***stop now because there are SPOILERS if you haven't read yet**** I immediately thought of a similarity between Ophelia's supposed suicide/death of drowning into the river because her clothes were too heavy and Edna's suicide into the ocean with rocks in her pocket. I remember the ambiguity of Edna's suicide, whether it was an act of rebellion or a submission to the hurt and difficulty in her life, but for the purposes of comparing it to Ophelia's death, I think I would say it is submission. Ophelia definitely lost herself to Hamlet and grew mad, so whether her death was a suicide or an accident she already submitted herself long before, unfortunately like Edna as well.

Shakespeares coined phrases

In Act 1, Scene 3, Polonius sends Laertes off for school in France with a very significant message and advice. In my opinion, I actually kinda agree with Polonius on most of these. He tells him to have integrity, to be practical, to keep his thoughts to himself, to be familiar and comfortable but not vulgar, not to make rash decisions, to listen more than talk, to hold onto old friends and be cautious with new ones, to be true to himself, to be slow to a quarrel but fight boldly, to dress rich but not gaudily, and finally to refrain from borrowing or lending money. That last one coined a phrase that people currently use even  today, “Neither a borrower nor a lender be”.  We've seen that a lot so far: Shakespeare creating phrases in his works that the whole world still uses so often in modern times. It's kind of crazy that good ole Shakey's words were that significant and impactful. It got me wondering about what other catchphrases we unknowingly quote Shakespeare during on a day to day basis. 
Here's a list of  some phrases that I did know, and ones I didn't: 

“Dead as a doornail” — (Henry VI Part II)
“For goodness’ sake” — (Henry VIII)
“Laughing stock” — (The Merry Wives of Windsor)
“One fell swoop” — (Macbeth)

"In a pickle" (The Tempest)
"Pomp and circumstance" (Othello)

"As good luck would have it” — (The Merry Wives of Windsor)

“Break the ice” — (The Taming of the Shrew)

“Wear my heart upon my sleeve” — (Othello)

“Wild-goose chase” — (Romeo and Juliet)

Enjoy! :)

Shakespeare Globe Visit

In reading Shakespeare's Hamlet, I can't help to think about the St. Martin's Europe Trip this past summer when we visited Shakespeare's Globe Theater to view the production of "As you Like it." "As you like it" is a Shakespearean comedy performed in full verse with many gender role reversal characters played on stage. It was cool to see how Shakespeare's works were genuinely intended to be performed. Sitting down in would could be considered an artifact was amazing, and seeing the performance of Shakespeare rather than reading one of his plays was eye-opening. For this reason, especially after seeing "As you like it," I greatly appreciate being able to watch Hamlet on screen if not in the theater so that the words could come to life as Shakespeare intended. 

P.S. Attached is a picture of my view from this summer. 

The Diverse Talents of Kenneth Branagh

While watching Hamlet (the film) in class on Monday, I noticed many people taken aback by Kenneth Branagh's pretty bizarre portrayal of Hamlet. I must admit, it is a little wild, but in my opinion, Shakespeare intended for Hamlet to act crazy! If we look at the text, Hamlet himself intends to act crazy (to fool the King, Queen, and Polonius). I, for one, love Kenneth Branagh as Hamlet (although I was taken aback by the platinum blond hair at first, I've gotten used to it now). I recognized him from the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie (which you MUST watch, Ms. King, if only to see Kenneth Branagh!), in which he played the self-absorbed, fraudulent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart. As I had never researched Branagh before, I Googled him and was surprised to discover that a man I only knew from a single Harry Potter film had such a wide artistic range!

Kenneth Branagh has acted out a very diverse set of roles. Aside from Hamlet and Gilderoy Lockhart, he has taken on many other Shakespearian projects (such as King Henry V, Macbeth, and Othello), acted in action or war movies (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and Dunkirk), and even lent his voice to a character in an animated Dreamworks movie, The Road to El Dorado. Branagh also directed films, including Hamlet, other Shakespeare-based movies, Disney's live-action Cinderella, and even Marvel's Thor. He's also been nominated for five Oscars--all in different categories!

In short, Kenneth Branagh is amazing. Here are some pictures from some of his roles.

Hamlet, Hamlet (1996)

Gilderoy Lockhart, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Macbeth, Macbeth (2013)

Commander Bolton, Dunkirk (2017)

Source: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000110/#director

Hamlet and Macbeth

As we've been reading Hamlet, I've often noticed similarities to the play we read last year, Macbeth. Both plays are by Shakespeare (to state the obvious), both are titled by the names of their protagonists, and both are tragedies. Hamlet and Macbeth are both princes or lords and could possibly become king in the future. Both see ghosts who were murdered. Hamlet encounters his father, murdered by Claudius; and Macbeth sees Banquo, whom he ordered to be murdered, at a feast. However, there are many differences between the two plays.

