SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Why did Dante write the Inferno? Who is Virgil? Who is in charge of Hell? Characters Virgil. When the usurers tell him to scram, Dante raises no argument and runs back to Virgil. But Virgil is not hoping for Dante to get hurt.
He does his best to protect Dante, and he does get them safely past every guardian of Hell he incites. To his credit, he also risks his own life errr, afterlife? As stern as Virgil tries to be, we know that deep down inside, he just wants to share a beer with Dante while watching the big game.
Virgil likes Dante, and his affection shows in their pseudo-familial relationship. How many times have we heard Virgil call Dante "son," or heard Dante call Virgil "father"? Dante is like the son Virgil never had. This comes to light most apparently in their flight from the two-timing demons. In lifting Dante to his chest and carrying him as he sprints toward safety, Virgil becomes a mother figure to the terrified Dante.
Hmmm, father and mother? As an unofficial poet laureate of the Romans, Virgil is a kind of patron spirit of Italy. II, The phrase in Italian is "parole ornate" which translates literally as "decorated word.
We figure that Virgil spent so much time writing the Aeneid —invoking the Muses, speaking in dactylic hexameter, and pulling epic similes out of the air—that he simply got stuck speaking that way.
Not only that, but Virgil's requests are often granted. Have you noticed how every time Virgil talks to someone, he gets what he wants? He convinces a scared Dante to come with him to hell! Dante does, however, introduce doubts about the goodness of this way of talking. Virgil does get locked out of Dis for a reason. His "persuasive word" presupposes a good deal of pride in its speaker. At times, he reprimands Dante for his sympathy, reminding Dante that these dammed souls are here for punishment, and that their punishment is the design of a larger plan dictated by God.
Virgil is very careful to explain patiently all of the functions of Hell and its various structures. Virgil is constantly solicitous of Dante's welfare, and he knows that Dante is dependent on him.
At times, when Virgil himself is having difficulty with some of the shades, he tells Dante to wait behind, because he does not want to frighten Dante, who is completely dependent upon him, as both a guide through the geography of Hell and as a spiritual guide.
Finally, even in the bottom parts of Hell, Virgil has to scold Dante for pitying those who deserve the punishment that they are receiving. Virgil's great task is to get Dante to harden his heart against the most horribly damned shades in Hell.
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