Cantos I - V

"You living soul, stand clear of those who are dead!\And then when he saw that I did not obey:\By other ports, in a lighter boat," he said,\"You will be brought to shore by another way." (III. 73-78)

This passage proposes the boats to be a metaphor for the emotions and thoughts of the damned that wait to cross the river. As the boat draws nearer to Dante on the shore, the dead around him begin to change from human and curse their upbringing in the human world and their human lives. This metamorphosis coupled with Charon's description of the boat suggests that the boat in which the dead cross is heavier due to the fact that the burdens of its passengers are greater than any the living could have. The dead forced to cross the river in Charon's boat carry with them wrath against God and their lives as human beings. These people are also characterized as the "evil seed" (95) of Adam, embodying all the evil of humanity. Charon himself embodies some of the same, as he is
often characterized as an angry old man who impatiently ferries the dead across - leaving those too slow or, according to some mythology those who could not pay the fee to cross (Callimachus). These characteristics of the dead crossing the river weigh down the boat with the despair of the underworld.
Charon's words also made me wonder what the other method of crossing the river was. If there was a way for the living to crossby"lighter" means, why wouldn't they take it. Aeneas crossed in Charon's boat, as did Dante - why shouldn't they? what other option is there?


"Among these giants: he is Homer, their lord the sovereign poet; the satirist follows him- Horace, with Lucan last, and Ovid third." (IV. 73-75)
Another nod to his time period, Dante includes the famous classic poets and writers who were such popular figures at the time. I think it strange, however, that these people were chosen to be saved from Hell. The may be master writers and poets, but what moral standing does that give them to be saved by God? Clearly, Dante is biased towards writers, as seen in his guide, Virgil, the famous italian poet, whom he idolizes and follows, regardless of the situation. The reverence he shows classical writers, for me, detracts somewhat from his point and even makes the narrative more shallow.