{"id":2684,"date":"2025-10-27T23:24:55","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T04:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/trident\/?p=2684"},"modified":"2025-10-27T23:24:55","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T04:24:55","slug":"the-devil-dante-knows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/trident\/2025\/10\/27\/the-devil-dante-knows\/","title":{"rendered":"The Devil (Dante) Knows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lucifer is an infamous figure, and writers imagine him in a stunning range of ways. Dante Alighieri\u2019s take on the devil is seen in his medieval work Inferno<\/em>, which explores nine circles of hell, culminating in the last, in which Dante sees Lucifer face to face. With how well-known Inferno <\/em>is, one might expect Dante\u2019s portrayal of the devil to be the standard biblical depiction of Lucifer; however, Dante\u2019s portrait is quite distinctive both from that imagining of Lucifer and from other contemporary portraits of his time. Why then does Inferno<\/em>, in its portrayal of Hell and the devil, remain such a significant part of the literary canon?<\/p>\n\n\n

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Alexandre Cabanel’s 19th-century painting The Fallen Angel, showing Lucifer after his fall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Inferno <\/em>was written in the 14th century. Prior to the 14th century, the most common portrayal of the devil would have been derived from biblical descriptions, such as Lucifer as the prideful fallen angel. This is an imagining of the devil that has remained popular. Some theologians would specifically state pride as the reason for Lucifer\u2019s rebellion and subsequent fall. It is interesting, then, that pride is not the circle that the devil resides in, in fact, it\u2019s not even mentioned in Inferno <\/em>at all, but rather in Purgatorio.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Hans Memling’s 15th-century depiction of the devil.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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With this difference aside, within the context of the 14th century, Dante\u2019s devil does share some similarities with portrayals of the time. At this point, with the movement away from the \u2018fallen angel\u2019 portrait, the devil became a more grotesque, beastly figure. For example, in the 14th-century manuscript, the Smithfield Decretals, <\/em>the devil is shown as having claws, an anthropomorphic head, and, oftentimes, featherless wings and a tail too. In many images, the devil is shown to tower over regular humans. Similarly, Dante\u2019s devil is depicted as a giant, with bat wings, three heads, with each head eating a sinner. The depiction is grotesque and certainly monstrous, as would be fitting of the time, if not even a little extreme.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Jean-Edouard Dargent’s depiction of Lucifer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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However, Dante\u2019s devil differs drastically in notable ways from both the medieval period and our own modern perception of the devil. Dante describes Lucifer, \u201c[w]ith six eyes\u2026and three chins\u201d down which \u201ctrickled the tear-drops and the bloody drivel\u201d coming from his eyes. (Canto 34, ll. 53-54). This is interesting because the devil is oftentimes portrayed as confident and in control, ruling over Hell, but in Dante\u2019s narrative, he appears to be a victim of Hell and suffers just the same, as all the other damned souls Dante encounters do. It is also unique in the sense that the medieval perception of Hell often includes an eternal fire, as does the modern idea of Hell. However, Dante imagined the devil as trapped in ice. This furthers the absence of power the devil holds in what should be his own domain. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Gustave Dor\u00e9’s illustration depicting Dante and Virgil traversing the frozen landscape of the Ninth Circle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is also important that the devil resides in the ninth circle, the worst circle, which Dante devotes to the treacherous. As mentioned previously, the devil is often known for being prideful, and pride has even been called the \u201cfirst sin\u201d, leading to Lucifer challenging God. However, Dante considers the betrayal of God by Lucifer to be the worst sin, regardless of whether pride was what motivated his treachery. Taking away the devil\u2019s pride also works to strip him of his power and control. Pride is a feeling that carries with it confidence and self-satisfaction, and it allows for a level of dignity. Dante deprives us of the devil who smirks, who laughs, who revels in his own evil, and instead gives us a crying victim in the face of God\u2019s punishment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though in modern day, the confident trickster devil figure is what most would likely think of if told to imagine the devil, it does not take away from the significance of Inferno<\/em> or Dante\u2019s take on what Lucifer looks and behaves like. He deprives satan of his uniqueness and power, making him just another sinner to be punished. Although certainly it was not Dante\u2019s intention to suggest pity or sympathy for the devil, portraying Lucifer as a weeping victim of his own actions opened pathways for more complex, unique, and nuanced takes on the devil. 

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Featured Image: Lucifer King of Hell<\/em> by Gustave Dor\u00e9, 1861-1868. This work is in the public domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images: The Fallen Angel<\/em> by Alexandre Cabanel, 1847. This work is in the public domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earthly Vanity and Divine Salvation<\/em> by Hans Memling, 1485. This work is in the public domain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satan in the Frozen Lake<\/em> by Jean-Edouard Dargent, 1870. This work is in the public domain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dante and Virgil in Cocytus<\/em> by Gustave Dor\u00e9, 1866. This work is in the public domain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lucifer is an infamous figure, and writers imagine him in a stunning range of ways. Dante Alighieri\u2019s take on the devil is seen in his medieval work Inferno, which explores nine circles of hell, culminating in the last, in which Dante sees Lucifer face to face. With how well-known Inferno is, one might expect Dante\u2019s… <\/p>\n

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