The Restless Rebel

The Restless Rebel

            Dante’s Inferno is a beautiful and poetic description of the nature of sin and the consequences thereof. In our journey through Inferno we see the incontinent, the violent, and the fraudulent. While some sins are considered greater than others and therefore more deserving of harsher punishment, we see a clear picture of how every sin reflects rebellion against God. This rebellion farther separates the residents of hell from God according to the sin that characterized their life. As we go farther down into the pit of hell and see the one rebelled first, we see the worst sin of all, betrayal. It is at this point in the story that the reader can truly see how rebellion traps us and can separate us farthest from perfect Love.

            As Dante and Virgil pass the Giant’s Well and arrive at the top of the bottom of hell, also known as Judecca, they notice that “the shades are all covered up in ice, and clearly seen, like wisps of straw in glass.” (34.11-12). Judecca is where all traitors and benefactors are punished. As Virgil and Dante continue walking in the formidable and icy home of “the creature who once had the lovely face,” (34.18) they keep their eyes open for “the emperor of the reign of misery.” (34.28). When the two walked far enough down the path to be able to see the father of lies, Virgil stops Dante to behold the devil in all his fullness. Beelzebub had three heads each chewing the three greatest traitors known to man, Judas Iscariot, Brutus, and Cassius. He had matted hair going down his huge body, and he was trapped in ice. His black, scaled wings were continuously flapping and turning Cocytus to ice, and he was crying to be set free.

            Satan’s helpless and defeated state paints a clear picture of the unavoidable justice of God. Satan is found in a situation where his rebellion has not only landed him at the center of the earth, but his rebellion is keeping him there too. The devil’s feet are trapped in ice and have prevented him from being able to leave hell no matter how hard he tries. The center of the earth is the farthest point from God there is. This extreme separation from God explains the frigid and iced over setting of this part of hell, and the devil’s constant flapping is why this part of hell remains iced over. The wind generated from his huge wings makes it impossible for the ice to thaw out. God has placed the devil at the center of the earth where he is trapped because of his betrayal. Therefore, as the first rebel, Satan’s ultimate goal is the go against the judgment of God. If the devil stopped resisting and let the ice thaw, then he would be giving into God’s sovereignty because the devil has resisted God at every turn since his fall. If the devil gave in now he would be in submission. This is closely related to the fact that Satan resists God’s victory over sin and the grave by trying to lead people astray. Similarly, the devil resists God even though he knows that he cannot be freed from the center of the earth unless he stops flapping his wings.

            After we see Satan in his steadfastness to resist God, we see clearly that all sin no matter how offensive is direct rebellion against God. We see the levels of hell and the people that reside in them, and from this we can measure the rebellion of their hearts. It makes sense that the incontinent would be the closest to God as compared to the violent and fraudulent. The incontinent encompassed those who struggled to control themselves. One could argue that the incontinent rebelled against God, but not with less desire for rebellion in their hearts. An example of this is found in the residents of Limbo. Limbo was home, in part, to the righteous pagans. The pagans were not desiring to sin or rebel against any higher power according to the moral code that characterized their lives. In fact, many of their works would lead one to suspect that they were trying to find a higher power. The violent would come after the incontinent given that they were either violent to their neighbor, oneself, or God. If they were violent towards their neighbor, they would be rebelling against God’s commandment to love one another. If they were violent towards themselves, they would be rebelling against God’s temple. If they were violent towards God, they would be rebelling against perfect Love. The fraudulent would be last because their lives are not only characterized by all the sins of incontinence and violence, but they also have forsaken any moral code because natural law informs everyone that it is wrong to lie or steal. The fraudulent have completely and deliberately rebelled against justice and goodness and are deserving of a harsher punishment. Satan would be found below any of the sinners because he was the one who led man astray in the beginning. If it had not been for Satan’s rebellion sin would not exist.

As we can see, all sin whether incontinence, violence, or fraud is characterized by rebellion against perfect Love. This is ironic given that much of sin, especially the sins discussed in Inferno, can be traced back to worldly love or passion. As we went further into this piece of art we saw the consequences that sin brings about. Dante presents a unique perspective on separation from God and the punishment of sin through Inferno. We should use poetic masterpieces like Inferno to help us remember that sin is deadly, and that no matter how long we can run with sin God will eventually cut down the rebels.