Dante Book III Canto XXV1 Scene II

 Scene II

 

“Let no soul escaped judgment when they passed here. The final redemption for their sins hidden or suppressed during living will be exposed when they step here.” The dark shade cherub spoke plainly. “I am not the Judge but its Executioner.”

“I knew of this from the other ‘bolgia’ but avail me please, tell me of the flames seen by me, who may I know that may lie here,” Dante asked.

“There are many, and the names are too many to be recalled but feast your sight on that two horns of flames.” The dark shade cherub indicated for Dante to the flame burning brighter than the others.

“There is Odyssey and Diomedes from the ancient Trojan War era. They reside still here. Heroes of the war for they were the victors, but the judgment on them was a fraud on other merits which override their deeds.” The dark shade cherub explained. “Merits are the good deeds of Man, given the mind to think and perform for the benefit of all but what they did was had corrupted it. We can say that they misused their intellect. They wanted to do everything, but in the works, they did some evil things that they should not do. Perhaps that is the sin here: having great intellect but misusing it for evil.”

“You are no different from the written history of the victors where the cause was twisted to suit their victory.” Virgil had cut in with anger. “I have done many deeds but at times, it was used for other purposes. Does that make me a sinner here?”

“Stay your emotions.” Dante used the words spoken by Virgil before. “The dark shade cherub is only the Executioner here. It’s not the one who judged.”

“You may be right. I won’t make the right from the wrong here.” The dark shade cherub explained.

“Can I speak to them, please? It will give me clarity to my journey.” Dante asked. The permission was given but Virgil cut in to speak instead.

“Let me talk. I am ---I may be with them in the acts of it.” Virgil asked. “And more to it, you are the descendant of theirs. Your forefathers won the war then, and then founded Rome which today is the Empire we served once.”

Dante nodded to Virgil and the latter looked to the two horns of flame.

“I am Aeneas, of Florence but my forefathers were not of there but with Troy. I seek your counsel to the sins of yours.” Virgil used his name to address the flames.

“Why should we address the descendants of Troy when we were your foe? It was a war fought ---” The voice replied from beneath the flames.

“A war fought over a lady that had given her heart to Troy, and yet you held onto the war for over a decade with thousands of lives lost. How many mothers and wives with their children shed their grief on the loss of their love?” Virgil cut in. “I am not here to bring back the pains of theirs but I seek clarity to mine.”

“And what is yours to ask, Trojan?” The voice called out. “The war had ended and we lay here for eternity.”

“I asked not of the war but the sins that you were judged on,” Virgil spoke back. “I asked whom were heroes can be sinful in their way?”

“I am Ulysses, also known as Odyssey. My tales were spoken by one named Homer, in the annals leading to the Trojan War.” From the flames, a soul appeared. If there were words to describe Ulysses, it was the grand entry of the hero who rose from the flame, unsigned by it and gallantly portrayed in the state that befits the image of a hero.

“I am Aeneas, of Florence.” Virgil said once more. “I am not your enemy anymore neither do I worship you as a hero. I stand by my ancestors that they did no wrong but your kind had used deceit to breach their stronghold.”

“You spoke of the Trojan Horse. I heed your words, but be reminded that the Horse did what we and the siding Gods then could not do; end the war. I had used my intellect with others here to devise the Horse and we won. I had saved many lives soon after.”

“And what of the plunder thereafter? The wealth and fragility of the ladies whom you victory had denied them of their innocence.” Virgil hit back.

“To the victors, the spoils of it. I hold no qualms on it for it was the way then.” Ulysses argued back. “We fought a long war and ---”

“The right to take what was not yours, as you had cause grieve to Deidamia? You took her lover who had avoided you by posing as a lady. Achilles had no passion for the war but you turned him. When he died, you took his son, Neoptolemus to fight the same war.”

“I did not take Neoptolemus. He joined in willingly---”

“To prove himself in a war as what his father was before him.” Virgil cut in. “You caused many griefs to others.”

“What villainy will you have me accused of? Do you know I paid for my sins when I had to take a voyage that captures double the same line of the Trojan War? This epic of the voyage lasted for 10 years, as Ulysses tried to return home after the Trojan War and reassert his place as the rightful king of Ithaca.”

“Yes, it was written that in your words; "Life piled on life / Were all too little, and of one to me / Little remains". You turned to fellow mariners and calls on them to join you on another quest, making no guarantees as to their fate but attempting to conjure their heroic past. You deceive them for it was your selfish needs that yearn for it.”

“I did no guarantee on their fate as I told them. We faced many perilous trails and even travel to the Underworld at one stage, fought Cyclops and rescued my crew ----” The voice defended the works. “Men then were courageous.”

“Courageous they were but to be lured to their death for they were sacrificed when they angered Zeus for the cattle they stole from Helios.” Virgil cut in. “You survived on your own because one saved you to be her lover for many years. Did you weep for your dead companions? Or had any care for the lover in your household, held off suitors for the time you were away before and then again you leave her there.”

“I did but how was I return when I am burdened by the tasks inflicted upon me. Why do you surface my woes to be heard by others?” Ulysses cried out. “I had killed them all the unworthy suitors and made my peace with their families. You can seek Athena for she was the mediator to my anger.”

“Virgil, do let him go? Ulysses did what was needed then? He had to win a war and the means to it if need to be by deceit or slaughter, Ulysses did what he could.” Dante held out his right hand to Virgil. “Let bygones be bygones.”

“Deceit and slaughter he did for not only was the Horse his invention, but he also stole the Palladium from Troy. The Palladium was the symbol of strength to the Trojans. When it was stolen, the morale of Troy fell, and subsequently, they were defeated.”

“Again, I implore you to bygones be bygones, Virgil. We cannot turn the tide of time.”

“No, we can’t but the truth needed to be made known. Some Trojans lay beneath the flames. They deserved to know.” Virgil looked to the flames there. Some had flickered and shot into bigger flames. “They are here too not because of ---”

“They all tried to win their conflicts, and if they had to do it with their best of abilities, and that may include of counsel that may be judged as evil. We can’t change that but the time here, they will pay for their sins. Not all sins are avoidable. We can only seek repentance when our soul reached here. And not all repentance is absolute. We still have to pay for our penance whether here or back then they still breathe in the air I do.”

“You call it a misjudge of abilities by them and they are given the dues of it here.” Dante looked at Virgil. “As you have said, you may have sinned like them, but your repentance was done then and you do not have to undergo here.”( https://www.missskirtich.com/uploads/2/3/3/7/23374820/inferno_discussion_guide.pdf. Page 143)

“Or my repentance was to guide you for my committed sins.” Virgil turned away and took his walk ahead. “Let us be done here and leave Hell.”

As Dante was to walk, the dark shade cherub spoke to Dante.

“We don’t select Hell but Hell did it on us.”