Love Theme in Inferno

Love may not be quite as powerful as the word in the Inferno, but it is still a strong force in Dante's epic. Dante is allowed to make his amazing journey through hell because of how much Beatrice, Dante's beloved who is now in heaven, loves him. She left heaven because of her love for Dante, to tell Virgil to guide Dante through hell. And as Dante traverses through hell, he is continually motivated to continue his frightening journey by some form of love, whether for Beatrice, Virgil, or God. In addition, the inscription above the entrance to hell specifies that hell was created by God, whom it describes as "the power, and the unsearchably / high wisdom, and the primal love supernal," (3.5-6). God's original love is thus in large part the primal organizing force behind hell and the entire plot of Dante's poem.

While Dante champions these forms of sacred love, his poem also provides examples of various perversions of love. A love of wealth and power, for example, drives many souls to commit terrible sins. The second circle of hell contains those sinners who gave into excessive lust, including the memorable Francesca da Rimini. These sinners follow lust and desire, rather than chaste love like that between Dante and Beatrice. Dante also includes Sodomites in his vision of hell, a category including (but not limited to) those who engage in homosexual acts. Also in Dante's hell is Myrrha, a figure of Greek mythology famous for her incestuous desire for her father. And while Myrrha loved her father excessively and in the wrong way, hell is also filled with those who did not love their own families or nations enough, as the traitors in the ninth circle attest.

Many of the sinners in Dante's hell thus pursued some kind of bad love or desire instead of the one love that, for Dante, matters most: the love of God. By contrast, Dante's love for Beatrice is virtuous, because it leads him closer to God's love, rather than further away from it.

Love ThemeTracker

The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Love appears in each section of Inferno. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.

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Section

Love Quotes in Inferno

Below you will find the important quotes in Inferno related to the theme of Love.

Beatrice am I, who thy good speed beseech;
Love that first moved me from the blissful place
Whither I'd fain return, now moves my speech.

Related Characters: Beatrice (speaker), Beatrice

Page Number and Citation: 2.70-72

Explanation and Analysis:

Virgil recounts the story of how he was led to Dante, during which he came into contact with the divine inspiration for the tale: Beatrice. Beatrice explained to Virgil how her love for Dante motivated her to leave heaven and speak with this intermediary. This passage establishes a chain reaction of affection toward Dante that has saved him from his personal and spiritual crisis. Virgil may be his direct guide, but their relationship is actually ordained through Beatrice, herself an emissary of the Virgin Mary and God. Her line “Love that first moved me” may pass over the reader, but Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta ita

Justice moved my great maker; God eternal
Wrought me: the power, and the unsearchably
High wisdom, and the primal love supernal.

Related Characters: Guido Guerra, Tegghiaio Aldobrandi, and Jacopo Rusticucci (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 4-6

Explanation and Analysis:

These words are the inscription on the gates of hell. They glorify God for the wise and just way he crafted the doorway. Throughout the Divine Comedy, Dante continually reasserts God’s omnipresence—constantly showing how he has positively affected each component of the mystical universe. The gates proclaim first how he was moved by “justice,” indicating that the division of hell, purgatory, and heaven stems from firm moral systems that give each person his or her correct end. Next, they allude to the “power” and “high wisdom,” thus combining the values of strength and intelligence that would allow God to have Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque p

Love, that so soon takes hold in the gentle breast,
Took this lad with the lovely body they tore
From me; the way of it leaves me still distrest.

Love, that to no loved heart remits love's score,
Took me with such great joy of him, that see!
It holds me yet and never shall leave me more.

Love to a single death brought him and me.

Related Characters: Francesca da Rimini (speaker), Paolo Malatesta

Page Number and Citation: 5.100-106

Explanation and Analysis:

Now in the second circle of hell, Dante listens to the tale of Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta. Francesca explains that love bound the couple together, but also caused them to sin. This passage develops and complicates the theme of love seen in Dante’s relationships with Beatrice and with God. Whereas up to this point “love” has been identified as the motivating factor for Dante’s quest for salvation—and even the main foundation for all divine action—here it becomes a negative force. Francesca shows how this transition may occur subtly, for it first "takes hold in the gentle breast,” employing Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur mag

Love Theme Analysis

Love ThemeTracker

Love Quotes in Inferno

Canto 2 Quotes

Canto 3 Quotes

Canto 5 Quotes