Dante's_Inferno__the_Three_Beasts_of_Hell

The Three Beasts of Hell In the figures of the three beasts at the beginning of Inferno, Dante creates a metaphor for the three types of evil deeds punished in Hell, and thus shows where each sin falls in Hell’s hierarchy. The she-wolf, the lion, and the leopard divide the sins and the levels of Hell into the concupiscible sins, the irascible sins, and the sins of the will, while at the same time revealing the nature of those sins to be insatiable, violent, and beguiling, respectively. Unbridled greed and hunger emanate from the she-wolf, making her the most terrifying of the three; her unrestrained desire corresponds to those among the damned who commit concupiscible sins. The lion, similarly, hides nothing of his violent nature, frightening the Pilgrim who recognizes its viciousness; the lion’s bloodlust and proudly uplifted head create a clear comparison between it and those transgressors who commit irascible sins. The leopard with its beautiful coat fills the Pilgrim’s mind with soothing images, causing him to forget its inherently violent nature as a predator, just as those who commit sins of the will use their skills to lure their victims into a false sense of security. Dante’s treatment of the she-wolf indicates that a connection exists between her and the concupiscible sins. The Pilgrim’s encounter with the she-wolf and his description of her ravenous appearance serve to create a link between her and the sins of those who cannot control their appetites. When the Pilgrim first sees the she-wolf, he says that she “seemed laden with all cravings in her leanness and has caused many people to live in wretchedness […] that restless beast, who, coming against me, little by little was driving me back to where the sun is silent” (1.49-60). By using words like “laden,” “cravings,” “leanness,” “wretchedness,” and “restless,” Dante creates an image of a starving creature advancing menacingly toward her meal. Hunger drives the she-wolf to kill, just as those sinners in the first tier of Hell committed sins based on the appetite. To further cement the connection between this beast and these sinners, Dante makes the beast female. Females are often associated with irrationality and the tendency to give in to their desires, similar to the sinners in the first circle who succumb to their whims. She also forces the Pilgrim back to “where the sun is silent,” implying that she does not rely on intellect, just instinct. Yet, even though she is a deadly killer with an insatiable appetite, she still looks lean. This ironic observation reveals that those who try to feed their appetite unceasingly never really accomplish their objective. The more they glut themselves, the more they want. By alluding to the she-wolf in the first level of Hell, Dante furthers the association between her and the sins of those who yield to their desires. In the circle of the gluttons, Cerberus, a giant three-headed dog-like beast, presides over the punishment. The Pilgrim describes him as a “cruel, monstrous beast, with three throats bark[ing] doglike over the people submerged there” (6.13-15). Not only does Cerberus provide a link to the she-wolf by virtue of his dog-like appearance, but like the she-wolf he also has a cruel, insatiable appetite. His appetite, evidenced by his three throats and by the fact that he resides among the gluttons, connects the she-wolf to all sins that stem from uncontrolled cravings; however, appetite does not always imply literal hunger. As Virgil and the Pilgrim descend to the circle of the avaricious, they encounter Plutus, who tries to stop them from advancing. Virgil responds, “Silence, cursed wolf! consume yourself with your rage within” (7.8-9). By alluding to the she-wolf in multiple cantos, Dante draws a connection amongst all the sins presented in the circles in the first tier. By telling Plutus to “consume” himself with his “rage within,” Virgil reveals the self-destructing nature of these sins and recalls the she-wolf’s leanness. Through the common allusion, Dante implies that sins like gluttony and avarice stem from the same fundamental principle; namely, that of wanting more than one’s fair share. Virgil’s rationalization of the placement of the sinners elucidates the connection between the she-wolf and those punished in the first level of Hell. Before they enter the second level, Virgil explains the divisions of lower Hell, prompting the Pilgrim to ask what makes the later sins different from those at the beginning. Virgil responds, “Do you not remember the words with which your Ethics treats so fully the three dispositions that Heaven refuses, incontinence, malice and mad bestiality' and how incontinence offends God less and acquires less blame'” (11.79-84). The three dispositions that Virgil describes correspond to the three beasts. The she-wolf symbolizes incontinence and represents the sins of those in the first level of Hell, who are not punished as cruelly as those below them. The sins of the appetite are the most natural of the sins, and therefore the least deserving of blame. By using these descriptions and allusions, Dante crafts a clear correlation between the she-wolf and the concupiscible sins. By combining the description of the lion and subtle hints throughout the cantos, Dante crafts a parallel between the lion and the irascible sins. The Pilgrim’s portrayal of the lion helps construct a similarity between the lion’s ferocious pride and that of the people who commit crimes of passionate violence. When he first sees the lion, the Pilgrim fears him, saying, “He appeared to be coming against me with his head high and with raging hunger, so that the air appeared to tremble at him” (1.46-48). Just as the irascible sins form the middle step between the sins of the appetite and those of the will, the lion forms the transition between the she-wolf and the leopard. Like the she-wolf, he gives in to his hunger, but unlike her, an air of haughtiness surrounds the lion. His uplifted head symbolizes not only pride, but also higher cognitive faculties than those of the she-wolf, though perhaps not equal to those of the leopard. Unlike the leopard, the lion does not possess the cunning to disguise his malice; he oozes so much malevolence that even the air appears to fear him. Furthermore, Dante identifies the lion as male, the gender typically thought of as more powerful and violent. Through this depiction, Dante creates a parallel between the lion and the sinners who use their higher intelligence to satisfy their base, murderous desires. Some subtle intimations throughout the seventh circle connect the lion to the sinners that reside in its depths. In the first circle of the second level, the centaurs preside over the punishment of the violent. The Pilgrims watches them “running in file, armed with arrows, as they used to go hunting in the world” (12.55-57). Like the lion, the centaurs are violent and dangerous, yet have reasoning abilities. Their sophisticated