What makes virgil a good guide

Second the Georgics , being a poem in four books describing agriculture, mans struggle with nature, animal husbandry, and even bees, all used to describe the lives of man with nature Horsfall And finally the Aeneid, an epic poem that tells the story of Aeneas who travels to Italy and later becomes the ancestor of the Roman people Horsfall Dante was inspired by all these major works, especially the Aeneid.

But in Divine Comedy Virgil did not just serve as literary inspiration to Dante, but he was also the main character, guiding Dante through the dangers of Hell to Heaven. To Dante as a writer, Virgil is different than all the other famous poets in history; Virgil is the great poet to lead Dante on his perilous adventure. The question is why was Virgil chosen out of all the other possible candidates in history?

It is because Dante considered Virgil to be his role model and Dante was inspired by his work. Finally Virgil also sets an example of faith as without any belief in God, Virgil is trapped in Limbo for eternity.

These are reasons why Virgil as a guide and a historical figure, is the best selection for Dante as the one to guide him through the afterlife. The character of Virgil in the Divine Comedy is supposed to be the same person as the real historical author of the Eclogues, Georgics, and the Aeneid.

Dante first proves his respect for Virgil by making Virgil one of the main characters in his story. As soon as Virgil enters the story in Canto I, Dante is terrified and trapped in the dark wood. Before Dante even begins his journey, Dante does not consider himself as brave as the characters that Virgil had written about. Virgil rebukes Dante and tells him to stop being a coward and that Dante is chosen to make the journey to the underworld. It is apparent that Dante is constantly looking for reassurance from Virgil since Virgil is the one who wrote about brave, strong men and Dante considered Virgil to be a saving figure that could keep him safe during their terrifying journey into Hell.

Dante, the character, is right in assuming that Virgil is the perfect guide to take him through the underworld since the topography of Hell is very similar to that described in the Aenied Jacoff He knows exactly where to go since he practically wrote the directions to Hell Bemrose The Aeneid is a very famous piece of literature and since Dante based his literary journey through Hell on this story, it shows that Dante as an author wanted to make his story as great as the Aeneid The Aeneid is used heavily as a literary guide through Hell just like how the character of Dante relied on Virgil during their journey through the depths of Hell Martindale The trust that Dante had in Virgil in the story is apparent from the very first Canto when Dante trusts Virgil to follow him into Hell.

Dante considers Virgil as a character, and as a real person, a symbol of strength, a second reason why Virgil is the perfect guide for Dante. Virgil protects Dante from harm during their journey into the scariest part of the afterlife. The first example of how Virgil shows little fear is because he accepts the task to rescue Dante. As the journey progresses, his treatment of Dante changes, depending on the situation.

Often and most importantly, Virgil is very protective of Dante. At times, he reprimands Dante for his sympathy, reminding Dante that these dammed souls are here for punishment, and that their punishment is the design of a larger plan dictated by God. Virgil is very careful to explain patiently all of the functions of Hell and its various structures. Virgil is constantly solicitous of Dante's welfare, and he knows that Dante is dependent on him.

At times, when Virgil himself is having difficulty with some of the shades, he tells Dante to wait behind, because he does not want to frighten Dante, who is completely dependent upon him, as both a guide through the geography of Hell and as a spiritual guide.

We figure that Virgil spent so much time writing the Aeneid —invoking the Muses, speaking in dactylic hexameter, and pulling epic similes out of the air—that he simply got stuck speaking that way. Not only that, but Virgil's requests are often granted. Have you noticed how every time Virgil talks to someone, he gets what he wants? He convinces a scared Dante to come with him to hell! Dante does, however, introduce doubts about the goodness of this way of talking.

Virgil does get locked out of Dis for a reason. His "persuasive word" presupposes a good deal of pride in its speaker. Another way in which Virgil embodies language is that he speaks for everyone. Sometimes, he even speaks for Dante when our poor poet is too green around the gills to talk. When approaching Ciacco, his sole encouragement to Dante is "your words must be appropriate.

Well, as the text goes on, it becomes apparent that Virgil is far from perfect. Just like Dante. So why Virgil? Why a pagan? Why not some nice Christian poet? Not born yet. Ditto for Donne. He loves everything that Virgil represents: the Classics, larger-than-life themes, battles between good and evil, honor, glory, culture, and spirituality.

Just to drive home the point that Dante reveres the Classics, there are passages where Dante refers to the Christian God as "Jupiter" or "Jove," the pagan Roman name for the king of the gods. Virgil is the most prominent figure of Classicism in the text.

But the dialogue between Classical and Christian beliefs is perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the Inferno.