Excellent translation of an excellent poem

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	• The Inferno (Signet Classics) Dante Alighieri Signet Classics, 2001 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 106 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Excellent translation of an excellent poem

Anthony Esolen's [relatively] new translation of Dante's Divine Comedy is my personal favorite for leisure reading. Here he captures the high drama, rage, fear, and pathos of Dante's poem better than any other translator I've read (and I've read many). I had already read Inferno umpteen times when I bought Esolen's translation, and it was like reading it for the first time again. I was almost brought to tears by Ugolino and his story, a story, like I said, that I had already read what seemed like a million times. A good translator makes the familiar seem new again, and Esolen's version of Dante accomplishes just that.
One nice thing, poetically, about this translation is that Esolen avoids most of the flaws of other translations. His poetry is neither ridiculously ornate nor boringly literal, as many have the tendency to be. He walks the tightrope gracefully, sticking to an iambic pentameter line. He doesn't attempt to force rhyme on the translation (the fatal flaw of the otherwise excellent translation by Dorothy Sayers), but does use a rhyme when it presents itself naturally.
This translation is highly recommended for anyone interested in The Divine Comedy. The notes section is scanty, especially compared to the Ciardi and Musa translations, but should be quite enough for even beginning readers.

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Eternal Damnation

"The Inferno" is part one of Dante's Divine Comedy, a medieval Christian poem using a Terza Rima (3 line rhyme) scheme, originally written in Italian. Dante lived around 1300 and many of the characters damned to hell were prominent figures of his time in Florence and Italy as a whole. Dante makes use of illustrative language and epic prose to deliver an image of hell, according to medieval Christian thought. Concurrently, Dante also delivers poignant criticism against the corrupt Catholic church and his political rivals of Florence. Dante's great reverence for Rome is apparent, as there are no prominent Roman emperors who populate Dante's vision of Hell.

The Nine Circles of Hell represent a geographical map of Hell, as the deeper into the abyss one goes, the more heinous the sin that led to the eternal damnation. However, it seems as if the punishment fits the crime, as the sinners are dealt a punishment suitable for their sin. When reading this, I can't help but think the "Ironic Punishment Division" in the Simpson's Halloween Special when Homer is forced to eat an endless supply of donuts, but I digress.

Dante's overall themes illustrate how evil is the antithesis of God's love, for those who are most defile God and his love and punished the worst. Indeed, the worst sinner of all, Judas Iscariot, is being gnawed by Lucifer himself. It's interesting to note how Dante rates the sins, as sodomy is worse than murder, and deceit is worse than both of them. I suppose Dante is merely echoing the theological theories of the time.

This book certainly isn't for everyone. I suspect that theological students and those who appreciate medieval poems, like Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, would be most akin to taking up this book. The translation uses old style English to retain as much authenticity, and can be quite tedious at times to decipher. Also, there are many references to Italian politics, as well as mythological creatures. One not familiar with these (and who is adept in 13th century Florentine politics?) will gloss over these passages.

Overall, Dante delivers a daunting and frightening version of hell in this literary masterpiece. These, along with "Purgatory" and "Paradise" (which I have not read), comprise the "Divine Comedy" and has made Dante a literary legend.

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Jouney Through Hell

I can't say that I'm a huge fan of poetry, but Dante's Inferno is a must read for this genre. As we follow Virgel down into the depths of Hell, we learn more about the dammned, God's sense of justice, and the "Savior" who has just walked into Hell and freed countless souls in Purgatory. The language of this book is difficult and the reader must go over the footnotes to understand the historical significance of most of the characters in the story. Don't let this stop you from the "Divine Comedy".

