ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Dante’s Inferno is an allegory or a poem or story with a hidden meaning that is usually religious or political to convey a tale of a soul’s journey through sin to salvation. In the poem, Dante and his guide Virgil travel through the nine levels of Hell in order to make it to paradise.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Massive Allegory So Dante’s personal crisis and journey through Hell could represent every man’s moment of weakness and his descent into sin. This is apparent from the very beginning. The dark woods and night might symbolize man’s sin while the path – which Dante has lost – is the virtuous man’s way of life.

Detailed explanation-3: -While Inferno can be read as a straightforward story about Dante’s journey through Hell, it is also a big, long allegory for man’s descent into sin. Dante represents everyone. He loses the path of salvation in a shadowy world of sin. He travels the path through Hell trying to find his way back to God’s grace.

Detailed explanation-4: -Allegorically, the poem represents the soul’s journey towards God, beginning with the recognition and rejection of sin (Inferno), followed by the penitent Christian life (Purgatorio), which is then followed by the soul’s ascent to God (Paradiso).

Detailed explanation-5: -The three beasts are allegories of three different sins: the leopard represents lust, the lion pride, and the wolf represents avarice. While Dante goes backward to the forest, he sees a human figure and turns to it for help.