Dante's Inferno is considered an epic allegory about an individual's journey through hell. There are a total of nine circles located within the Earth that are explored by Dante Alighieri. Each encompasses the concept of death, among other subjects. Alighieri explores death as a punishment for sin. One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of stories and folk tales that offer a variety of themes and narratives. From themes such as justice to that of death, each of the stories are dramatic, suspenseful and are spread across numerous fictional genres. One key theme in the collection is death. The following paper discusses the concept of death in Dante's Inferno and compares it to how the theme is used in One Thousand and One Nights.
Dante’s Inferno
It is clear from the beginning that Dante's Inferno is about the justice of God, and the subsequent effects of his punishment. The place called hell exists solely to punish sin and this in essence, means death. Biblical scripture makes the concept of sin clear in Romans 6:23 which is that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is life" (KJV). Dante does not necessary reference the scripture in his presentation on the levels of hell, but instead seeks to build tension in terms of how God will exact his punishment on man through the varying levels, or rather circles in hell.
He writes that "so bitter is it, death is little more; but of the good to treat, which there I found, speak will I of the things I saw there" (Alighieri). With this line, Dante is mentioning the justice that God is exacting in Hell to those sinners. The vehicle which God is obtaining this justice is through death. He continues by stating that "I cannot well repeat how there I entered, so full was I of slumber at the moment in which I had abandoned the true way" (Alighieri). Essentially, Alighieri is asserting that the 'death' he is experiencing in hell is the result of moving away from the light, or rather abandoning the principles and precepts of God.
The basis for the presentation of death in Dante’s Inferno is that of man’s just desserts. God has provided a way for man to live while on Earth, and man in turn, has a choice on whether to follow the true way or to go another way – and if he chooses to go the opposite direction of the beliefs and creeds of God, then he will encounter Hell (i.e. death) as Dante is experiencing. Alighieri’s main point is that the suffering is the result of the rejection of God's love and he recognizes this early on stating that "where thou shalt hear the desperate lamentations, shalt see the ancient spirits disconsolate, who cry out each one for the second death" (Alighieri). Here, Alighieri is referencing the second death that is mentioned in the book of Revelation in the bible. It is a separation from God that occurs after one has died in the physical sense. With this passage, Dante is detailing how those who are in hell currently as he is passing through the various circles, are seeking to have their second death because they thoroughly understand the immorality of their actions by separating themselves from God.
One Thousand and One Nights
In One Thousand and One Nights, death is sprinkled through many of the stories. One story in particular is "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," which explores what occurs when there is a search for treasure. The main character, Ali Baba, accidentally stumbles upon treasure that had previously been obtained by thieves. He spills the proverbial beans to his brother, Kasim and the thieves kill Kasim and the thieves try to kill Ali Baba as well. The character, Morgantina, is able to stop this from occurring. "Dusk fell and, as Morgantina was about to enter the palace, she noticed the strange mark, her suspicions aroused. [] Morgantina had unknowingly saved her master from death" ("Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves"). The story is much more lighthearted in its presentation than with Dante’s Inferno in the sense that death is treated differently. In Dante’s Inferno, death is seen as the result of one’s actions, or lack of action in terms of rejecting God’s love, while in the Ali Baba story, it is viewed as a byproduct of gossiping. Ali Baba conceivably causes the death of his brother by opening his mouth about what he has found out regarding the treasure. Death is not necessarily the result of a rejection, so to speak. The stories are similar, however, in that death comes as a consequence of actions. However, for Dante, death is a known consequence of the rejection – while for Ali Baba, he does not know at the time he is sharing the information about the treasure with his brother that he has in essence sealed Kasim’s death warrant.
Ali Baba has allowed greed to take over in terms of informing his brother about the treasure he has stumbled upon. The descriptions in the story provide a solid understanding of this. "Ali Baba lit a flare and entered the cave [] in front of his bulging eyes lay vast piles of treasure: pots of silver gold, precious vases, weapons studded with rubies and emeralds" ("Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves"). The use of the word bulging is indicative of Ali Baba finding joy in what he is witnessing and not giving the ramifications of what he has stumbled upon any thought.
The story goes on further to state that "he told himself: I'll take some coins; nobody will ever know!" ("Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves"). Ali Baba seemingly is not giving any realistic thought to what will happen if he takes any of the treasure. It can be argued that the concept of every man for himself is being echoed here as he does not feel any guilt or pricking of his conscience by having the thoughts on taking the treasure, that is obviously not his. This is further highlighted in the lines "Ali Baba innocently told Kasim his strange story, but asked him to keep it a secret" ("Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves").
Overall Death and Life Thereafter
Much of the comparisons between the two stories lies in the culture’s ideals about death and whether there is life after it. For Dante, the inferno or the nine circles provide a solid understanding that there is some kind of life after death. This is evident in that those within the nine circles are awaiting their second death, which is the one that arrives after the physical death. Much of the story of Ali Baba is not focused on death in the sense of there being life after it, but given the nature by which Ali shares the news of discovering treasure and asking his brother to keep it a secret, there is a suggestion that the culture may not necessarily know if life does indeed exist after death. It is almost as if Ali subconsciously believes that something negative will occur should his brother decide to tell everyone about the treasure.
If Ali is not worried about whether life exists after death, then he would’ve had no reservations or qualms about Kasim proverbially blabbing the news about the treasure discovery. This suggests a considerable difference in the cultures. While the Ali Baba story is one of many within One Thousand and One Nights, the idea with the story is to hint that death is final, regardless of the beliefs that may exist by those within the culture that the story is written for and about. Dante’s culture, which is Italian, is rooted in biblical guidelines and concepts, which wholeheartedly believe in life after death. The entire religion of Christianity is that individuals who follow God will greet him after they leave their bodies, and that those who choose to reject God will also ‘live’ after they depart the Earth – even if it happens not to be with God, but in hell.
Works Cited
Alighieri, Dante. "Dante's Inferno." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner. 3rd. Vol. B. New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2012. Print.
"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner. 3rd. New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2012. Print.
