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Austin Smith

Dr. Carroll

World Literature ENGL 2332-01

8 December 2016

The Contrast of Fear through Humanity in Inferno and Paradise Lost

When people think of fear, they tend to think of it as a negative emotion, but within

human characteristics, fear can be used as a positive motivation in more ways than one. Within

the two poems, Inferno and Paradise Lost, the progression of the motives of the poems can be

attributed to human characteristics. Inferno is a story written by Dante Alighieri completed

around the year 1314 about Dantes venture through different stages of hell to reach Heaven

where he wants to be reunited with his deceased wife, Beatrice. Through these stages are

different kinds of people who have committed different sins in the eyes of God, and the

realization and reality is where emotion and Dantes fear comes into play through his journey.

The other poem, Paradise Lost, is written by John Milton and interprets the biblical story of

Adam and Eve and the fall of humankind. Through these two poems, we can see a connection

between fear and human emotion through the experiences of Dante and Gods creation in

Paradise Lost. Fear is a motivator in both Inferno and Paradise Lost, and this also relates to the

ideas about other human emotions and different aspects of humanity as a result of the

experiences that are portrayed throughout the poems.

Fear is a motivator in both Inferno and Paradise Lost. People tend to think of fear as a

negative emotion and something that hinders a life in any way, but fear can be a positive emotion

as well. As the reader can see through these two poems, fear is an overall big idea that the poems

are based around, so it is only fitting to think of fear as both positive and negative human
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emotions due to the fact that the poems both have ups and downs present in them. Fear, as

defined in dictionary.com, is a destressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain,

etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. Fear can be

a combination of multiple interactions and emotions and there is a variety of fears that can be

associated with a persons life and experiences. For example, in both of these poems there are a

lot of different kinds of fear associated with human emotions, such as the fear of physical pain,

the fear of separation from God, the fear of Eternal Damnation, and the fear of death. With all of

these types of fear, we can connect each one of these to both poems and contrast them with each

other.

The fear of physical pain is an important source of motivation in both poems. In Inferno,

Dante experiences different levels of hell, and in each of those levels, physical pain is involved

as the punishment that is associated with the sin in that level. For example, we can see physical

pain in the vestibule stage, the first stage of hell that holds people who had the knowledge about

God but did not use their intellect to choose to worship God. The physical pain associated with

this level is that these people are stung by hornets and wasps, and worms eat their blood because

they refuse to sacrifice it for anything on the earth. The vestibule level is the highest place in

hell, but the fear of physical pain is still present, and people that are in this level suffer just like

any other sinners. Another example of physical pain that is experienced throughout the levels of

hell is the second round in the Seventh Circle. The seventh circle is the circle of violence against

neighbors, and the second round is violence against themselves. The physical pain experienced in

this circle is that the sinners are eaten by harpies, and they are only able to speak when they are

bleeding. This means that the sinners have to experience physical pain in order to talk because

they refused to talk about their problems before taking their own lives. Therefore, depending
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upon the sin that a person commits, people experience different punishments, as Alighieri states,

But fix thine eyes below; for draweth near / The river of blood, within which boiling is /

Whoeer by violence doth injure others (Canto XII 46-48). Punishments like these with the

boiling river and the violence that one receives in hell creates a fear in Dante that he might

experience such levels of pain.

The fear of physical pain is also present in the poem Paradise Lost. The reader can see

the fear in this poem through the falling of sin through Adam and Eve and the fallen angels,

stating, Earth felt the Wound (Durocher 95). The wound and physical pain that is

experienced by Adam and eve is a result of the fall of sin after they disobeyed God and ate the

fruit that the serpent told them to eat. Before the fall of sin, Adam used to love gardening and

always gardened in the land and after they ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge he suffered

physical pain while he was gardening. While he was gardening he suffered from the heat and

sweat exhaustion, he got sunburned, and he was mentally and physically in pain, as a result of

their sin. Now after Eve ate the fruit, she suffered from painful childbirth and labor. She had a

painful labor when she gave birth to her kids which shows the physical pain that she has to bear.

Lastly, physical pain that is shown in Paradise Lost is through the Satan and his experiences. He

experiences hell and he burns through hell throughout his life after his fall from heaven. All of

these people experience physical pain and this makes them fearful for what is to come

throughout their life. As they continue to go throughout their life, they are all fearful for future

experiences because they do not want to go through what they have gone through already, which

is painful for them.