First of all, Hamlet seems to be younger and less experienced than Macbeth. He isn't married, and he seems more a scholar than a warrior, whereas Macbeth was a revered for his prowess in battle. While Macbeth seems to be a true Aristotelian tragic hero and is brought down from a great height (becoming king) by his tragic flaw (ambition), Hamlet is a completely different story. While Hamlet is a tragedy, it is often called a "revenge tragedy" (like Medea), rather than an Aristotelian tragedy. Hamlet does not seem to have a flaw in his character or personality traits; he is simply brought to madness by trying to get revenge on his uncle Claudius for murdering Hamlet, Sr. Shakespeare does use common themes of tragedy among royalty or nobility in many of his plays, but he manipulates the structure, plot, and characters to keep his works diverse and original.

One final note: Lady Macbeth is wayyyy cooler than either Gertrude (who marries her husband's brother and murderer--ew, incest!) or Ophelia (who, although Hamlet treats her poorly, seems like a pretty whiny tattletale; keep your love letters to yourself, girl!).

The 9 Spheres of Heaven - Paradiso

This is sort of like a part 2 to my other post about Purgatorio. Because it was a lot to put in one post, I broke it up into two.  Here, I will follow up by talking about Paradiso. Again, as I stated in my previous post, I wanted to research Purgatorio and Paradiso just out of curiousity after having just read a good portion of Inferno and taken a test on it.

Dante’s Paradiso is, obviously, Dante’s adventure through heaven with a final end goal of reaching God himself. Up until this point, Vergil has guided him in both Inferno and Purgatorio but he can not enter heaven since he is inelgible due to being a pagan that came before Christ was born. However, Dante is led by the woman he loves, Beatrice, instead. One thing I find interesting about Paradiso is the fact that most of the 9 spheres are named after Celestial Bodies: The Moon, Mercury, Venus, The Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn in that order for the first 7 levels, then the next levels are named the Fixed Stars and the Primum Mobile which is Latin and literally translates to “The First Moving Thing” (in this case it is talking about God since he was obviously the first bein to ever exist). For the 9 spheres of heaven, it doesn’t seem to have many benefits to being in a higher level than in a lower level except for the fact that the higher up you are, the closer you are to God which is reward enough for those in heaven. In fact, the article I read even describes the lowest level (The Moon) as the souls be “punished” to the lowest level of heaven due to failure to keep vows during their lives. However, the only punishment that they are receiving is that they are farthest from God. One of the most interesting levels I thought though was the Fixed Stars (the 8th sphere). Here, Dante is able to meet several biblical figures including the Virgin Mary and the Apostles Peter, John, and James. The final level, the Primum Mobile, only consists of 9 circles of Angels surrounding a bright light (God) and no humans but Dante is able to go there himself which I find interesting. Dante, with Beatrice, then ascends to the Empyrean, a level which is beyond the physical heavens. He is enveloped with light and finally visits God. This concludes the Divine Comedy. I find this very intriguing and I may read this as well as Purgatorio one day if I get the chance! For more information on Paradiso see the first link below. For more information on Purgatorio see my other blog post or the second link below.

Source:
https://historylists.org/art/9-spheres-of-heaven-dantes-paradiso.html

https://historylists.org/art/9-levels-of-purgatory-dantes-purgatorio.html

Playacting in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

The motif of playacting is prevalent throughout Hamlet. Hamlet himself, on multiple occasions, makes puns with the words “play” and “act.” He is also putting on a show for the King, Queen, and most everyone else. Hamlet pretends he has gone mad to manipulate those around him. He believes that if people (especially his uncle Claudius) think he’s mad, they’ll try and get closer to him or drop their guard. Hamlet’s ultimate goal is to discover the truth about his father’s death (or murder) and avenge him, as per tradition. Hamlet wishes to trick Claudius into revealing that he murdered the late king at none other than a play they are both attending!  Another theme Shakespeare loves to play with (haha, get it, play) is appearance versus reality. In my opinion, as Hamlet gets deeper and deeper into acting like a madman, he slowly begins to lose his sanity for real. I believe Shakespeare is trying to convey that if you live your life like you’re in a play (if it’s all just an act), you can lose sight of reality.

The 9 levels of Purgatory - Purgatorio

The other day, after taking a test on Dante’s Inferno, I was thinking about Dante’s other two famous works of The Divine Comedy, Purgatorio and Paradiso. I decided to look up articles that explain the 9 levels of each poem. For the sake of brevity, I will explain Purgatorio in this posting explain Paradiso in another post.

Purgatorio has a really interesting way of depicting Purgatory. The 9 levels are purgatory are split between the first two levels (the Ante-Purgatory reserves for people with stubbornness and for the repentful) and the next 7 levels which are reserved for sinners of the 7 deadly sins (Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust in that order from lowest level to top most level). What I find interesting is that Dante, before he leaves the 2nd level of Ante Purgatory, he has an angel draw 7 Ps on his head. As he ventures through each level of purgatory, the Ps are removed from his head by angels. What’s funny is that some of the levels of purgatory seem to have a worse punishment than the hell counterparts of the same sins and if not worse then just as bad. For example, the Lustful are forced to run through a wall of fire while shouting out examples of chastity, the opposite of lust (by the way, each level seems to make a reference to the opposite of the sin the level represents). Another example is with the prideful. Although pride isn’t present in Dante’s Inferno as a circle, the punishment here does seem pretty hellish. They are forced to carry weights on their back hunched over which causes them pain. While they carry these weights, statues of humility, the opposite of pride, surround them. The people are in Limbo have it easier than some of these people in purgatory! However, it doesn’t last for eternity since they are in purgatory. In fact, something I found interesting was the way Dante handles a soul being ready to advance to heaven. When a soul is ready, a tremor (a slight earthquake) happens. When Dante escapes Purgatory he reaches the Earthly paradise which is at the peak of mount purgatory (it’s almost like a 10th level of purgatory similar to how hell has a pre-level with the neutrals). The state of the Earthly Paradise mimicks that of Earth during the time when Adam and Eve first came into existence, before original sin happened. This seems really interesting and I may give it a read one day! For more information on each level of purgatory, see the link below. If you are also interested in Paradiso, see the other link which explains the 9 spheres or see my other blogpost.

