Symbolism of the Three Beasts Anonymous 12th Grade

Symbolism in literary works is used when one thing is meant to represent something else, in order to create meaning and emotion. In the first part of Dante Alighieri's three-part epic poem entitled Divine Comedy, there are many symbols the author uses to effectively convey his message to the readers, particularly the symbol of the three beasts the persona first encounters in Canto I. Inferno, meaning 'hell' in Italian, details the journey of the persona as he ventures through Hell. Before he enters the gates, however, he encounters three beasts, which are used by the author as a symbol of the three major divisions in Hell the persona will soon witness.

To begin with, the poem begins shortly before the dawn of Good Friday in a dark forest. The persona finds himself lost in the "dark wood", astray from the straight path, or the path of truth. Allegorically, this could mean that the persona has committed great sins in his life, but now he wants to repent and find the path back to salvation and truth. However, before this can happen, his path is blocked by three beasts, which are thought to represent the three kinds of sin that bring the unrepentant soul into Hell. These three animals are actually taken from Jeremiah 5:6 in the...