battle formations and use of bows and arrows show that they can apply their intelligence toward the fulfillment of their desire to hunt. In this respect, they relate to the lion because each one utilizes its intellect to better hunt their prey. They are the first creatures to appear in the levels where intelligence plays a significant role and serve to show that intellect can accomplish evil as well as good. Their initial hostility toward Virgil and the Pilgrim followed by their revised decision to help the travelers implies that decisions should not be made hastily; however, rash use of brutal force characterizes this level of Hell. The sinners in this level have the ability to think through their actions, yet their base desires win out over their intellect. The centaurs are here not only to provide a connection to the lion, but also to highlight where these sinners went wrong, by showing how they should have used their intellects. Ironically, the beasts utilize their reasoning abilities better than the humans do. The account that Virgil gives of the divisions Hell furthers the association between the lion and the violent nature of those punished in the second level. During their hiatus before descending to the lower levels, Virgil describes the principles governing the depths of Hell, “Of every malice gaining the hatred of Heaven, injustice is the goal, and every such goal injures someone with force or fraud […] Of the violent the first circle is full” (11.22-24, 28). Just as there are three beasts, there are three main types of sins. The parallel between the numbers of each of these implies a correlation, with the lion and the violent coinciding in the middle. Injustice through force is the objective of the violent. Similarly to the violent sinners, the lion is motivated by more than just hunger; he enjoys the Pilgrim’s intimidation and fear, unjustly frightening the traveler. Through these depictions, Dante constructs a resemblance between the irascible sins and the lion. As with the other two beasts, Dante couples the disingenuous image of the leopard with hints throughout the final levels of Hell to connect the beast to the sins of the will. When the Pilgrim meets the leopard, the lack of fear he feels despite a leopard’s naturally terrifying reputation provides a direct relationship between the leopard and those who use their intelligence to deceive others. As the leopard confronts the Pilgrim, the beauty around the Pilgrim distracts him so much that he “took reason to have good hope of that beast with its gaily painted hide” (1.41-42). Despite a leopard’s vicious nature, the Pilgrim feels no fear. This fact indicates that the leopard lulls the Pilgrim into a false sense of security just as those in the deepest circle of Hell betray the bonds of nature connecting every man. By using words like “good hope” and “gaily painted,” Dante associates a serene image with the leopard, which goes against what one might expect. Furthermore, Dante does not clearly indicate the leopard’s gender, adding to its deceitfulness and ambiguity. The allusion to the leopard and the description of Geryon further associate the leopard with the sins of the dishonest. Just before they enter the final layer, Virgil asks the pilgrim to give him the cord around his waist with which the pilgrim “had thought at times to capture the leopard with the spotted hide” (16.106-107). By alluding to the leopard just before they enter the circles of the fraudulent, Dante creates a connection between the beast and the sins of the intellect. The cord represents restraint and conscience, indicating that just as these attributes can suppress the sins of the will, so too can they control the leopard. To solidify the relationship further, the description of Geryon, the beast who provides the way down to the final level of Hell, brings the leopard to mind. When the Pilgrim first sees Geryon, he notes that “it had back and breast and both sides painted with knots and little wheels: with more colors, in weave and embroidery, did never Tartars nor Turks make cloths” (17.13-17). As with the leopard, Dante leaves the gender of the beast ambiguous. Although he does say that Geryon has the head of a man, he only refers to Geryon as “it.” Additionally, Geryon’s colorful coat is reminiscent of the leopard’s “gaily painted hide.” Both are meant to represent the art of distraction and deceit. Although they both appear pleasing on the outside, they become less appealing if one sees beyond their surfaces. Again, they each resemble the sinners of the last tier of Hell in this respect. Virgil’s explanation of the divisions of lower Hell also serves to connect the Pilgrim’s description of the leopard to the deceptive nature of those punished in Hell’s deepest circles. Virgil claims that “because fraud is an evil proper to man, it is more displeasing to God; and therefore the fraudulent have a lower place and greater pain assails them” (11.25-27). Of the three beasts, the leopard is portrayed as the most cunning, which clearly corresponds to this type of sin. Only someone who carefully calculates how to manipulate their god-given gift of intellect to the greatest effect can commit fraud. Therefore, these sinners are like the leopard who utilizes its naturally beautiful coat to lure the Pilgrim into a state of trust. Through these allusions, Dante constructs a correlation between the leopard and the sins of the will. Dante’s inversion of the three beasts’ order in his initial depiction of them may seem anomalous, but one must carefully consider their physical placement at this time to see that it is really not so aberrant. The Pilgrim begins at the bottom of the mountain and works his way upward. Just as the sins of the will are located at the very bottom of Hell, the leopard stands at the lowest level of the mountain. As the Pilgrim attempts to scale the mountain he meets the lion at the next level, just as the irascible sins are placed in the middle of Hell. Finally, when he gets as high up as he can, he encounters the she-wolf. She resides at the upper level, just as the concupiscible sins are punished in the highest level of Hell. Furthermore, Dante’s description of the She-wolf as the most terrifying may seem counterintuitive, but it really is not so incongruous. He describes her as the most frightening to show that the concupiscible sins are the most natural and easiest to recognize. The less intimidating the beast seems, the more unnatural it is and the more cunning the sin requires. By using these three beasts, Dante manages to create a metaphor that sums up his entire work. The she-wolf craves sustenance, just as those who commit concupiscible sins cannot control their appetites. The lion proudly stalks the Pilgrim, desiring blood, just as those who commit irascible sins give in to their prideful, violent urges. The leopard deceives and beguiles the Pilgrim just as those who commit sins of the will betray the most basic bonds connecting all of mankind.