Another fear that is present in both poems is the fear of being separated from God. The

fear of being separated from God is a fear that people have when they do not want to be
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separated from God forever, and unfortunately some people experience this separation and have

to face their fears. As soon as Dante sees hell, Alighieri explains, All hope abandon, ye who

enter in! (Canto III 9). Going to hell is a reality and if one enters hell, there is no hope of getting

out. Once Dante sees this, it is a clear sign of his fear of being separated from God, because once

the sinner enters, there is no hope of getting out. In Inferno, people experience separation from

God as God has judged them and placed them into an appropriate level of hell based on what

kind of sinner they were. For example, the consequence for sinners in the first circle of hell,

which is the one right after the vestibule stage, is complete separation from God, which is the

most devastating punishment of all. This circle of hell is where the unbaptized and virtuous

pagans spend eternity away from God. Homer and Socrates are in this level because they are

Pagans who made great contributions to art and philosophy yet did not accept the Judeo-

Christian God as the only god. The fear of being separated from God is a tragic punishment

which results in eternity away from him after having been in his presence and after realizing the

truth of His grace and love. In his article, writing about the lake of his heart, Rudy S. Spraycar

writes, Dante locates the fear that he feels nel lago del cor (Spraycar 1). Nel lago del cor is

translated to in the lake of my heart meaning that Dantes fear that he feels is within his heart,

which Spraycar explains in terms of Dantes time that the heart is where all of the human

passions are kept and stored in the human body. Passion being kept in the human heart is

supported as Spraycar explains, To the text that Dantes fear is to be interpreted as a passion,

this explanation of the lake of the heart is a sufficient demonstration that Dantes use of the

phrase is apposite to its immediate context (Spraycar 1). After experiencing hell, Dante uses his

fear of being separated from God to become passionate about God because he does not want to

suffer like the souls of the sinners that he sees. Dante is motivated not to be separated from God,
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so he goes through the circles of hell and does everything he can to avoid punishment in any

way. As Dante goes through hell and experiences it, he knows what will happen if he commits

suicide, which will be the worst punishment that he can receive, and he does not want to be

separated from God for eternity. His fear is a motivation to live a Christian lifestyle so that he

will not be separated from God for eternity.

The fear of separation from God is also relevant in Paradise Lost, through Adam and

Eve. When God creates Adam and Eve, they are His first creation, so they interact directly with

God and are close to God, which is something no other human has the possibility of doing and

makes them that much more special. Before eating of the fruit, Adam and Eve interact more

closely with God and be one with Him, but after they disobey him and are unfaithful, they are

separated from him because they fall into temptation and eat from the Tree of Knowledge of

Good and Evil, as Paradise Lost reads, Of Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit /of that

Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tast / Brought Death into the World, and all our woe (Milton

Book 1 1-3). As a result of the disobeying of God, that is the first reality of separation and they

are separated from God because their disobedience gained them mortal bodies and an imperfect

life. Unfortunately their free will is ultimately there downfall and fall of all mankind and

separation from God.

Another type of fear used as motivation is the fear of eternal damnation. Eternal

damnation is the state of being condemned to eternal punishment in hell. Each level of hell in

Inferno has a different magnitude of punishment, but one thing all the levels of hell have in

common is that every sin is eternally damned. Every sinner, no matter what the sin was or how

big or small the sin was, will always be in his circle of hell for eternity and never have the

opportunity to escape that level. Alighieri uses this fear and these experiences through hell as a
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motivating factor for Dante and, by extension, the reader, to avoid eternal damnation. Dante

learns through this experience in hell that he does not want to spend eternity in the inferno.

Also, the fear of damnation in Paradise Lost is portrayed by the fallen angels during their

fall from heaven. The fallen angels go against God and side with Satan in his rebellious act of

pride, so they are condemned to hell for all eternity and will never be able to escape that

punishment. All of the fallen angels had different arguments and different tactics that they

wanted to act on against God to get back at him. Moloch argued that Satan and the fallen angels

should fight god, as Milton writes, Scepterd King / Stood up, the strongest and the fiercest

Spirit / That fought in Heavn; now fiercer by despair: (Milton Book 2 43-45). Moloch argued

that he wanted to get back at God by fighting him and going to war against him. Another Angel

that argued to try and get back at God for damning them to Hell eternally was Belial and how he

wanted to get back at God by being a sweet talking and getting back at him through his creation

of Adam and Eve. In Paradise Lost, Milton explains, To vice industrious, but to Nobler deeds /

Timorous and slothful: yet he pleasd the ear, / And with perswasive accent thus began (Milton

Book 2 116-118). Belial is a very manipulative fallen angel that wants to use his soft words to get

back at God through his creation because of his fear of eternal damnation. This happens through

the manipulation with Eve in the garden to get her to eat the forbidden fruit, which resulted in the

fall of humanity, stating, pleasing was his shape, / And lovely, never since of Serpent kind /

Lovelier, not those that in Illyria changd (Milton Book 9 505-505). The serpent using flattery

and changing to an all manipulative state against eve shows that fear of damnation and trying to

get back at God. All of these examples show the fear of damnation throughout Paradise Lost and

how it is a big motivating factor on the outcomes of the poem. This motivating factor is a big

idea that readers see through these two poem because it creates a perspective of how one should
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live their life and how to cope with the experiences that they are experiencing, which is

ultimately what Dante does.

