Dante’s Inferno is largely supported by various symbolic narratives of sinners who have descended into Hell, however it is the theme that is presented through these symbolic narratives that is most notable. Despite each sinner’s story as to why they are in Hell being unique, they all have one thing in common – the unity of the soul and body. The stories of the sinners simply provide a narrative to convey the intricate and intriguing connection between the soul and body. This indestructible unity is present throughout Dante’s entire journey through the 9 Circles of Hell. As he travels deeper into Hell, the theme becomes clear as the punishments of the body of each sinner in Hell are continually a result of the sin their soul committed on Earth. Moreover, the theme is further developed through the specific stories of sinners who experience the punishment of switching of body and soul with various creatures, as well as the repercussions of attempted separation of soul and body. Through the multiple stories that Dante shares from his journey through Hell, he emphasizes that the necessary unity between the soul and body cannot be destroyed.
As Dante presents the punishment in Hell of each sinner, he is careful to always share the story of their sin on Earth. He creates this concept of contrapasso, which states that the punishment the sinner experiences is equal and fitting to the crime of the sinner; the worse the crime, the worse the punishment. Dante situates fraud to be the worst sin, as it contradicts the fundamentals of love, which encompasses trust, devotion, and loyalty. In the Ninth Circle of Hell, these fundamentals of love are broken on the worst scale, in that the sinners who reside here have broken their bond of trust with their supporter or leader. This is not an obligatory bond like that between family members, but rather a voluntary bond. Breaking this voluntary trust is breaking voluntary love, which resembles the love of God for humans. Thus Dante believes that these crimes constitute the worst punishment. The sinners who reside in the Ninth Circle of Hell, Judas Iscariot, Brutus, and Cassius, suffer under the punishment of the devil who “with gnashing teeth… [tears] to bits a sinner”. Despite Brutus and Cassius being main instigators in the murder of Julius Caesar, it is not the murder itself that concerns Dante, but rather the betrayal of trust. Thus, the crime that is being punished is not the physical crime, but the crime related to the soul. As a result of their souls being sinful against their supporters and Jesus, their bodies are punished in Hell. This strongly establishes the connection between the soul and the body – the actions committed by one directly affects the other. This is not the only scenario where this is the case. Just prior to bearing witness to the sufferings of the Judas Iscariot, Brutus, and Cassius, Dante encounters the sinners who reside in the Eighth Circle of Hell, called Malebolge (“Evil-Pouches”) (Author’s Notes, XVII). This Circle is reserved for “ordinary fraud”, where “those who cheated” or “was a liar” (XXIII:144) suffer. As a result of the fraudulent crime committed by their soul, their bodies are succumbed to punishments such as crucifiction, and being at the mercy of “a dreadful swarm of serpents”. As a result of contrapasso, this inescapable connection between soul and body transfers into the crimes and their due punishments in Hell, further developing the theme.
Although the theme revolves around the connection of the soul and body, Dante demonstrates that they are two unique and individual entities. He shares the story of Fra Alberigo, who’s soul resides in the Eighth Circle of Hell, but he has “no knowledge of [his] body’s fate within the world above”. After becoming a traitor, “a demon [took his] body away… and [kept] that body in his power until its years have run their course completely”. This is extremely interesting as it is one of the few instances in the comedy where Dante makes a distinct separation between the soul and body. This separation is elaborated when Alberigo tells Dante about Branca Doria, who Dante believes to “not yet [be] dead; he eats and drinks and sleeps and puts on clothes”. However, Albergio explains that Doria, too, has “a devil in his stead inside his body” . The body continues to function as if it was inhabited by Doria’s soul, despite the lack thereof. Correspondingly, the souls of Doria and Alberigo live on and possess their individuality despite not inhabiting a body, suggesting that individuality is a component of the soul and not the body. The body is portrayed to be more of an instrument that is utilised by the soul to express individuality. By making these distinctions, Dante demonstrates that both the soul and body are separate entities with their own characteristics and abilities. However, without the body, the soul would be unable to act upon any aspects of its individuality as it requires the physical means to express itself. Likewise, the body is unable to act unless inhabited by a soul to direct it. With this understanding, the connection between the soul and the body is further established as each entity relies on each other for full functionality of a human.
As Dante reveals that the soul and body are dependant upon each other, it becomes clear that a human is incomplete without embodiment. Dante demonstrates this desire for embodiment when he describes the punishment of those who committed suicide. These individuals who were “unjust against [their own] just self”, have their souls trapped inside a tree while their bodies “hang in this sad wood, each on the stump of its vindictive shade”. Following the theme of contrapasso, as a result of these individuals attempting to escape by death from the disdain they experienced in body, they will forever have their bodies and souls separated. This eternal separation is, however, not applicable to all sinners. While in the Third Circle of Hell, Virgil explains to Dante that at “the blast of the angelic trumpet upon the coming of the hostile Judge…. each [sinner] shall see his sorry tomb again and once again take on his flesh and form”. Unlike the suicide victims who “shall seek out the flesh that [they] have left, but none of [them] shall wear it”, other sinners will have the opportunity to reunite their souls with their bodies. In response to Dante’s curiosity regarding the implications of reuniting the soul with the body, Virgil explains that “when a thing has more perfection, so much the greater is its pain or pleasure,” and “though these accursed sinners never shall attain the true perfection, yet they can expect to be more perfect then than now”. From this, it can be understood that perfection is only attainable when the soul and body are united. This is when sensations are heightened and the full functionality of the soul and body can be attained. Dante connects sensations to embodiment, rather than specifically the individual soul or individual body. Thus, in order for an individual to be complete as a human being, the soul and the body must be united together, providing the greatest piece of evidence for the unbreakable connection between the soul and the body.
By using the stories of the sinners to convey the theme of the indestructible connection between the soul and the body, Dante is able to use a multitude of examples to strengthen the connection he makes between the two. Using contrapasso throughout the comedy allows Dante to demonstrate that crimes committed by the soul have immediate consequences on the body in Hell. Further analyzing specific stories where the body is inhabited by an alternate soul begins to draw clarity to the notion that the body and the soul are individual entities which rely on each other for full functionality. Without the body, the soul is unable to be expressed; Without a soul, the body is unable to perform physical functions. This need to have the soul and the body be united is further understood by the stories of the suicide victims and their inability to reunite the body with the soul in contrast to other sinners. Through these stories of the sinners in Hell, we are constantly reminded that a human is only fulfilled by embodiment.
