Contrast Dantes presentation of sins and sinners in Inferno and Essay

Contrast Dantes presentation of sins and sinners in Inferno and Purgatorio - Essay Example s and sinners in Inferno and Purgatory and characteristic portrayal of sins and sinners by Dante surpasses the treatment of the theme by any literary figures the world literature. â€Å"Ultimately, of course, what most distinguishes Dante’ Inferno from other representations of Hell is that he creates sinners so complex and alive that the reader is compelled to sympathize and identify with them, rather than simply to fear their lot and resolve to avoid it.† (Lansing and Barolini, 476) Therefore, Dante Alighieri’s presentation of sins and sinners in Inferno and Purgatory are unlike their typical representations in literature and there is essential difference in the depiction of sins and sinners between the books Inferno and Purgatory. In a profound analysis of the two books of the Divine Comedy, it becomes lucid that Dante’s Purgatory, in contrast to the Inferno, is a place of camaraderie, harmony, and sharing and it is, in fact, a transitory state of existe nce where the sinners are hopeful of purging themselves of their sins and gaining entry into Paradise. Significantly, there is essential difference in the representation of sins and sinners between the books Inferno and Purgatory and it is important to realize this distinction to comprehend how the Divine Comedy surpasses other pieces of the world literature which deal with the same theme. In his introduction to Purgatory, Mark Musa makes the distinction between the portrayal of sins and sinners in Inferno and Purgatory as follows: â€Å"In the Inferno the damned are grouped according to the sinful acts they committed; in the Purgatory repentant sinners are grouped according to the tendencies that were the cause of their sins. Penance is not to be considered as a punishment, but rather as a corrective measure for that sinner who has repented. It was a discipline imposed in order to help one fight the old habit of ones sin or the residual tendency to sin.† (Musa, x) Therefore, Dante has been careful about