Source:
https://historylists.org/art/9-levels-of-purgatory-dantes-purgatorio.html
https://historylists.org/art/9-spheres-of-heaven-dantes-paradiso.html

The Ever-Entertaining Polonius

Maybe it's just me, but thus far, I think Polonius has been a hoot! Ok true--he's been a condescending, self-centered, nosy hoot, but my point stands.

#1: He's quite the loquacious giver of advice. On page 21-22, he gives Laertes oodles and oodles of advice before Laertes heads off to France. I mean, he's being fatherly (I guess), but I also think he just wants to hear himself talk.

#2: Then, as we discussed in class, he precedes to give Ophelia advice about her relationship with Hamlet. At first, I thought he was just demonstrating some fatherly concern for Ophelia, worried about her getting her heart broken. I soon realized I couldn't have been further off the mark. Not only does he treat her as an idiot (yes, his very own daughter), but he's more concerned about his reputation than her well-being. He does make some solid points about young men being fickle and about Hamlet's status, but he does so for his own benefit and in a condescending manner (calling her a "green girl" (23), for example).

#3: This next instance is perhaps my favorite. Polonius sends "his man Reynaldo" to France to find a Dansker to help him spy on Laertes. Then, Reynaldo is supposed to say something to the Dansker along the lines of, "Hey, do you know Laertes? He's that Danish dude who drinks, fights, cusses, and enjoys the company of prostitutes." Ultimately, the end goal is to find out what Laertes is up to. Polonius is using a deceptive trap to uncover the truth. I guess it's just a means to an end. Do y'all think that's justifiable?

#4: Finally (so far), Polonius concocts a scheme to find out if Hamlet is lovesick for Ophelia. The gist of the plan is that he will hide while Ophelia confronts Hamlet. Then he'll find out whether Hamlet's aching heart is the source of his pain and report back to the king and queen.

As annoying as Polonius might be in real life (hypothetically), in the context of the play, he's a character whose lines I love to read. I never know what's going to come out of his mouth next or what kind of childish plot he's going to devise. As a reader, he keeps me on my toes, and I've managed to see past his arrogance and self-absorption. What about y'all?

Paradise/Purgatory Through My Eyes

During my trip to Pennsylvania a couple of days ago, I had a layover in Detroit. The sky was grey and with the leafless trees and yellow grass (no snow), it looked dead, depressing, and simply ugly. However, when I got back into the air, I was stunned when I saw the clouds from above. What I saw resembled every depiction of heaven in movies or tv shows with a beautiful blue sky and ground covered in clouds. I think that in some way this resembles purgatory and paradise because the beauty of paradise (my airplane view) is literally and symbolically above the depressing image and ugliness of purgatory or hell (my view on the ground). Here is a picture I took of the clouds and trust me that it looked much better in person (sorry for taking the picture vertically). 

The Banner in Ante-Inferno

As Dante comes to a close this week in English I thought I would give one last direct blog post to this work :)

Recently in religion class, we watched a movie about Christianity, specifically referencing Constantine’s banner. Although it is hard to imagine any specific image Dante had in mind concerning this, I immediately thought of the punishment in Ante-Inferno of the souls forced to chase a banner for eternity. I mentioned this to Father Millican to which we had a lengthy conversation exploring it a bit more so I thought I would share!

During war times, it was standard practice to follow a banner like one would a battle flag and Constantine’s specifically symbolized a level of commitment. The reason I correlated this banner to Dante was due to the setting the souls are in as a result of their NON-COMMITMENT. Ante-Inferno is where the neutral souls go, such as the archangels who did not choose between Satan and God. Father Millican told me: “Following a banner of any sort would represent the cause or the region for which you would fight, give your life, etc.” So a blank banner they have to chase for eternity is an appropriate punishment to show that there was nothing they gave their life or fought for because they made no distinct choice. *sigh* tragic...

