Righteous Indignation in the Inferno

dicendo: 'Via costà con li altri cani!'

Then he reached out to the boat with both hands; on which the wary Master thrust him off, saying: "Away there with the other dogs!"

Dante's and Virgil's scorn seems at first glance to echo the sin of intemperate anger which infects the foul waters of the Stygian marsh. Filippo Argenti, the weeping sinner who emerges from the mire, is eternally punished for his anger. However, the pilgrim's denunciation of Filippo is not only permitted, but lauded by Virgil with the praise given Jesus: "Blessed is the womb that bore thee!" (VIII, 43-44) Even the pilgrim's further, seemingly sadistic request to see Filippo attacked by his brethren is granted and accepted as appropriate. This seeming discrepancy in behavior can be reconciled by understanding the underlying motivations of the speakers. The pilgrim and Virgil travel with Divine sanction through Hell. The pilgrim's entire being learns to become entirely subject to the will of God. Virgil's journey is in obedience to the three angelic women who are Dante's patronesses: Our Lady, St. Lucia and Beatrice. However, Filippo Argenti is described by Virgil as "full of

Given the strong message against indulging in self-concerned wrath, the reader is challenged to find the method to attain the protected and favored status given the pilgrim. The pilgrim's main concern in the scene appears to be disgust at the perversion of the human will to selfish and wicked ends. The question that should be foremost in the mind of the reader is what method or process was required for the pilgrim to acquire this self-abasing attitude. One key element appears to be the realization of his inability to survive without God's assistance. The failed attempt to climb Mount Purgatory serves as a moment of revelation. After being driven back by the embodiment of his faults, he receives divine assistance in the person of Virgil, who is the medium by which the grace granted by Our Lady is dispatched. The example of docility towards the divine will is a challenge to each reader to cry out in the words of the Psalmist "Not to us Lord, but to your name give the glory." (115:1) The reader is called to shift allegiance, as it were. In order to achieve the redemption promised "in the fullness of time," it is necessary to identify with the self-denying pilgrim rather than the self-edifying sinner.

In this exchange, Filippo Argenti is the representative of humanity under the influence of scornful arrogance. The reaction of Virgil and the pilgrim to Filippo's belated and misdirected attempt to escape from final damnation mirrors God's rejection of the man in death who rejected God in life. Virgil thrusts Filippo off of the boat saying "Away there!" (VIII, 42) CHrist has warned that on the final day, he will denounce those who have denounced him, crying "Get away from me!" (Lk. 13:27) The last view of Filippo comes as his fellows turn on his and tear him to pieces. This fall from his final slim chance of salvation is terrifying to anyone who, like myself, is prone to extreme arrogance. Since most readers can identify with the sin of insolence, the denunciation and hideous destruction of Fil

Some topics in this essay:
Filippo Argenti, Jesus Blessed, Inferno Virgil, Red Sea, , Revelation John, Mount Purgatory, Hell Moses', Testaments Daniel's, Psalmist Lord, filippo argenti, pilgrim virgil, virgil pilgrim, human soul, serves warning, sinners marsh, god's people, perversion human, divine sanction, god's assistance,