The works Odyssey and Inferno are both recognized as revealing the beliefs and practices of life with reference to the era which these epics date, particularly the struggle of good versus evil. The poem Odyssey deals with the struggles of Odysseus against various impediments he faces on his journey back home from the Trojan War after a gap of twenty years. In Dante’s Inferno, the protagonist Dante is conflicted while choosing good from evil. Referring to the Biblical Heaven and Hell, this struggle is the primary essence of the story. In both these works, the angels and the gods sporadically help mankind develop faith and set them on a righteous path towards achieving potential. Conversely, the Devil in Inferno employs his vice powers to hamper this progress because he envies the work of God. Through the epics we learn that human life is about making the right decisions and choosing between good and evil; sin and justice; and, eventually, only those souls which are refined succeed in freeing themselves from the hurdles set by the devil.
Poseidon holds malice against Odysseus for defying his orders, and he attempts to get even by interrupting his journey back home by letting Calypso capture him. In the meantime, Athena begs her father Zeus for his support in bringing Odysseus back home. Zeus implores Poseidon to pardon Odysseus and with help from Athena, Odysseus eventually reaches home and takes revenge on those who tried to misguide his wife and take over his possessions. However, Dante strays from the path of righteousness and gets lost in his way as a consequence of his sins, drifting alone in a dark forest. However, he eventually meets Virgil, who agrees to serve as his guardian through hell. Virgil explains to Dante about his close acquaintance with Beatrice, a woman who Dante always admired, who eventually guides him through heaven. Dante tells Virgil about the beast that blocked his path to the gates of heaven, and Virgil helps Dante by motivating and encouraging him on how to cross over to heaven through the gates of hell.
In the Odyssey, goddess Athena assists and directs Odysseus in implementing an impeccable plan with her shrewd designs to defeat his enemies. One of the major subjects in this epic is the wrath of Achilles, the toughest and most powerful hero in the Greek flank. But, Odysseus learns to focus on the psychological aspects rather than strength, and consequently, defeats Achilles.
“But you, Achilles, there’s not a man in the world more blest than you – there never has been and there never will be one” (Homer 333)
Through camouflage and storytelling abilities, Odysseus connects with his people, and eventually reclaims his position as their king. However, Odysseus is severely mindful about trusting people. Through storytelling, he portrays his experiences to convey messages to his subjects to evaluate the extent of their loyalty towards him. Gods always take on different ways to guide the people they love. Thus, Athena appears in the form of a young girl born to Odysseus’s son and she implements her power to change the perception of people, for instance, turning the entire Odysseus’s army into pigs. Athena guides Odysseus into changing his own appearance numerously and helps him be calculative in all his appearances. He faced troubles in trusting people because of what became of a friend of his who got killed by his own disloyal wife on his return from the War.
In Inferno, Dante realizes that every sin a soul perpetrates on earth has a corresponding penance in hell. The plot emphasizes the idea of righteousness being a balance in the relationship of god with mankind. Dante explains that God created hell to bring justice to sinners for their sins and that the extent of punishment depends on the degree of the sin committed. Like many others, Dante is torn in his conflict between good and evil. His courage eventually turns out to be the hero as it goes through the nine rings of hell. Contrary to Odysseus, Dante’s courage, rather than his physical features, is put to test by his mental strength. Virgil assists Dante through the agony and despair filled hell and gives him hope where all is lost. Before they reach the river Acheron they hear hell say, “Through me you enter the city of woes, through me you enter into eternal pain, through me you enter the populations of lossabandon all hope, you who enter here” (Dante 1272).
Around the period Dante composed his epic, the primary faith across the world was Christianity, since it found its way over many multi-divine beliefs of the past, which were considered a debauchery. Inferno tries to show that all the prominent figures and characters were in hell since they did not abide by Christian beliefs.
The most significant theme The Odyssey covers is the struggle between and against many gods while Inferno deals with the conflicts of humanity in the fight between good against evil, a fight that prevails even today. However, it is the love of God that sets one free and makes the sacrifices worth it.
References
Dante, A. (1984). The Divine Comedy: Inferno. First Canto.
Homer. (2005). The odyssey. Macmillan.