"Incestuous Sheets"

In his soliloquy, Hamlet reflects on the relationship of his mother and Claudius, cursing Gertrude ("O, most wicket speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets!") Later on, the ghost makes the same claim, concluding that the marriage is in violation of the laws against intercourse between close kin. However, other members of the Danish court imply that the marriage is not only lawful, but morally acceptable. The relationship that a widow can have with the kin of the deceased was a heated debate topic in the sixteenth century, in part due to the divorce trial of Henry VII and Catherine of Aragon (Henry VII married his brothers widow). Furthermore, the Bible doesn't give clear commands regarding this matter.
The conversation revolving around this relationship continues today as readers try to determine how they should view such a marriage. Personally, even though its far from Oedipus status, I think these sorts of marriages still seem a bit creepy. That being said, I don't think I would classify it as "incest" as there is no blood relation between the two getting married.
What do you think?


 

Hamlet and Aeneas

In Latin, we have discussed Aeneas as a character. His main enemy throughout the Aeneid is Fury itself, which is represented in many ways. "Furor", Fury, is something that is chaotic and goes against the established order. Aeneas is called to be a new kind of hero in that his deeds aren't going to be in warfare, but instead in establishing a new settlement in Italy and leading his people with honor. Instead of staying to fight while Troy was falling to the Greeks, he was called by spirits of fallen warriors and his wife to flee and give hope to a future settlement, which would become Rome. Hamlet is too called to battle Fury; his uncle has disturbed the established order and he must put it back in place. This relates to the great chain of being; the chain, established order, has been disturbed, and there can't be peace until it is restored. Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father just as Aeneas is visited by many guiding spirits, including his dad's. Hamlet, however, is called to violent revenge. This is a different type of calling than Aeneas's, and it is more traditional. He must avenge his dad who was killed to regain his honor and the throne, whereas Aeneas's goal is not about fighting and is meant to serve as a contrast between Aeneas and other more traditional war heroes.

Dante's Inferno and Vergil's Aeneid: Underworld Comparisons

In Latin class this year, we have been continuing reading Vergil’s Aeneid, and I thought it was fun that we happened to reach the part about Aeneas descending into the underworld as we started reading Dante’s Inferno in English class. I noticed many parallels and connections between the two versions of hell. One of the more obvious connections is Dante’s direct references to Aeneas’s journey to hell. The two poets did organize their versions of hell differently; Dante has drawn out circles and more clear directions than Vergil’s mapping of hell, and Vergil has an area in his underworld that is peaceful and pleasant. They both, however, have sections for different types of sinners, and Dido is in both of their underworlds. Dido is in Vergil’s section of people who have been consumed by love, and is in Dante’s area for lust. Vergil showed that Dido was not lustful; she was actually very surprised to fall in love again after her husband was murdered. Vergil’s boundaries and sections are a bit more fluid than Dante’s, I think, but he does mention 9 circles, which surprised me. The rivers and boatmen are common to both because of their presence in mythology. In both stories, there is a guide as well as some divine intervention. Dante has Vergil, and Aeneas has the Sybil. Both have a sort of “fate” or reason for being guided down there. Aeneas’s whole journey has been dictated by the gods; it is even divine permission that allows him to get the golden bough and go to the underworld. Dante has help from three divine women. They each have to calm Cerberus by throwing something into his mouths; Aeneas and the Sybil give him honey cake, which he probably preferred over Dante and Vergil’s slime. The boatmen of the underworld are hesitant to bring each group across, but eventually do. This was actually a small point of humor in the Aeneid, just as Dante tried to include some humor with the salutes and signals of the demons to one another. Furies attack sinners in both; in the Aeneid, they attack the gluttons who try to eat at the feast eternally laid out before them. Aeneas and Dante talk to spirits in the underworld, and are both shaken by their experiences, but Aeneas is more caring than Dante and isn’t mean to spirits he meets or recognizes. Aeneas’s father is in the underworld and he seems unaware of how Aeneas got there or what trials he had to go through on his journey, but he shows Aeneas the future and fate of Rome. This reminded me how people in Dante’s hell can’t see the present, but can see and predict the future. Betrayal against those who trust you, particularly family and clients, is something that Romans despised, and theses sins were shown in both underworlds. The authors also both set their work’s timeline behind their own and were able to make references and predictions of the future that had already in fact happened. There are many more similarities, but these were a few that stood out to me while reading the two works.

The Lion King and Hamlet

I am going to start this blog post off by saying if you have not seen the Lion King yet (I'm looking at you, Mrs. King), you need to do it A.S.A.P., especially before the live action film comes out. If you have seen it, then Hakuna Matata, you're on the right track.The Lion King is hands down the best Walt Disney film of all time, and do not try to argue this with me. The Lion King has many many parallels to Hamlet, this is not new news. In fact, most people say that the Lion King was derived from the Shakespeare play as well. In addition to that observation, people have concluded that the Lion King 2: Simba's Pride is also an ode to another Shakes classic, Romeo and Juliet (of course with the exception of the tragic deaths at the end).
The basic plot of the Lion King, in case you didn't know because maybe you haven't seen the movie or something, *cough cough* Mrs King *cough*, is when Scar, Simba's power hungry uncle, kills Mufasa, Simba's dad and the king of Pride Rock, in order to gain power and rule the land.This relates to the play because as we just read in Act 1 Scene 5, Claudius (supposedly) killed King Hamlet. But you might want to Be Prepared for this newsflash because it might take you for a loop: Hamlet and The Lion King differ in the fact that in the Lion King, Scar needed to rid Simba in order to gain control over the throne. To do this he convinces Simba as a cub that he killed his own father, causing him to run away. This differs from Hamlet, because in the play Claudius was next in line for the throne- before young Hamlet.
Another parallel between the two is the moment when Simba's seeking advice while grieving  obviously after his father's death and sees Mufasa's spirit in the stars, this scene is quite the tear-jerker considering the circumstances but hey I guess thats The Circle of Life. The last parallel to make is the connection between Claudius and Gertrude and Scar and Sarabi. After Hamlet's death we know that Gertrude does not mourn much and immediately moves on, offering a large motif of the pay: a sort of dramatizing and theatrical characteristic. In the Lion King, Sarabi does not do the same and there is not a defined line of her and Scar's relationship after Mufasa's death but here certainly is hinting at the fact that Scar makes Sarabi his property after-- how romantic, Can you feel the Love Tonight?
Overall my main takeaway from this is that Mrs. King should watch Lion King.

