Canto XX holds an interesting view of the punishment for those who claim to see the future/ tell fortunes. Dante does a beautiful job of depicting their demise, and I find it darkly humorous. Those who used to claim to see the future can now only see what is behind them. Their heads are on backwards. Among the other tortures these people experience, this is the most humbling. It slices all acclaim they had to their "powers" and turns them into foolish people who can only see what's behind them... but wait, that's what they've always been... So, Dante depicts their punishment as a physical realization of that which they had done already. He does this with most of his sins, and it truly is a great device to use.
P.S. I commented on Natalie and Alex's posts.
That is a really good observation. I suppose it does have a dark level of humor to it. How fitting that their foolishness be manifested physically.
ReplyDeleteHow cruel yet it is hell and they deserve it. It also goes with what it says in the Bible that man shall never know fully the future or what is to come but leave it up to God.
ReplyDeleteDark humor is definitely an interesting device that Dante uses; and I believe it gets his point across well because of its added humor. I agree with you that it is humbling to see them punished for their foolishness
ReplyDeleteThere is a little humor in it I suppose; I focused on the irony rather than it being funny.
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