THE INNER/OUTER SYSTEM OF DANTE ALIGHIERI’S DIVINE COMEDY

Inferno, the first part of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, notably divides its depiction of hell into nine “circles,” structuring them in a manner that forms a descending hierarchy of increasingly immoral sins. However, this study argues that Dante’s hierarchy doubles as an invisible scale, wherein I classify the sins of upper hell as “inner sins” (twisted values that incriminate their practitioner) and those of lower hell as “outer sins” (unethical acts conducted against individuals). This fundamental aspect of The Divine Comedy transforms the epic poem into a unification of Christian theology and Aristotelian philosophy, as Dante integrates values and judgements from both schools of thought into his inner/outer conceptions of spiritual damnation and ascension. Understanding how the concepts of inner and outer sins serve as the basis of Dante’s moral beliefs ultimately unveils a complex ideology that structures the poet’s entire journey around the virtues of reason and faith.