Another Reference to Beatrice

Going off of Natalia's post, I have found another reference to Beatrice in the mini cartoon series of "Over the Garden Wall". Throughout the episodes, there are many different allusions and parallel to Dante's Divine Comedy, but none so as blatant as the reference to Beatrice. In the show, two young boys are lost in a mysterious forest and are tasked with finding their way home, while meeting a variety of odd characters and avoiding something called The Beast. It is heavily implied throughout that they are journeying through some sort of afterlife or purgatory, and one of the few friendly creatures they encounter and who acts as their guide is a blue bird named Beatrice.

Dante's guide to Florence

In case you all did not know, I'm going to Italy this summer. I'm actually stopping in Florence, so I decided to see what landmarks were Dante related to see if I wanted to add anything to the itinerary. So I decided to share my findings.


Dante's house and museum


Dante's death mask, on display at the Palazzo Vecchio


santa margherita de' cerchi church. This is where Dante first saw Beatrice at the age of 9 and fell in love with her.


sasso di dante. This means Dante's stone. Dante used to sit on this stone and write many of his poems


The bargello. This used to be the headquarters of the city council of Florence, and this is where Dante's exile became official. It is now a museum.

Cleopatra in Dante's Hell

Among the people Dante placed in his circles of hell was Cleopatra. Last year for our independent reading English project, I read a book called "Cleopatra" about her life and history. Something I remember was how Cleopatra was portrayed as manipulative and lustful by her opponents. This was because she was a powerful woman; other rulers and particularly people who didn’t think a woman should rule felt intimidated by her and thus tried to make her seem fraudulent and mischievous rather than strong and powerful. Even our modern day Halloween costumes for Cleopatra focus on beauty and on revealing cloths rather than power or other aspects of her. Dante shouldn’t have put her in his hell in the circle of the lustful; she shouldn't be remembered that way, and that is one point the author of my independent reading book, Stacy Schiff, was passionate about. She wanted to set Cleopatra's history straight and explain all of the false depictions. 

A Reference to Beatrice

Dante’s letters and unreturned love for Beatrice reminded me of something from A Series of Unfortunate Events. The narrator, Lemony Snicket, had loved a girl named Beatrice who said no to his marriage proposal. She died soon after, just as Dante's Beatrice had died young. The introduction for each new episode on Netflix has a short love letter written from Lemony Snicket to Beatrice. If this was intentional, it makes sense in keeping with the author’s style. The series is full of plays on words and references, and Beatrice might be another!

As Above So Below

Way back in 2014, me and my friend decided to watch this movie called "As Above So Below", with the hopes of getting thoroughly scared; instead we were left pretty confused and creeped out. I basically forgot about this movie until it was added on Netflix last month, where I decided to rewatch it. Needless to say, I understand now why this movie completely went over my head. The movie follows a group of explorers led by an archaeologist named Scarlett, who plans on continuing her father's research by going into the Paris catacombs in search of the infamous Philosopher's Stone. By entering the catacombs, the team literally descends into hell, all 9 layers and everything. The interesting thing is that at each different stop in the tunnels, we see that each member of the team is tested by the spirits of the catacombs and later reveals to have committed their own unforgivable sins. I don't want to spoil all of the movie, as I highly suggest that you guys should watch it. Apart from it being super creepy, it's really cool to see how Dante's Inferno was imagined into a modern setting!

Relating “Dexter” to Dante’s Inferno

For those of you who have ever seen Showtime’s Dexter, you know the show presents a very convoluted moral question: is murder ever okay? For those who haven’t seen this must-watch series, Dexter is a serial killer who developed the need to kill when, as a young child, he witnessed his mom’s death and was forced to sit in a pool of her blood for days. Unlike most other killers, Dexter recognizes that killing an innocent human is wrong. Accordingly, he only murders “bad” people—murderers and rapists. The people whom Dexter kills are far worse than him. In a way, by taking these murderers out of the world, Dexter is  saving more lives than he is taking, as many of his victims are likely to kill again.
Some people think what Dexter does is good. Others (for fair reasons) think it is awful. What do you think? According to Dante’s version of Hell, would Dexter be placed in the circle for murderers? Does he belong among those who kill out of cold blood? Personally, I don’t think Dexter’s murders merit him being in the Circle for murderers, nor do I believe he belongs in Paradise. I think the appropriate place for Dexter is Purgatory—right between Good and Evil, as his actions, too, lie between Good and Evil.

