Friday, March 13, 2015

What are the sins and punishments in canto 28?

Canto 28 of Dante Alighieri's Inferno describes people who have sinned through scandal and creating discord. The punishment here is to walk endlessly around a chasm towards the center of hell, with wounds which heal but are re-opened by the Devil and his sword at the center. The wounds described reflect the sin committed during that person's lifetime. 

For example, Dante meets the soul of Curio, who encouraged Caesar to cross the Rubicon. For his sin (giving advice which started a war,) Curio's tongue has been cut out. Dante also meets the soul of the Prophet Muhammad or Mahomet, who has been disembowled and effectively split in two. This is punishment for his perceived sin on Earth, as Dante believed that Muhammad's founding of Islam split the community of people who believed in the Abrahamic God, turning them against each other. 

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