Blog Post 2

Virgil serves as the voice of reason over the course of Dante’s journey through the inferno. This is true for both the poem and the film, although it is received and demonstrated in different ways. In the poem, for example, there is a sense of wisdom around all of Virgil’s actions; he has traveled through the inferno before, and knows how to get through without too many missteps, and when he fails, there are other forces at work to ensure that Dante makes it to purgatory safely. In the film, however, the actions of Virgil do not always seem to be motivated by the same sense of wisdom, and they are not reinforced by faith in the same way as the poem, if at all.

This is most clearly demonstrated through two particular events, and the first is the interactions with Cerberus upon entering the Third Circle. Upon meeting Cerberus in the poem, “[Virgil] opened his hands to their full span / plucked up some earth, and with his fists filled full / he hurled it straight into those famished jaws” (Alighieri 51). Cerberus is enlisted as the guard to the Third Circle, responsible for inflicting punishment on those guilty of gluttony, and distracting him is the sensible way to deal with the risks without ridding the sinners of their punishment. In the film, however, Virgil shoots Cerberus upon meeting him. This is not particularly wise on his part, and seems almost unnecessary given the fact that they are supposedly being protected on this journey by those souls who have made it to Heaven. This needless violence displays the twisted nature of reason in the film, and how it is not quite the same now as it might have been when Dante originally wrote Inferno.

The second scene most clearly demonstrating the differences between the Virgil displayed in the poem and the one in the film is the entry to the city of Dis. Upon trying to pass the wrathful and sullen souls blocking the gates in the book, Virgil and Dante are assisted by an angel sent to ensure that they complete their journey (Alighieri 81). This enforces the idea that Virgil, as the voice of reason, is supported by faith and the souls in Heaven, and that Dante is being allowed through the inferno because of God’s will. In the film, however, there is no angel or heavenly power to assist them; Virgil tricks his way inside rather than receiving assistance. While again demonstrating that reason is not the same now as it used to be, this scene also highlights that it is no longer dependent upon religion and faith. The lack of heavenly assistance is, at least in part, because reason and faith are no longer explicitly tied together in the time that the film is set in.