Looks like a lot of people are going to Hell (only read if you want to here a really long story)

Well, I don’t know about yall but I had a rough weekend. Here’s a recollection of how it has gone so far:

Friday, Samuel, Rico, and I were planning on leaving Sam’s house on the north shore to drive to Houston, Texas. We were racing the next day at the Nike Cross Country South Regional. Since we weren’t pulling out until 9:45, I had some time to get in a squirrel hunt near his house. My first disappointment in the day was not killing or even seeing any tree rats, even though I could here them and see their dug-out holes in the ground. When it was time to go back to my car, I could not find the trail I entered the woods in and got lost for about 5 min or so. It was pretty scary actually because everything looks the same! I managed to get to Sam’s by 10.

        As we were driving, the admissions decision from one of top schools was released. My 2nd disappointment was not getting into this university, along with many other of my friends who were certainly qualified. While I was upset, I had much to look forward to the next day: racing against the best competition in the southern United States and running a fast time to impress the college coaches. 

My 3rd disappointment came as I was doing my pre-race jog on the course at sunset. The race course consisted of three loops around a soccer complex. So boring! Also we can’t seem to get away from the mud! Even though it hasn’t rained since Monday, the course was somehow still wet. 

My last disappointment came this afternoon during our race. There were 200 boys in the championship division. The 5k race started with everyone going out super fast and multiple people shoving, tripping, and getting pushed along the barriers. I managed to stay on the edges away from all the madness. I was on pace for a good race until the 0.75 mile mark. I came upon a pile of mud there. Two boys in front of me slipped and fell. I slowed down to catch my footing so I could jump over or go around them, but the people behind pushed me into them. I fell on top and one their spikes went into my calf and quad. Sure this was painful, but then I was trampled on by all the other runners. I was spiked even more. Somebody’s actually went into my heel causing a huge gash with lots of blood. got back up to run the rest of the race, I was so mad that I think I got more adrenaline. Rico was fortunate to avoid this catastrophe. I could see him putting distance on me. With my anger, I think was able to fuel my mind and body with enough energy to try and catch up from the 20 second delay. The next 2 miles I passed up numerous runners until I finally caught up to Rico. I was sprinting toward the finish when then I saw a flash of purple pass me up 10 yards before the finish. Rico had out kicked me and finished a second ahead of me. After catching my breath and making it back to our parents, my gash in my achilles was actually more serious then I thought. I am actually on my way right now to go get stitches/glue to seal the wound.

So yeah, my weekend was not the best. I think there needs to be a circle of Hell for the squirrels when they don’t cooperate, for admissions people who deny students from admission, directors who host meets at bad locations, and runners who push others into the mud and spike. Haha JUST KIDDING. But this is how I feel after all the Ls taken these past two days. Thanks for reading my story.

La vita nuova

• La vita nuova, which is Italian for “The New Life,” was written by Dante in approximately 1293.
• The work focused on his feelings for Beatrice, who Dante thought represented the ideal woman.
• La vita nuova describes Dante’s first sight of Beatrice when they were nine years old, his measures to conceal his love for her, various struggles among them with Dante overlooking her apparent flaws, Beatrice’s death, his mourning, and much more!
• The work consists of 42 chapters with 25 sonnets, one ballata (poetic style with AbbaA rhyme scheme with the first and last lines the same), and four canzone (songs) with a fifth canzone abruptly interrupted by Beatrice’s death.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/La-Vita-nuova

La Vita e Bella

We know that my Italian heritage isn't a secret at this point. That being said, I love this unit. Another thing I love is the movie "La Vita e Bella", or "Life is Beautiful". The movie circles the life of a Jewish-Italian waiter, Guido Orefice when he meets Dora, a pretty schoolteacher, and over time after many fated run-ins wins her over. Through this Guido creates the classic and infamous phrase "buongiorno principessa" (good morning princess). Eventually they marry and have a son, Giosue, who is just the CUTEST thing ever. (I could watch this little 6 year old speak Italian all. day. long.) Suddenly Guido and Giosue are separated from Dora and taken to a concentration camp. Trying to protect his son's innocence, Guido convinces Giosue that their time in the camp is merely a game.
This movie is fantastic, I highly recommend seeing it (with English subtitles).  It's funny, sad, happy, and so much more.
You may be wondering why in the world I'm talking about this random movie on the blog and how it relates to our current readings. I think of it in three ways:
1) the unit we're learning about right now is Italian Literature.. so there's that.
2) I got reminded of this classic when I read about Dante's friend Guido in Canto X of Dante's Inferno (and clearly noticing their differences where Movie Guido is a devout Jewish man and Inferno Guido.. well isn't very religious)
and 3) Throughout reading Dante's Inferno, I think I can speak for the majority of the class in saying that it's given us all a chance to kind of reflect on life.. While yes at times, life isn't very fair, it certainly is a beautiful thing. We get to take each day we have and make it count, and I think that's something you can take from a lot of different influences; whether it be La Vita e Bella or Dante's Inferno.

