Dante Book 1 Canto VII Scene I

 Canto VII

The Fifth Circle; Greed

 

Scene 1

 

“Plutus is my name, and I am Guardian of the Fourth Circle that you are to embark on.” The one who spoke was a huge giant with the physique of the Man, yet his body was covered in the shade of gold melting to his feet and onto the ground. He looked to be in pain for his arms were clasped around his body for comfort. The golden figure stood high above Dante and Virgil.

“Shed your gold here.”  The golden figure voiced out. “And I will let you pass.”

“Tell me, Poet. Who is Plutus and why gold?” Virgil asked of Dante.

“Plutus was once the God of abundance or wealth. He was blinded by Zeus at birth so that he was to be impartial in his gifts without prejudice. He was fair until the moment his sight was restored. With it., he saw those whom he was to bestow and choose to determine who was deserving at his sight. It caused havoc and chaos reign then. For his punishment, he was sent to Hell to be the Guardian of the Fourth Circle; the place for those who greed and hoards.”

“The weight of gold denotes the level of wealth in one then. In today’s term, we are measured by the currency of its equivalent to the value of gold and many other measures.” Dante explained. “Gold was once valued by weight using a unit of measure known as a Talent. A talent weighed about thirty-four point three kilograms, which is equivalent of one thousand ninety-four ounces.”

“That was not all.” Dante continued. “The ancient learned persons use gold to represent superiority. In the Song of Solomon, the beloved refers to her lover’s head and limbs made of gold (5:11, 14-15) but gold was not valued above the words of God (19:10). It did not stop the many to worship gold idols rather than God (Exod 20:23; Acts 17:29). It was the process by which gold is purified and formed that makes it a fitting image for the sanctifying works> Refiners carefully melt gold to bring out any impurities, a process that requires high heat and constant tending. The image of God refining believers is first used in the book of Job as Job declared, “When he tested me, I’ll come out as pure as gold” (23:10; Jer 9:7).” (https://jesusway4you.com/2020/07/13/signs-and-symbols-of-the-bible-gold/#:~:text=The%20poets%20of%20the%20Bible,%E2%80%9D%20(19%3A10).

“Yes, it was. There was another parable to it. In Heaven, gold as an image for value and permanence has come full circle, with gold covering God’s house as it did the tabernacle and temple and God is honored as the true and worthy King by those who have been brought through the fire. Those who have persevered to the end, whose faith has been proven to be as genuine as gold, enjoyed eternal life in the city of gold with King above all kings.”

“That was the perception of gold in Man,” Dante concluded. “Gold is suffering and yet the reward to be cherished at the end.”

“It's ironic if one were to understand it.” Virgil laughed.

“So is the circle of life, if death was the reward, then why do some crave reincarnation to take on those sufferings again.” Dante posed the question.

“Because we are the better of the evils at works here.” Virgil smiled with his words. “I am sure Satan may agree to it.”

At the mention of the name Satan, the golden giant roared out these words.

“Pape Satàn, pape Satàn aleppe,” Plutus then looked at Dante and Virgil.

“Why does he call for Satan?” Virgil asked of Dante. “Should he not beg for forgiveness from God instead.”

“I don’t know why but maybe he is still blinded as before. He held suffering like in the gold on his body; molten heat makes it liquid. It pains him for he was to had it melted onto his body, he thinks it’s the work of Satan to make him suffered here. The flames of Hell at its work here.” Dante gave his version of those words. “Aleppe, in my reading meant the beginning or the first or to Plutus, it meant ‘it begins’. He sensed the presence of Satan and cried out for it was to begin again.”

“Begin of what, Dante?” Virgil asked.

“Whatever was his punishment. Plutus was wealthy as we knew it. He may have gotten it with ill means. He suffers for it now for it was why he was banished here with the unworthy Angel. He cries out to be away but he can’t. Banishment is a mode of punishment and pain came with it. He was pained that he will be harmed by whoever he was with here. As Prometheus had to have his liver eaten daily and yet it grows in the night. A cycle of repeated Hell if we are to define it.”

“How could he know that Satan is here? We are not of Satan’s disciples.” Virgil looked at the pained Plutus.

“Plutus can’t see. He is blind like before. Remember the words we had with Homer. Plutus is without one of his senses, and he had to value the others but they showed him otherwise, and fear build up inside him. He fears to be associated with the other.” Dante looked at Plutus. He then spoke to the giant of words of courage.

“Do not fear he won’t harm you here nor can his power banished you anymore,” Dante called out to Plutus. The golden figure glared at Dante and then it uttered the damning words while looking to the side.

“Be silent, thou accused wolf. Consume your rage.” It was Plutus talking to someone else next to him.

“He speaks to himself? Who is the Wolf?” Virgil was stunned by the giant frame action. “Is he possessed? Perhaps Satan himself stands by his side. Unseen by us.”

“The wolf is a cunning creature yet it cannot be trusted. Have you heard of the wolf in the sheepskin? It disguised its nature to blend with the flock, and when it was time, it killed them all without impunity. Such is the wolf, an unseen adversary until it strikes. Plutus can’t see and only knew suffering when the molten gold is his frame. It’s a way of saying you will scream in silence for no one will hear you.” Dante looked at Plutus. “I can help him. I must.”

Dante then called out to the Angel who once defeated Satan.

“I called on you of my journey too. There is a cause to this journey to the abyss. Its will on by the high where Michael wrought his vengeance upon the proud adultery. Nothing that even the sails inflated by the wind; the mast will snap and thus send the cruel monster to the earth.” Plutus then went down to his knees and it remained there. (adapted from the translation of Henry Wadsworth Long Fellow; extracted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pape_Sat%C3%A0n,_pape_Sat%C3%A0n_aleppe )

“I am afraid. Do we retreat, Dante?”

‘Retreat? That is not an option now. I have come so far to return. Plutus said it so. I am in Hell where Michael had sent the adulterer. I fear not that. For I know the not even the combined strength of some can stand up to his wrath.” Dante reacted in anger. “I feel Michael’s anger. This is the realm for the sinners. They deserved to be here. So was Plutus for he had sinned. I am not to be here like him but on a journey to see it all. Michael will be my protector.”

Virgil was stunned by the words of Dante.

“You came here to look for Beatrice.” Virgil reminded Dante.

“I was but now I have a new task. I am to journey here and know it all. I was selected not by you or Beatrice but a force higher than all of us. It may be Michael and for him, I will complete that task now.”

“Are you upset? Or are you mad, Dante?”

“No, I am not of both. I am no more the poet with the need to narrate. I am the messenger of life to sight what I have and will see for myself. The living need to know what is life here after death. If its sins are committed, then the sinners deserved what they get here.”

Virgil was to ask more but the other had walked on past the silent golden giant.

“I think madness had overtaken Dante. Do I leave him or continued?” Virgil asked himself but his legs took him forward.