Inferno: What Does the Ending Mean? | SparkNotes (2024)

The Inferno ends with the promise that human beings, having left sin behind, may experience divine truth and peace again. In the final canto of the Inferno, Dante and Virgil leave Lucifer imprisoned in ice at the bottom of Hell and climb down his legs to come out the other side of Hell, on the opposite side of the world. It is night, so Dante and Virgil are able to “see, once more, the stars.” Inferno thus concludes on a note of hope. In medieval literature, stars symbolized divine wisdom. As Dante progressed through Hell, he was closed off from such wisdom; Virgil’s sage advice could offer only human wisdom, not godly wisdom. Dante’s sight of the stars now shows that he has been transformed by his journey through Hell and is ready to receive the light of divine truth. The image of the stars also conveys to reader the hope and peace of Heaven, after the chaotic torments of Inferno.

Inferno: What Does the Ending Mean? | SparkNotes (2024)

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Inferno: What Does the Ending Mean? | SparkNotes? ›

In the final canto of the Inferno

Inferno
Inferno (Italian: [iɱˈfɛrno]; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. The Inferno describes the journey of a fictionalised version of Dante himself through Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil.
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, Dante and Virgil leave Lucifer imprisoned in ice at the bottom of Hell and climb down his legs to come out the other side of Hell, on the opposite side of the world. It is night, so Dante and Virgil are able to “see, once more, the stars.” Inferno thus concludes on a note of hope.

What happened to Dante at the end? ›

At the end of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, Dante completes his journey through the three realms of the afterlife: Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. He reaches the highest level of Heaven, the Empyrean, where he is finally able to behold the divine essence of God.

What is the message of the Dante's Inferno? ›

Dante's Inferno serves as a symbolic allegory of Dante acknowledging his own sin. Through engaging in cruelty towards fellow sinners, including those who have personally harmed him, and through being scolded for compassion for sinners, even for his own relatives, Dante grows to understand the foibles of human nature.

What is the final line of Dante's Inferno? ›

Where we came forth, and once more saw the stars. These concluding words of Inferno describe Dante and Virgil's climb out of the underworld and back to the surface of the Earth (XXXIV. 134–140).

Where do Dante and Virgil end up at the end of Inferno? ›

Dante and Virgil enter Hell proper, the second circle, where monster, Minos, sits in judgment of all of the damned, and sends them to the proper circle according to their sin.

Why was Dante killed off? ›

In the original ending of Clerks., Dante is shot and killed by an armed robber after Randal leaves. Smith admits he was going to use this ending because he "didn't know how to end a film." The scene was cut before the film screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 1994, but it appears on the Clerks special edition DVD.

Where did Dante go when he died? ›

For the next 20 years, the poet endured a roving existence, travelling from place to place in Tuscany and other locales at the invitation of friends or fulfilling diplomatic missions at the behest of others. His final years were spent in the city of Ravenna on the Adriatic coast, where he died of malaria in 1321.

Why is Dante's Inferno relevant today? ›

Dante is endlessly inventive in making the punishment fit the crime. Corruption in the church, in our supposed spiritual leaders, is a subject not without contemporary relevance. Another lesson of the poem is the destructive effect on human life of greed, whether greed for money or greed for power.

What do the stars symbolize in Dante's Inferno? ›

So when Dante sees, with enormous relief, the stars in the last lines of the Inferno, we sense the possibility of hope which has been missing for so long. Ending each canticle with the word 'stars', with the pilgrim looking up into the heavens, reinforces this central theme.

Are Dante and Virgil in love? ›

Dante and Virgil's relationship becomes one of love and trust as they journey through Hell. As such, Hell is dark and frozen place because the lack of love and light brings only destruction and separation.

What happens to Virgil in Purgatory? ›

Virgil begins as Dante's master and guide in Hell, becomes his fellow pilgrim in Purgatory, and is finally left behind as Dante's poetry, his “great ship that sails and sings” sets a course for an “uncharted sea” (Paradiso 2.1-7) and enters heaven.

Does Virgil lead Dante through Purgatory? ›

Virgil remains Dante's guide all the way through Purgatory; yet we know that reason alone is not enough to gain access to Purgatory. If Virgil is simply a symbol of reason, then he is a wholly unsuitable guide in this realm. Virgil knows a lot about Christian doctrine, for one supposedly representative of reason alone.

What happens to Dante at the end of DMC 5? ›

Once the player's health bar empties, the story progresses and both Nero and Dante are defeated. Dante stays behind to hold Urizen off while Nero and V flee with heroic cowardice.

What happened to Dante in Dante's Inferno? ›

Dante was shown being stabbed in the back by the same person who killed Beatrice and Alighiero back at Acre and dying. Dante retaliated to this revelation, saying that he absolved many souls on his journey throughout Hell and they possessed the power to redeem himself. Dante called out to the souls that are inside him.

What happens to Dante at the end of Paradiso? ›

Key themes: The Triumph of the Church

Dante ascends with Beatrice into the Heaven of the Fixed Stars at the end of Paradiso XXII, where he is conjoined with the constellation of Gemini, under the influence of which he was born.

What happens to Dante in Coco? ›

During the rescue, Miguel realizes Dante knew the truth all along and declares him a spirit guide for reuniting him and Héctor (his real great-great-grandfather). Dante becomes an alebrije from Miguel's declaration.

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