Odysseus and Dante - 1517 Words

The two stories or myths, The Inferno written by Durante Alighieri published in 1314 and the Odyssey by Homer in 800 B.C.E. are about true love, great journeys that are different but in some ways parallel and end with them back with their true love. Both Dante and Odysseus have a woman who waits for them and in their travels must search themselves and make the right choices to get back to them. Odysseus longs to be with his wife Penelope and Dante to be with the woman he wants to marry Beatrice. Both men are very much love the woman in their lives, go to their own hell and back and can think of nothing other than finding their way back to them. Beatrice even after death has a spirit that is very much in love with Dante. She has faith in†¦show more content†¦There are at least three rings in the seventh circle of hell, guarded by centaurs. Here people spend eternity as trees because they did not appreciate the bodies they were given. The first ring is where people who were v iolent to other people spend eternity in a pool of boiling blood, the second is where the suicides go, and further down those that were violent toward God. In the eighth circle there are pouches each with different punishments according to the level of scandals and lies they were involved in (Inferno). There is more to this journey before Dante can return to his beloved. Calypso keeps Odysseus prisoner because she loves him and wants to keep him for herself. Odysseus had spent seven years with Calypso withdrawing into the caverns deep recesses, long in each others arms . . . [losing themselves] in love (V.250-251) (Howell, E. N., amp; Fink, L. S., R.W.T., 2012). Odysseus wants nothing more than to get back home to his home and wife. He wants to leave her island Ogygia but has no ship. Finally, after Zeus sends Hermes to rescue him, he convinces her to let Odysseus build a ship and lets him leave. Then Poseidon God of the sea, who is mad at Odysseus for blinding his son the Cyclops Polyphemus, sends a wind to blow them off course (Homer, 800 B.C.E.). As Dantes journey continues, Virgil guides him through the ninth circle of hell where they find Satan frozen up to the waist in aShow MoreRelatedLearning From The Journey : Dante And Odysseus Enlightenment Through Their Physical And Metaphysical Journeys1518 Words   |  7 PagesLearning from the Journey: Dante and Odysseus’ Enlightenment Through Their Physical and Metaphysical Journeys Traveling from one place to another, physically moving, is beneficial in changing scenery and changing perspective however, physical travel is not the only travel that brings about a positive change in people. Metaphysical travel, also known as a mental or spiritual exploration, is just as powerful as a physical one. 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