I loved it

The Inferno, written by Dante Alighieri around 1309, is about a man who has somewhat lost his way (morally) on earth so he is granted a tour through Hell. I loved this book because I found the many circles and subdivisions of hell that Dante created to be very fascinating and I also very much enjoyed reading about the gravity of certain sins through the eyes of such an old-school Catholic such as Dante. John Ciardi's translations were wonderful because he made Dantes' analytical and sometimes difficult speech into a form that was more modern and easier to understand without losing the feelings and the flavor behind the original. This book was very entertaining and I cant wait to read The Purgatorio.

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A Theological and Personal Classic

Cliff Marlowe is popular as William Shakespeare's greatest predecessor. Well, Dante is also deserving of that title. We should also consider the fact that this masterpiece was written about 300 years before Cliff Marlowe or William Shakespeare were even born. The most absurd thing I have ever heard about this book is that it is evil and satanic. But then, I don't believe who said this was a church goer or well educated. Well, that said this book is a phenomenal masterpiece. Probably, the best way to read this is with an openess to compromise. By that, I mean it has some theological basis, but a good priest or bishop would probably point out some flaws in his logic. But ofcourse, the bible is the same way. While the bible certainly has valid teachings of theology, we shouldn't take everything the bible says literally. Well, onto the subject at hand. The book starts with the protagonist reaching the midpoint in his life and feeling he has strayed from God's ways. (This is something we may all go through. So, it makes the book a little more personal. Good!) But even in the agony of the protagonist, the mercy of God is prevalent. (So, we can rest assured that God is merciful and forgiving.) While we may think the subject of the book contradicts this, we must be careful. As early as chapter 5, we learn that people willingly distance themselves from God and freely confess everything to the keeper of hell's gates. As we get into this book, we quickly see that Dante's perception of hell is much more complex than the fires and pitch forks that we have probably heard of since childhood. One of the greatest chapters pertains to the 'light of human reason.' This is where people who didn't acknowledge God go if they were basically good people. This is almost like a lower level of heaven. Dante emphasizes that it is the highest state man can achieve without God. Another interesting chapter follows. We are often lead to think of fornication, adultery, and sexual crimes as severe, but Dante gives a plausible reason why those are actually very lightly punished in hell. Without going on and on, Dante finds artful ways to convey tragic images. One of the most tragic is the consequences of suicide. Perhaps his most theologically sound belief is that the final level of hell is pure ice and nothingness. Remember, the church defines hell as simply 'the absence of God.' In all of Dante's journeys, he maintains interesting characters. Dante seems a bit naive, but some of the scenes where he pities the tortured souls are touching, and as the book goes on, he becomes more aggressive when he learns of the crimes of those punished more in the lower regions of hell. Virgil is actually a complex character. While we may be tempted to think of him as an angel, this is not the case. He is a tenant of the 1st level of hell (the light of human reason) and has developed an acceptance of his position. Yet, he wants to do everything he can to help Dante. Also, Virgil is not all powerful. There are times when he has to seek divine aid to get through certain passages. Also, some of the stories of the tortured souls are really interesting. (The love of Paolo and Francesca who lightly suffer in the tempest, Ciacco the Hog is not overly punished, the tales of those punished for suicide, the fate of Brunetto Latino (whom inspired Dante), the fate of Ulysses, the souls in the lower levels who would rather be forgotten, and the tragic tale of Ugolino. Strangely, the head of hell itself does not get to speak...Yet perhaps Dante felt that his state of sorrow was enough. Interestingly, we may be tempted to think of Satan as the master of hell who delights in the torments of other souls, but remember, Satan himself was thrown out of heaven and sent to hell as punishment. So Dante is probably correct to portray Satan as yet another one who suffers in hell. In all honesty, there is not a dull moment in this book. One final thing I wish to say about Dante's masterpiece is that he skillfully combines his theological interpretaions along with his knowledge of Greek Mythology. (Remember, Dante wrote this 300 years before icons such as Cliff Marlowe, William Shakespeare, John Webster, and John Milton existed.) It may not be wrong to say that Dante helped pave the way for these great writers who gave us the masterpieces of literature through the ages.

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