¿Paradiso?

We have seen a lot of artwork depicting the inferno and the circles of hell. However, the inferno is only 1 third of the divine comedy, there is also the Purgatorio and the Paradiso. Here are a few works of art depicting the two. Enjoy!!

The Old Man of Crete

In class, we briefly discussed the Old Man of Crete. He is one of my favorite symbols in Inferno as he brought to my attention the repetitive theme of the degradation of humankind. Though as a work in its entirety, The Divine Comedy goes from tragedy (Inferno) to harmony (Paradiso), in Inferno all emphasizes the idea of our decline as a race. Even the way hell is laid out, starting with the virtuous Pagans and ending in absolute chaos in the 9th circle, can be interpreted as not only showing the level of each sin but as commentary on our decent away from decency.
The Old Man of Crete is turning his back to the pagan world of the East and is facing towards Rome, the modern, Christian world. His head of gold is the only part of him not effected by fissures in which his tears stream through. The tears represent the sorrow brought to mankind due to original sin, as Mt. Ida in itself can be compared to the Garden of Eden ("then happy in its verdue and its streams, now deserted like an old, discarded thing"). The fissures, which allow for sorrow to flow, may be representative of imperfection that led to original sin and brought suffering.

Where Would Oedipus Be in Hell?

Oedipus is a pretty complex character. His most grievous sins (killing his father and marrying his mother) take place because he doesn’t know his true identity. However, he would definitely be placed in the seventh circle at the very least—he is very violent against his neighbors. He kills Laius (even though he doesn’t know him to be his father) and almost Laius’s ENTIRE entourage simply because of some Ancient Greek road rage! Oedipus jumps to conclusions and says he wants his brother-in-law dead after he only SUSPECTS that Creon is plotting against him. Oedipus would definitely be up to his eyeballs in the River Phlegethon. 

However, would Oedipus be placed even deeper in the eighth circle for pretending to be someone he’s not (Polybus’s son) if he didn’t know the truth about himself? Or possibly the ninth circle for treachery because he killed his own father—even if he didn’t know who Laius was? My question is, is it still a sin if it’s unintentional? There’s no doubt in my mind that Oedipus wouldn’t have killed his father or slept with his mother if he knew his identity—he ran away from his beloved adopted parents to avoid that very fate. What circle do y’all think he belongs in? 

‘Tis the Season for Coal??

In Canto VII we read and explored the sinners classified under Avarice and their appropriate punishment of fighting with boulders on their chests. This makes sense as during their life they wished to be weighed down by this meaningless currency, so their punishment of having boulders to their chest shows the real effect something so meaningless can weigh down on the heart. As we were discussing this in class, I immediately thought of the holiday-appropriate advice all children were told of “Don’t be on Santa’s naughty list or you will get coal in your stocking!” This directly relates to the principle of those greedy for material things could have a useless weight as a “punishment” if they do not have the correct behavior and gratitude concerning something that can easily corrupt you. Hopefully, everyone is on Santa’s nice list this year ;)

Lust vs. Gluttony

An important thing to recognize between the first few circles of Hell is the primary reasoning of why certain sins are worse than others and vice versa. In the case of Lust and Gluttony, Gluttony, as we've read in Dante's Inferno, is considered worse. The primary reason for Lust being considered a less-serious sin is due to the fact that lust is "shared." The individuality of Gluttony is what makes it such a profound sin. When sin is shared, according to Dante's God, it is of less offense than when it is individually acted upon. This, of course, links to the fact that the worst sins in Dante's Hell are ones of fraudulence, which relate to the manipulative nature of the human mind. While working alone in thought and with human nature as an accomplice, one is more likely to sin and sin to a more intense degree.

Filippo Argenti Was a Nasty Man

Remember Filippo Argenti? In Hell, he was scorned by Dante; Dante doesn’t even pity him OR faint! That must mean he’s pretty bad because we know Dante is kind of faint of heart. Not a lot is known about him historically, but I’ll tell you what I found out. (We get some of this from Dante’s Inferno.)

He lived in Florence and was involved in politics. And big surprise, he was an aristocrat! He was also one of the Black Guelphs. (As you may remember, Dante was a White Guelph.) He received the nickname “Argenti” because he had “his horse shoed with silver!” He seems high maintenance...

Here are some reasons Dante may have hated him. I’m not sure all of these are one hundred percent verified, but I think they’re likely possibilities.
1. He slapped Dante
2. When Dante was exiled, Filippo’s brother took Dante’s possessions. (Without asking, I’m assuming—haha!)
3. His family openly opposed Dante coming back from exile.

(FYI—these reason are straight from my source. I can’t guarantee that all of this happened, but these reasons would make sense. They’re funny regardless!)

Lastly, how would you feel about being featured in someone’s work of literature? Especially if it became famous?

Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filippo_Argenti

Who Was the Woman Who Flirted with Dante?

