... individuals are frozen up to their necks in ice, the cold symbolizing a lack of human love and warmth, which they denied others in life. But one question continuously plaguing scholars is why Dante the poet considers familial relationships important enough to merit such heinous punishment. In the outermost layer of Cocytus, the frozen lake at the bottom of hell kept cold by ... on familial relationships; clans held all the power, marriages were done for political reasons, and blood feuds often lasted for generations. With families constantly jockeying for political power, infighting and...

• Word Count: 870
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate