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.
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