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Aeneid Book VI vs Dante Inferno

Hey,

I'm currently doing a dissertation on this topic my title being "compare Vergil's treatment of the underworld with that of Dante in his Inferno".

Whilst pondering possible places to start I was struck by the possibilty of Vergil being rather Christian like in his philosophy of life. (Epicureanism)

Does anyone with more supreme knowledge than me have an "answer" to this? (or other views on the dissertation and possible takes)

Thanks. :cool:

Reply 1

wilbur

1

I'm not really qualified to talk about Epicureanism but it strikes me that perhaps a more fundamental place to start would be that Dante's Inferno deals with the damned in their various circles, whereas Virgil's underworld encompasses all of the dead - good, bad, and indifferent. You might want to start, therefore, with a comparison of the damned in Tartarus from Book VI, with the damned in the Inferno, and see how the presentation differs.

Reply 2

Handy

10

mattyboy96

Hey,

I'm currently doing a dissertation on this topic my title being "compare Vergil's treatment of the underworld with that of Dante in his Inferno".

Whilst pondering possible places to start I was struck by the possibilty of Vergil being rather Christian like in his philosophy of life. (Epicureanism)

Does anyone with more supreme knowledge than me have an "answer" to this? (or other views on the dissertation and possible takes)

Thanks. :cool:

I very much doubt that I have superior knowledge to you.

However, Christian and Epicureanist views are really not that similar.

Epicureans believe that if gods exist then they have no interest in the affairs of humans, and life should be lived in moderation to optimise pleasure. If Virgil was an Epicurean, then he would not have believed in an afterlife at all. Christianity have a strong belief in a god who is interested in them and in an afterlife.

Reply 3

mattyboy96

OP

Handy

I very much doubt that I have superior knowledge to you.

However, Christian and Epicureanist views are really not that similar.

Epicureans believe that if gods exist then they have no interest in the affairs of humans, and life should be lived in moderation to optimise pleasure. If Virgil was an Epicurean, then he would not have believed in an afterlife at all. Christianity have a strong belief in a god who is interested in them and in an afterlife.

Cool,
It's just that "Virgil the guide" is obviously chosen to mirror the role of the Sibyl in Aeneid VI. Why therefore not reuse the Sibyl in Inferno...?

My initial thought process was as follows:
The Sibyl represents
1) Human knowledge
2) Voice of reason
3) Emotional detachment
4) Priestess of Apollo

In a sense "Virgil the guide" fulfills all of the above criterion except number 4. Instead he provides a strong sense of morality that is appropriate to Christian thought (possibly in tune with his Epicureanistic philosophies).

Had Dante used the Sibyl again he would essentially be promoting paganism which is the exact opposite purpose of his Commedia.

Of course there are other reasons why Virgil is a suited to the "guide" role as opposed to the Sibyl.

However my main interest is whether this idea of Epicureanism was the cause of his moral standing?

Thanks :yy:

Reply 4

Handy

10

mattyboy96

However my main interest is whether this idea of Epicureanism was the cause of his moral standing?

Probably.

But consider too the fact that Augustus was trying to reform morals in Rome at the time. As Virgil was a close friend, he used his poetry to push forward moral views andhelp Augustus in this way. I'm not very familiar with the book in the Underworld, but this may/may not be relevant.

Reply 5

mattyboy96

OP

Cool.

I hadn't really considered that.

Reply 6

silence

16

sorry if this is late, but off the top of my head i can think of bits and pieces.

inf.I.ii "mi ritrovai per una selva oscura" - i have a feeling that selva oscura is some sort of figura etymologica of something that appears in the dido encounter.

that's just some linguistic silliness though.

i don't think vigril is made out to be christian - that's why he's actually in inferno, i.e. he can't be in heaven/paradiso because he isn't a christian. it's not all bad though, because dante cleverly places him that the top of hell in a place called limbo (the further down you go, the worse you are). this is basically a place for all sorts of people, particularly those who were around before christ even existed - such as virgil. obviously it would seem unfair to have them in the very depths of hell as they were unable to avoid their lack of christianity; yet, morally, it would be unfair for dante to put them anywhere near heaven. interesting one.

edit - i thought so about the linguistic thing quite rightly:
errabat silva in magna; quam Troius heros
ut primum iuxta stetit adgnovitque per umbras
obscuram, qualem primo qui surgere mense. in my opinion, although i think there might be more than one shaded grove in this section, this one is the most memorable. although i think that there might be other silvae this is, i believe, where dante finds that phrase (perhans subconsciously unintentionally) selva oscura.

Reply 7

kaseadilla6

mattyboy96

Cool,
It's just that "Virgil the guide" is obviously chosen to mirror the role of the Sibyl in Aeneid VI. Why therefore not reuse the Sibyl in Inferno...?

My initial thought process was as follows:
The Sibyl represents
1) Human knowledge
2) Voice of reason
3) Emotional detachment
4) Priestess of Apollo

In a sense "Virgil the guide" fulfills all of the above criterion except number 4. Instead he provides a strong sense of morality that is appropriate to Christian thought (possibly in tune with his Epicureanistic philosophies).

Had Dante used the Sibyl again he would essentially be promoting paganism which is the exact opposite purpose of his Commedia.

Of course there are other reasons why Virgil is a suited to the "guide" role as opposed to the Sibyl.

However my main interest is whether this idea of Epicureanism was the cause of his moral standing?

Hi, I am a student at Spanish River High School in Boca Raton FL. I was wondering if it would be okay for me to quote some of what you said regarding Sibyl and Virgil as guides. It would really be appreciated because I am writing a research paper on The Aeneid Vs. The Inferno. Thanks a lot!!

Reply 8

vikbez

I myself can be of little help to u on the issue, but if u r really stuck try www.a-gradeessays.com

Cheers

Reply 9

mattyboy96

OP

kaseadilla6

Hi, I am a student at Spanish River High School in Boca Raton FL. I was wondering if it would be okay for me to quote some of what you said regarding Sibyl and Virgil as guides. It would really be appreciated because I am writing a research paper on The Aeneid Vs. The Inferno. Thanks a lot!!

Hey, i was in the same situation as yourself and i handed mine in last month. I suppose there's nothing wrong with it? As long as you mention me. haha.

when you finish perhaps we could swap essays?
I wasn't very happy with mine in the end but a deadline is a deadline so i just handed it in.

how old are you?

Reply 10

Catsmeat

13

I'm not qualified to make any decent suggestions, however, you could always consider the social contexts of both...someone mentioned earlier Augustus and Virgil, and Dante, in his inferno, seems concerned with Italian politics - the people the voice stops and talks to along the way are often acquaintances of Dante...the Oxford World Classics version has dozens of notes on all of this.

Also, i cant remember how much logic there is in Virgil's underworld...Do Aeneas and Sibyl walk in any paticular way? Apparently Dante and Virgil (as in Dante and Virgil in the Inferno) both turn left (only right twice) which is meant to display the 'right' and the 'wrong' path (right representing the idea of heretical thought...or something along those lines). Interesting, but i can't really recall the exact significance.

Aeneid Book VI vs Dante Inferno

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