Along with the fear of eternal damnation is the fear of death, which the reader sees in

both poems as well. The fear of death in Inferno represents the fact that as Dante goes through

hell, he experiences each level guided by Virgil, he knows that he does not want to spend eternity

in hell, and it motivates him to live a more righteous life to escape hell. Thinking about hell,

Dante states, Which in the very thought renews the fear. / So bitter is it, death is little more

(Canto I 6-7). Knowing that he will die sooner or later, after experiencing hell while alive, he

knows the magnitude and effects that it will have on him as he will have an eternal life in either

Heaven or hell. He realizes that no matter what sin he commits, there will be a level for him in

hell, and he fears his death because he does not want to experience the punishments that these

levels of hell are associated with. He fears his punishment, and he fears being eternally separated

from God, so he is motivated to change his life while he still has an opportunity to do so.

Contrasting between the fear as a motivating factor in Inferno and Paradise Lost, there

are other human emotions serving as motivation in emotions, including love, anger, pride, and

guilt. Human emotions is defined as mental states that interact and affect the physical state

through ones consciousness rather than knowledge. One important human emotion represented

in both poems is love. Love is a feeling of strong or constant affection. The human emotion of

love is present in both poems. In Paradise Lost, Gods love towards Adam and Eve is present

even after they fall from grace and betray God in the garden when they eat the fruit that the

serpent told them to eat. God still shows them mercy and grace even after they fall, and that

shows that he still loves them no matter what because, in the end they were his favorite creation.

Another example of love in Paradise Lost is the love that Adam has for Eve. Even though Eve
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eats the fruit first, and Adam could have blamed Eve and told God what she has done, Adam

loves her too much to betray her, stating in Paradise Lost, How can I live without thee, how

forgoe / Thy sweet Converse and Love so dearly joynd (Book 9 908-909). Since she eats the

fruit, he will partake in the action, and they fall together because he will not leave her behind.

Love is also present in Inferno as well, as it is portrayed through a number of different

events in this poem, and one of them is Beatrices love for Dante as she begs for him to make a

journey to salvation and for supporting him through this journey and for loving him

unconditionally. She loves him unconditionally, but the most important form of love in Inferno is

Gods love for Dante. Gods love for Dante allows him to experience hell. At the beginning of

the poem, God sees that Dante is straying away from the right things, For the straightforward

pathway had been lost (Canto I 3). Falling from the path that God wants him to go on, because

God loves Dante, he creates a plan to give Dante a tour through hell. Out of love, God does not

want Dante to continue to go down the wrong path, so he sends him to experience hell to show

him what will happen if he keeps doing the same things that he is doing and does not follow

God. God does not want Dante to suffer from those extreme punishments, so he lets him

experience hells punishments firsthand so he can realize that he does not want to spend eternity

in hell. Gods love for Dante is evident through this whole experience because he does not want

to see Dante go through the rugged path of hell; he wants him to experience Heaven and be with

God forever. Even though that it may seem evil to put Dante through this trial, it is out of love,

and no evil is involved because God is doing what is best for Dante.

Another human emotion that is throughout both of these poems is anger. The readers see

anger in Paradise Lost. The emotion of anger is also connected with evil as well. Throughout

this poem, evil contrasts directly to anger because, every time the reader associates something
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with anger, it is a result of the evil that is happening. In Jarod Andersons article, he writes about

the idea of otherness and evil in the story. In fact, he claims, Miltons choice to include as

element of otherness in Paradise Lost causes the notion of evil to become subjective, a matter for

the reader to decide (Anderson 202). Milton, it then seems, leaves the reader to entertain the

idea of anger and how evil affects anger. The fallen angels are especially angry and argue

amongst themselves as they fall from grace and eventually align with Satan. They were angry at

God as well because now they will have to suffer Gods wrath for eternity as a result of betraying

him by following Satan and separating themselves. God is also angry because the fallen angels

and Satan try to get God off the throne and take over, but they do not succeed because God is all

powerful and nothing can dethrone him. He is furious and as a result of his wrath, he condemned

the devil and the fallen angels to hell, which causes them to be even more angry at God.

