I found Canto V to be particularly fascinating, mostly because of Dante's reaction. The circle of Hell where those who committed sins within the flesh are confined causes Dante to actually faint. At first it seemed a little extreme (My fainting would have been after seeing the boiling blood-blech). But I guess what struck Dante, and eventually struck me, was how sympathetic these souls are. They aren't the ones convicted of violent and evil crimes. Instead, it is the well known love stories here condemned. My heart (and apparently, Dante's) is moved with pity over these souls, who as a result of their love now exist in a place where "there is no hope that ever comforts them-no hope for rest and none for lesser pain" (ln 46)
p.s. I commented on Mary Kate's
This is one of the things that stood out to me the first time I read the Inferno. It's really conflicting, seeing the people who don't seem like they belong in Hell, suffering for "small" sins or "forgivable" sins. It's made me have a few existential crises.
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