I bet you’re dying to be sure of the juicy details of Francesca de Ramini’s and Paolo’s lives. Here’s what I found out:

They lived during the same time as Dante. (They were historical contemporaries.)
In 1275, Francesca got married to “the brave, yet crippled Giovanni Malatesa.” In English class today, we talked to how their marriage was arranged, but why? Francesca’s father had been warring with Giovanni’s family, and Francesca was a peace offering. As we know, Francesca got all cozy with Giovanni’s brother, Paolo, and things only escalated from there. (In fact, Paolo was married as well!) Paolo and Francesca kept their affair a secret for TEN YEARS! Unfortunately, they both met a tragic end when Giovanni “surprised them in the bedroom” and preceded to end their lives. This story made me think: is love worth dying for? I think in some cases yes. Also, I guess they didn’t know they were going to die. Still, they were willfully committing sin. What do y’all think?

And then I also thought: is love worth going to Hell for? I think most of us would argue that no, it’s not. Why would you do something during your earthly, transient, and short life that would affect you eternally? At the same, though, you have to wonder: if Francesca and Paolo were simply thinking and desiring immoral and lustful thoughts, they likely would’ve gone to Hell anyway (in Dante’s opinion, of course). I think our actions really should be distinguished from our thoughts and desires; they ultimately make us who we are. I’m not sure Dante would agree, though.

Cool Art: (I’m kind of on an art kick lately!)

Paolo & Francesca smooching: Painting by Rossessti (1867)

Depicts Dante fainting after hearing their fate: Painting by Doré (1857)

Francesca and Paolo dying: Painting by Cabanel (1870)

Dante’s Lost Tenth Circle!? (Not really)

I was doing some research on Dante’s inferno and upon doing so, I found something that could make a great 10th circle of hell. I’m sure this article isn’t really true with it saying that archivists found a lost canto but I’d still like to share it because it’s an interesting idea for a 10th circle. This is sorta a spoiler about the 9th circle of hell, but, the 9th circle is a frozen lake with 4 sections (depending on seriousness of sin): an outermost circle, a outer middle circle, an inner middle circle, and an innermost circle. All the residents of the 9th circle are frozen in this lake eternally. The 10th circle’s sinners are in what seems a worse punishment than this. The sinners of the 10th circle are all made up of professors who either have their heads up someone else’s butt (literally) or having someone’s head up theirs. This makes their butts swollen and every person is described to be covered in excrement. One person even has their head up their own and goes with a certain expression we all know. Now, I know what your thinking. This is more humorous than anything. But, I find it’d be a nice fit into the circles of hell because this is a very undesirable punishment to have. The tone is perfect and Dante the Pilgrim describes himself being terrified at the sight of the sight of these people. He says he would rather endure the other circles of hell than this. What do you think? I suggest you give it a read.

Source: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/dantes-tenth-circle

Dante's Inferno and The Good Place

The tv show The Good Place can be connected in many ways to Dante’s Inferno. Just as the circles of hell are categorized and personalized in Dante, the neighborhoods in the good place are made to target specific people. Also, just as Elenor is given a second shot at living her life in a good way, Dante is being warned to not fall into any the categories of the circles of hell. Just as Beatrice is a loving guide for Dante, Chidi is a guide for Elenor, and he helps her improve her behavior. At one point, Chidi asks about where some of the philosophers he looks up to have ended up; it is revealed they all went to the “bad place”. I thought this was interesting because. Virgil was in Dante’s hell. Lastly, just as there is purgatory, a sort of in-between, in Dante, there is a “middle place” in the tv show.

Anagnorisis and The Good Place

While trying to sound out the word “anagnorisis” in my head, I was reminded of the name of a character from the TV show called The Good Place. This character, Chidi Anagonye, is a very intelligent moral philosophy professor who is horribly indecisive. I thought it was interesting that his name sounds like the Greek word for a change into knowledge or realization when that’s that he spent his whole life studying and trying to achieve. SPOILER (for the TV show): Also, this show is about a group of people who think they have gotten into heaven but, as we find out, are not exactly in the situation they thought they were in. This is where the Greek word would really apply; they come to realizations about their actual situation and about parts of their actions and selves as humans.

Dante's Version of Hell and Heaven Do Not Seem Very Fair

I don't know about you, but I don't like to think that we live in a world where, if there is indeed a place of blissful afterlife (Paradise, according to Dante), individuals are not admitted due to either not believing in the "right" things on Earth or living in a period before the "right" beliefs became popular.  In his "Divine Comedy," Dante paints a Universe where this is unfortunately true. Vergil, a righteous and noble man during his entire life, is not accepted into Paradise due to his lack of belief in God. Given that Vergil lived in the pre-Christian era and accordingly would have had no way of believing in all the requirements necessary to make it into Paradise, this is simply unfair. On the other hand, it's quite vicious to believe that individuals who held other beliefs even when Christianity was popular would not make it into Paradise. Most Hebrews and Muslims went to Limbo. While Limbo is by no means a bad place to be, it's upsetting and even scary to believe that one has to hold the exact correct beliefs to make it into Paradise in a world there is no way to be 100 percent sure of any beliefs.