Dante\'s Divine Comedy, Canto 12

¶ … Inferno, Canto 12" by Alighieri Dante. Specifically, it will contain an analysis of the simile and meaning of Canto 12. This work will focus on his use of the epic simile, especially as it relates and illuminates the role of knowledge in the poem.

CANTO

In Canto 12 of Dante's "Inferno," Dante employs an epic simile in which he compares a bull on the way to slaughter to the dreaded Minotaur, guardian of the labyrinth, and a living symbol of the violence throughout the story that Dante must face to make his way finally to Paradise. This simile portrays both the tension of the moment, and the story as a labyrinth Dante must negotiate to find his ultimate reward, life in heaven with the woman he adores.

The "Inferno" is the first of three books that make up Dante's classical work "The Divine Comedy." The "Inferno" follows Dante's journey through Hell on his route to finding God. He begins at the bottom in sin, and must fight his way to the top, where lovely Beatrice awaits him in Paradise. Just as in life, Dante must face many obstacles to make his way from the pits of Hell to the heights of Heaven. The Minotaur is a common character in many Greek legends, and he always represents violence and the obstruction of a character's goals. He commonly guarded a labyrinth, and here, he represents everything that Dante must face to find his goal, including the violence he must overcome to reach his objective. As Dante makes his way through the labyrinth of the Inferno, he gains knowledge, not only about himself, but also about life.

What makes this simile so compelling is the reference to the bull being slaughtered, "when the knife has struck its death-blow," relating it to the Minotaur, who is half bull and half man. Using a bull as the symbol of the beast allows the reader to immediately understand the violence and force of the Minotaur, and what exactly Dante is facing along his journey. The bull breaking his chains shows the deadly force of the Minotaur, and how Dante and his guide must be extremely crafty to outwit the beast.

The Minotaur leaping from side to side in a blind rage shows his ability to guard the labyrinth, and deflect the blows of those attempted to enter (or leave). It also shows that it is "human," and is affected and blinded by human emotions, such as rage, and that is how to beat the Minotaur, by arousing its human side, while ignoring the beastly side. Everyone has a weak spot, and the knowledge Dante gains from discovering the Minotaur's weak spot will serve him well as he continues on his journey. Knowing there is a weak spot in every obstruction he will face gives him incredible power that will even lift him over Lucifer, and eventually carry him all the way to his final goal.

The Minotaur's blind rage also represents how violence and anger hamper us in our lives. It allows Dante to pass by the beast, and in addition, it teaches him valuable lessons he can use on the rest of his journey. Rage and violence are prevalent throughout the journey, and once Dante has conquered them once, he will be able to conquer them again. Just as Theseus managed to outwit the beast with a clue to the labyrinth, Dante outwits the beast with his own wits, and learns that violence is not always solved by more violence. This knowledge will also guide him along the rest of his journey. Just as Lucifer represents the ultimate evil in the story, and Beatrice represents the ultimate good, there are many other references to good and evil throughout, and the Minotaur is another of these references. Dante learns violence and anger are also evil, and do not serve us in our lives. God does not employ them, and so we should not either. Violence just causes more violence in the end, and the Minotaur is the proof of this, as he angrily jumps from side to side in his blind rage, never managing to achieve his purpose. In fact, he ends up looking rather silly, and this is another lesson for Dante, the rage, and violence of anger often simply make the person look ridiculous and inept. He "cannot go" anywhere and this makes him all the more ludicrous and incompetent in his job.

Another analogy also fits the image of the bull that gains strength in the last minutes of life, and fits the image of the Minotaur, half bull, and half man. Bulls are notoriously violent, they charge at the least little thing, and are not known for their brains. They are also hopelessly lost outside of their element, as the "bull in the china shop" analogy clearly shows. Thus, this "bull man" that is the Minotaur can be overcome when it is outside its element, where it is no longer comfortable. Remove this ultimate beast from its position in the labyrinth, and you will have the upper hand, as Dante and his guide discover. Therefore, the Minotaur serves yet another purpose in Dante's growing knowledge as he moves along the pathway toward Paradise. The Minotaur shows that the violence of the Minotaur is a result of his environment and his comfort level, and if these are removed, the Minotaur is vulnerable. This is a valuable lesson in life, for it shows how even the most violent among us use their environment as a shield to hide their vulnerability.