Essay on Ulysses in Hell - 1081 Words

Baer Goolsby Honors World Lit 4 April 2013 Ulysses In Hell In Dante’s Inferno, Ulysses, a man known for his skillful word weaving, is sent into eternal damnation in Hell by Dante. In the Odyssey, after the Trojan War ends, Ulysses sails back to Ithaca. In the Inferno, Ulysses recounts the story about how he convinced his men to sail with him past the Pillars of Hercules. It was previously believed that nothing lay behind these pillars, until Ulysses and his men discover the Mountain of Purgatory. As they approach the mountain, a huge storm intercepts the ship and kills the whole crew, including Ulysses. Dante decides to place Ulysses in Hell because he tricked people for his own personal gain and committed many acts of fraud. In the†¦show more content†¦As long as the Statue of Athena could remain in the city, Troy could not be taken (Raffa 103). Ulysses is aware of this, and uses this knowledge for his own gain so he is able help ensure Greece wins the Trojan War by taking Troy. Once Ulysses ensures that Troy is capable of falling, he begins devising the most cunning and corrupt scheme of his life. Ulysses sends a large wooden horse (later called the Trojan Horse) to Troy under the guise that it was a gift. His trickery allows Sinon to convince the Trojans to allow the horse into their gates. This fatal mistake by the Trojans allows enemy soldiers hiding inside the giant horse to infiltrate the city and open the gates for the rest of the enormous army (Raffa 103). The sacking of Troy results in legendary accounts of carnage and suffering. Since the success of the besieging forces can be solely attributed to Ulysses’ deceit of the honorable leaders of Troy, Dante condemns Ulysses to be enc ased in an eternal flame with others notable figures of malicious intent and fraud. Dante perceives selflessness and altruism as righteous characteristics, so Ulysses’ selfish actions and intentions earn him a place in Hell. Not only is Ulysses is an evil counselor that commits several acts of fraud and trickery, but he is also a very selfish man. Ulysses sacrifices his entire family for a chance to attain glory and fame, shown by him saying to Dante inShow MoreRelatedDantes Inferno Ulysses777 Words   |  4 PagesUlysses in Dante’s The Inferno Dante places many figures of Greek mythology, Roman antiquity, and some political enemies in Hell. For some of these people his reasoning suits their punishment, for others it doesn’t, and for some we don’t know enough about them to verify their placement. Ulysses is placed in the eighth circle of Hell and in the eighth bolgia with the evil counselors for his acts in the Trojan War. Dante’s reasoning behind his placement was unjust and Ulysses does not deserve theRead MoreDifferences and Similarities in The Odyssey and Inferno When going through the stories The Odyssey600 Words   |  3 Pageshow diverse, yet similar the two stories are. 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The sinners in this area of Hell, the lustful, experience an eternity of torrential rain fall and extremely powerful winds, whichRead MoreThe Odyssey, By Homer, And The Inferno1005 Words   |  5 Pages Ulysses in Hell The two epics The Odyssey, by Homer, and The Inferno, by Dante, both works have two different perspectives of the character Ulysses. The Odyssey is told from the ancient Greek perspective around 700BC, and The Inferno is told from a Christian point of view in 1300AD. Both epics are written nearly 2000 years apart from each other. What set apart the ideals of both epics are the Pagan warrior perspective in Homer’s epic and the Christian Europe perspective in Dante’s epic. The controversial