to their sexual appetite. However, Dante places the sodomites in the seventh circle of hell, which is reserved for.
the violent; it is considered to be violent because it is a perversion of nature. The practice of homosexuality is.
recognized as an unnatural sin, as opposed to the sin of lust, which is defined by the natural desire of beauty.
between man and woman that is wrongly practiced. The natural motion of the soul is constant ascension, in.
which the ends bring the soul to be one with god. In Canto XV, Dante describes the punishment for sodomy.
during a brief encounter with three sodomites: "and when they reached us, then they started circling; the three.
together formed a turning wheel And circling this way each kept his face pointed at me, so that their necks.
and feet moved constantly in opposite directions" (21-27). The circling motion made by the sodomites.
represents the unnatural movement of the soul; instead of a constant ascension to salvation, the soul makes the.
constant motion of a circle. The result being that there is no progress in any direction and an unnatural alignment.
in the body, "the neck and feet moved constantly in opposite directions" (XV.26-7). The body, as well as the.
soul, has again been turned from its proper function by a perversion of nature. Dante's Inferno enables man to.
understand that the punishment of the soul is retributive justice assigned by God. By carefully assessing the.
pilgrim's journey through hell, man comes to realize that the appropriateness of the punishment is a reflection of.
the sin's effects upon the soul. This realization will help Dante overcome the nature of sin, which is that sin.
perverts the soul and turns it from its proper nature. Now that the pilgrim has investigated all sin and knows the.
foundation of all sin, Dante us spiritually prepared to welcome the hope of salvation Dante's Inferno takes mankind on a frightening journey through the depths of hell.