Essay --

Similarities and Differences between Inferno and The Odyssey When reading the stories The Odyssey by Homer and Inferno by Dante Alighieri, it is obvious how diverse these two stories are. In The Odyssey, Ulysses is trying to reach his home, which he has not seen for twenty years. The theme for The Odyssey is one man, Ulysses’, need to go home. The Inferno theme shows the character Dante struggling with good and evil. The character, Dante, explores in depth the Christian idea of hell. It is through his experience in hell that he casts his faithfulness to God and good. When reading these two stories, many differences between them are plain when comparing characteristics, conventions, and the different religious experiences of the periods in which these stories were written. Characteristics in Homer’s, The Odyssey include a hero, Ulysses, heroic courage, a vast setting, and weird forces. In The Odyssey, the main character Ulysses is a war hero trying to travel home. He faces unbelievable trials during his return which include being cast on an island, battling Neptune and the seas, fighting suitors, and regaining his home from the suitors. The setting for his story involves his trip from the island and over the seas until he reaches his home country. Ulysses also goes into hell where he visits the ghosts, or shades, for guidance. During Ulysses’ journey, he is both helped and tested by weird powers of different gods and goddesses. In Dante’s Inferno, the hero of the story is Dante. Dante is a man who was banished from his home because of his beliefs and therefore, fights with the choice between good and evil. Dante’s bravery comes in the form of humanity; he faces the challenges that all mankind struggle with. He travels ... ...o, Dante being led by Virgil, a man whose work Dante admires. Dante wishes to learn from the sinners in hell, and to absorb much information from Virgil, while in hell. Virgil shows and explains to Dante about the sinners and the resurrection. Dante wrote, â€Å"remember now your science, /which says that when a thing has more perfection, /so much greater is its pain or pleasure† (Alighieri, 1992, Canto VI 6.106-6.108). Although Homer’s The Odyssey and Dante’s Inferno are very opposite in nature, both stories can be pleasant for an audience in today’s world. The Odyssey is a story about struggling against gods and showing courage through a hero’s actions. The story is written with fantastic verses that attract audiences, even in today’s world. Inferno was written with amazing vision into mankind’s fight among good and evil. That fight goes on even in today’s world.