The first circle of Upper Hell is made up of the Opportunists, or those who were neither good nor bad, but lived only for themselves. This is the vestibule of Hell, or the entrance way, meaning that these people weren't even given an established place in Hell. Their punishment consisted of endlessly chasing a banner that they can never catch, being stung repeatedly by wasps and hornets, and having worms and maggots eating their dripping blood. Also, not being granted a spot in Hell is definitely a punishment within itself.
The portrayal of the law of contrapaso is evident and obvious here, for if one never chose a side or specific point of view, they did not deserve to be permitted a certain place in their afterlife. Virgil said, "The High Creator scouraged them from Heaven for its perfect beauty, and Hell will not receive them since the wicked might feel glory over them" (19). This describes why Dante chooses to put them all in a place where they are isolated from everyone who chosen between good and evil, for their indecisiveness dithering will disturb others. The constant stinging from the hornets and wasps displays how they ignored their conscience, which is now incessantly stinging at them. For all the time that the Opportunists neglected their conscience, the wasps sting at them to remind them of the choices they should have made. The blood that streams down their bodies from the stinging of wasps is eaten by maggots and worms. These maggots are similar and comparable to their morals, for they are both filthy and dirty. Also, the chasing of the uncatchable banner displays their chased opportunity. "I saw a banner there upon the mist. Circling an circling, it seemed to scorn all pause. So it ran on, still behind it pressed a never-ending rout of souls in pain" (19). Trailing after the banner just brings more grief upon the Opportunists in the Vestibule, as described in the text.
The punishments in each of the circles of Hell directly relates to and imitates the life of that person prior to Hell, only now there are repercussions for this middle ground between good and evil. Dante describes that in his Hell, one will pay the price for living a life entirely for themselves, which is an afterlife spent in the Vestibule.
Well-written with strong evidence and commentary overall. Need to explain last part of the prompt more in final paragraph - what exactly is Dante asserting about this sin through his language here and through their punishment?
ReplyDeleteRemember - for excellent range in rubric - need something other than text to enhance your post. Visual? Audio?