It is particularly fitting to examine the nature and content of the final, climactic and revealing Canto of Inferno where Dante expresses the forceful thrust of his universally acknowledged epic poem, heralded throughout subsequent centuries by readers and critics alike. Consequently, this analysis of the 34th Canto will focus on certain central concepts either introduced, in the thirty-fourth Canto, by Dante for the first time in Inferno, or highlighted for emphasis in the concluding passages of this segment. Although some of his key thoughts occurred in previous Cantos, the essence of his message seems more powerfully displayed in the work's concluding passages where it is strongly reinforced in colorful imagery and Early Renaissance, that is to say "spiritually symbolic", form.
After a lengthy tour of the terrifying Circles of Hell, each harboring either until the Last Judgement or for Eternity, arch-sinners of varying sorts, at long last, Dante, guided by Virgil discovers the dwelling-place of what can be identified only as intrinsic Evil, personified by Satan himself, deeply entrenched in the fiery, and yet icy, Fourth Round of the Ninth Circle. Here, Satan's Abode brims with malevolence and enmity.
Dante specially reserved the Center of Hell for advancing certain salient points which he felt merited his reader's undivided attention. Indeed, what more appropriate location could there be for "driving home" the primary thesis of Inferno than its final Canto?
In the opening lines of the final Canto, the reader, having laboriously followed the protagonists deeper and deeper into Hell, finally encounters the alarming portrayal of the quintessence of Evil. Sheltered behind Virgil's shoulder, Dante dares to glimpse the horrific image of Evil incarnate, Satan. Rushing wind, torsos immersed in ice, all enshrouding fog characterized this Dantesque scenario. Such a description was perhaps reminiscent of the chaotic socio-political transition which Italy was making between the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
As this vision unfolds before him, Dante, the poet, learns that, of all the sins man can commit, the most heinous would seem to be treason against one's Master, Church or State. Thirteenth Century Italy obviously placed a high priority on allegiance to major social and political institutions. This thought permeates the 34th Canto and serves as a leit-motif for Inferno, as a whole.
Indeed, the 34th Canto places emphasis on treason by selecting three classically recognized "traitors to their masters." Curiously, Dante chooses to feature a combination of Christian and Pagan traitors. This would seem to mirror the major figures of Dante and Virgil themselves, an obvious Christian and Pagan combination. It might be valid to assert that this duality surfaces elsewhere in Inferno where pre-Christian images are intermingled with Christian symbols. Dante may be carrying this daring theme further by hinting that Christianity was obviously an outgrowth of Pagan Greek thought, converting the worship of deities from a polytheistic model to a monotheistic doctrine. Of course, this is speculative insight which cannot be supported textually; Dante may well have chosen Virgil as an esteemed representative of an earlier, pre-Christian era simply to provide dramatic contrast.
Beyond the juxtaposition of Christian and Pagan characters, Dante writes in terrifying tones of the misery and suffering that traitors will, if they repeat the crimes of Cassius, Brutus or Judas, undergo for Eternity in Hell. He underscores the eternal horror, pain and "dolorous" agony awaiting such sinners by depicting the tri-headed monster, Satan, which perpetually devours these three well-known traitors -- whose torsos and limbs are fleetingly visible, as they disappear into the monstrous Satanic Presence, furiously beating its webbed wings (if we are to believe the Gustave Doré pictorial rendering of this scene) in a perpetual attempt to escape, as it consumes the arch-traitors.
It appears that Satan is not merely the Medieval Lucifer, an archangel struck down by God, but rather a more complex personification of all that is corrupt, base and foul. Not only is the Christian Satan being portrayed in this Canto, but the Pagan notion of evil also seems to be operative in these verses. The Greek concept of "ataraxy", that is to say, the "ultimate Good which transcends even God" is being echoed, in reverse, by Dante who uses its "opposite value," that is an "Evil transcending even Satan" as a dramatic device and a not entirely illogical culminating point of his Inferno. So, once again, the parallel between Christian and Pagan values surfaces in Canto XXXIV.
Later, in Paradiso, the essence of good will be presented just as dramatically as Satan is portrayed in Inferno. It is fair to speculate, by stepping outside the bounds of Christendom for a moment, that Pagan and Christian values saturate the entire trilogy. Indeed, it is popular in some literary circles to suggest that since Christianity sprang from Greek and Pagan thought, Dante's use of this combination may not prove unusual at all.
By emphasizing the tricephalic nature of Satan, Dante, the poet, depicts the origin not only of all sorrow, but of all horror. Curiously, he also mirrors the Triune Godhead, or Trinity, embraced by the Roman Church. He seems to juxtapose the essence of Evil and of Good by employing the "trinity-device."
The themes developed by Dante reflect almost classical duality by contrasting good and evil on several metaphysical levels on other occasions in his trilogy. In so doing, the poet heightens the degree of "seriousness" with which his reader must assimilate the entire body of his work. It is often rightly pointed out that six centuries later, the Manichean Movement also focused on these themes, arguably perfected by Dante, who built on Medieval Miracle plays and other pre-Renaissance dramatic works.
Yet, it will prove insightful to examine somewhat more closely the imagery and symbolism found in the penultimate passages of the final Canto. The slithering body of Satan is used metaphorically as a staircase to freedom, salvation and fresh air:
It is by such stairs that we must
take our leave of so much evil.
(XXXIV, 82)
At the heart of this Canto, lies the true metaphysical nature of Evil. Slippery and evasive, it has to be grasped physically before it can be conquered and cast aside as a vestige of past values. Dante and Virgil attack the monstrous Satanic Being, who sustains this and all the other Circles of Hell, by sliding down and then up the full length of his body -- encountering first-hand, in semi-allegorical fashion, every attribute of Evil. Only by confronting treachery can it be overcome.
Such symbolism is worthy of inclusion in these final passages because Inferno deals with the quest to counter Evil with Good. The attainment of the latter is contingent upon "subjugation-through-confrontation" of the former.
Dante whisks his reader away from this scene rather hastily, as the visitors climb to safety on the backside and haunches of Satan. Through Satan alone is escape possible. Such an ironic twist is paradoxical, since it seems to undercut the central values of Christianity which ostensibly indicate that only through embrace of Good can Evil (which doctrinally must be avoided at all costs) be overcome.
As the two privileged visitors emerge, they note a distinct freshness in contrast to the foul stench of Hell. For the first time since the opening Cantos, the reader perceives the relative beauty of Earth in all of its pristine glory. The shimmering firmament above is mentioned as a forerunner of the paradisiacal journey, toward Beatrice, which will occur after passage through Mount Purgatory, the second stage of the poet's "enlightenment."
Dante and his pagan guide can only rise from the center of all Evil, reserved for traitors, toward "the celestial." Indeed, the final verses of Canto XXXIV provide the expected transition toward light, beauty, and tranquility, after an excursion into the sins of mankind. Brightness and star-lit skies, viewed through a round opening, greet the two poets, as they emerge from Hell. Once again, magical powers are restored to them and they escape the infernal clutches of Satanic Power which holds others captive for Eternity.
Dante, the poet, posits, in the thirty-fourth Canto, the notion that, perhaps for the first time in 13th Century Italian Literature, Evil is not simply vanquished by Good in a symbolic battle, but, rather, must be directly encountered, experienced and palpably felt before its victim can move on to greater heights morally, ethically, and spiritually. Through astute manipulation of symbols and literary devices not theretofore found in Pre-Renaissance Literature, Dante achieves a higher purpose. The quest for Good can only be successfully resolved by direct knowledge of its antipodal value, Evil.