Canto IX of Dante's Inferno is remarkably representative of the work as a whole. It includes a number of important themes, including the role Virgil plays as a manifestation of human reason and the argument that faith can achieve what reason cannot, as well as contrapasso¸ or l the adequacy of sins on Earth to the punishments of Hell. Canto IX also demonstrates the marked division between the first five circles of Hell, housing the Incontinent, or relatively minor sinners, and the next circle "the Violent" of whom the damned God despises even more. A microcosm of the entire epic, the importance of Canto IX lies in the themes and values ​​it reflects. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Canto IX begins with Virgil's failure to pass through the gates of Dis. His attempts to reason with his demonic guards are futile; Dante fears desertion. He is rightly frightened by Virgil's sudden weakness. In the first eight cantos, the shadow is a sure and confident guide; he overcomes obstacles with ease and disarms all challengers easily. His sudden helplessness leads a pale Dante to discreetly seek assurance that Virgil is still in control of their journey. Virgil begins to explain that he is, but the anxious poets are interrupted by a frightening sight, three Furies tearing at their chests, calling on Medusa to turn Dante to stone. Virgil takes the threat seriously, he considers Dante's hands as insufficient protection for his eyes and blindfolds his pupil himself. Dante is terrified, helpless. Then an earthquake. This sequence of events “aggravated by Virgil’s discomfort” is not a simple drama. The dam is something new for The Inferno. For the first time, we feel a sense of real, almost palpable danger. Dante clearly intends Virgil's ashen face at the beginning of Canto IX to represent fear, there is no evidence to the contrary, as in a similar scene in Canto IV, when Dante, who had seen the change in his complexion, says: "How can I continue if you are afraid, You who have always helped to dispel my doubts?" (IV: 16-18) There, the shadow explains in a reassuring way: "The anguish of the people / whose the place is here below, touched my face / with the compassion you take for fear (IV: 19-21) » Dante is convinced; the paleness of the hue is no longer mentioned. However, Dante is not comforted by Virgil's words, quite the contrary: [H]is speech frightened me, because I took from his broken sentence a meaning perhaps worse than what he had anticipated (IX: 13-15) Virgil's sudden vincibility and new possibility of harm also signify a change in the type (and horror) of sin the couple is about to encounter: they leave the five. first circles, home of the Incontinent, and take a big step towards the Violent. The souls they encounter will no longer be accidental sinners, like those whose only crime was to live before Christ and who therefore could not live according to his teaching, but those who deliberately harmed themselves or harm to others. This is a significant escalation in the severity of sin. The idea that Virgil might be unable to protect Dante permeates the rest of the epic, creating tension as the duo delve deeper. The poets are clearly entering a whole new region of Hell, full of dangers. The sure-footed Virgil, who for most of the work guides Dante through danger with physical and verbal protections, is.