In Inferno, the sinners are angry in hell. Talking about Dante and his experience, Grant

explains, When he heard the anger in the sinners voice, he turned around with such shame

(Bang 59). This shows how anger motivates Dante because he does not want to be in the sinners

shoes. The sinners are angry at themselves for the sins that they committed which resulted in

their condemnation to hell for eternity with no hope of escaping. They are angry at their own sin

because, while being in their circle of hell, they experience the punishments associated with the

sins in that level. They hate their lives, so they are angry at their own sin that they committed

because they now face reality, and they are suffering terrible punishments in hell. On the other

hand, Dante is also angry at himself for the sins that he has committed. While he takes the tour

through hell, he realizes his own sins and the effects they will have on his eternal afterlife

because he sees what he might face in the future. His tour through hell allows him to come to

realize that the path that he is going down, which is one away from God and towards his own
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sinful ways, it will cause him to face those punishments, and so he must repent. He realizes his

anger towards himself and cannot believe his actions, which causes him to reflect on his future.

Another human emotion in these two poems is pride. Pride is important in the story of

Paradise Lost because pride is the first sin that leads to the fall of Satan. Eves pride ultimately

cause the downfall, stating, Our state cannot be served, we are one, / One flesh; to loose thee

were to loose my self (Book 9 958-959). Her deadly sin is pride and that is what affected all of

mankind. The devil also suffers from his pride, as the sole reason for his fall because he is too

prideful to obey and follow God and thinks he should be equal to God, stating, He trusted to

have equald the most High (Book 1 40). DuRocher discusses the fall in The Wounded Earth in

Paradise Lost, when he was talking about nature and the fall he writes, It insists that the Fall

involves more than a human tragedy, and more than a shift in human consciousness (DuRocher

96). The it at the beginning of this quote is talking about the personification of the Earth

talking about the nature and humanity. Eve is tempted by the devil to eat the fruit because he tells

her she can be better than God, so as a result of this lie, she allows her own pride to cause her

disobedience. The result of her and Adams pride, because he also ate the fruit, is the fall of

mankind, and it in turn is the first human tragedy. By being prideful and using her free will and

she chooses, knowing that she is disobeying God, to sin, the first of human tragedies to come.

Also in Inferno, pride is in the deepest level of hell where Satan is bound because his pride leads

to the fall of man as well. Just like in Paradise Lost, the reason for his fall and the result of him

being in the deepest level of hell is his pride because he thinks that he can defy God and

manipulate others into disobeying God.

In life, people commonly see fear as a negative emotion. Fear and human emotions are

motivational in helping humanity. The different kinds of fear are helpful in society, as we can see
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through Dante and his experiences, we can connect that to real life humanity and the readers can

learn from both of these poems. Each reader can derive their own perspective and their own

opinions and that is the positive side from the fear and emotions that people experience. People

can use these types of fear and human emotions to learn and be better educated on the ways of

their life and that is how the authors of these poems connect to the readers they are interacting

with. The idea of fear and human emotion is a huge motivating factor as seen in a number of

reasons in both poems, The Inferno and Paradise Lost. Through these two poems and the fear

and emotions involved within the two, the motivating factors help the authors of their poems get

the point across to their readers in a way where the reader can grab his or her own perspective

and ideas about the experiences that they have experienced. All of these types of fear and

emotions are motivators because they help the readers understand the extremity of the situations

and the fall of sin and hell in general. As mentioned before, fear is taken as an evil and bad

emotion, but in this case, fear can be used as an advantage and learning experience for viewers

when dealing with their own life.

Works Cited

Alighieri, Dante. Inferno. The Divine Comedy. N.p., 1555. Print.

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Anderson, Jarod K. "The Decentralization of Morality in Paradise Lost." Rocky Mountain

Review 64.2 (2010): 198-204. JSTOR. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.

Bang, Mary Jo. Canto XXX Of Dante Alighieris Inferno. Literature Review 55.2 (2012): 54-

74. MasterFILE Premier. Web.7 Dec. 2016.

Durocher, Richard J. "The Wounded Earth in Paradise Lost." Studies in Philology 93.1 (1996):

93-115. JSTOR. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.

"fear". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 8 Dec. 2016. <Dictionary.com

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/fear>.

human emotions. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 8 Dec. 2016.

<Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com/browse/fear>.

Milton, John. Paradise Lost. N.p. London: Macmillan, 1888. Print.

Spraycar, Rudy S. "Dante's Lago Del Cor." Dante Studies With the Annual Report of the Dante

Society 96 (1978): 1-19. JSTOR. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.