THE INFERNO

REDUX

 

 

 

deleted Scene:

 

“W” 

 

 

 

WARNING: This paper is intended as light-hearted analytical satire and should not be taken as an attack on any God, our Commander in Chief, or any of the others “powers that be.”

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                Alex Dengel

                                                                                                Vadim Jigoulov

                                                                                                GB 192.007

                                                                                                4/13/03

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canto 13.1      

Circle Seven: Round Two                                          -The Violent Against Themselves

                                                                                   

-W

 

Dante’s attention is drawn from DELLE VIGNE to a peculiar looking figure in the distance. A figure is only partially encased in a bush. This is the BUSH OF “W”. He is here before his birth on Earth, learning each and every sin. God placed him in Hell at the death of Christ, to grow as the most wretched and vile being the world will ever see. He progresses to the base of Hell, and when he reaches his destination he will be released on Earth. His duty there will be to incite war, and tear the world apart in order to devastate the world in preparation for the END OF DAYS.

            W relishes in the pain of Hell, and tricks Dante into pitying the world so much that he considers abandoning his search for God. After a stiff rebuke from Virgil, Dante turns to W again as the bush prophesizes of the day of his coming. Dante inquires, and is informed of W’s peculiar way of speaking. At this, Virgil urges them to leave the wretched bush.

 

My sight was quickly drawn to just beyond

    This pitied Florentine’s tremble and shake

    To a figure seeming only half in his bond.                        

 

To my teacher: “Who is this soul whose limbs protrude

    From his leafing prison to the open air?

    To what design of sin could this allude?”

 

My guide to me: “That of which you inquire

    Will chill and haunt even the most tranquil heart.

    But you may invoke this wretch if you so desire.”

 

Advancing on this bush, it was marked with a “W” in flame,

    I said to him: “You bear no familiarity to any I’ve known.

    You break your bonds, how is it you escape such sinful blame?

 

From the bush: “The day the earth shook and fissure tore,

    I was placed by the High with a task divine.

    I once dwelt with your companion. I now venture more.                                       (15)

 

I progress as you do through this brilliant pain.

    Here and everywhere I learn my future trade,

    Torturously inspired to do as He will ordain.

 

He guides me through these mournful halls

    As here I learn what havoc I will unleashify.

    From circle to circle I grow, to foster man’s fall.

 

Here among self-destroyers I study yet another sin.

    A taste for destructive pale powder has developed here,

    One that strips and tears and the minds of men.

 

I’ve been edumacated of wrath, against country and kin.

    I will soon war with Mohammed, before learnding discord.

    I will one day reach Antenora, where my heart will be truly frozen.”

 

Puzzled as I was I turned to my guide for his account.

    But with a glance he turned me back to the bush

    To learn of the wrath of God that had begun to mount.                                      (30)

 

“When I have reached the base of this fiery place,

    I will rise at his will to stand on Earth.

    There I will be born, to bring chaos for his Grace”

 

“Do you mean to say” I asked, “That you are here before your birth?”

    “Remember” said my guide, “He is here to learn.

    On Earth as a tool of God’s wrath, he will one day prove his worth.”

 

The bush replied, “God knows no bounds of passing time,

    My fate and purpose are resolved.

    Thus my birth in hell occurs far before my earthly climb.”

 

The bush hissed on: “I am not so much a murmur, a whisper, or a hum

    In the world in which you dwell. For it is his plan

    That no one knows the hour at which His wrath will swiftly come.

 

I know not whether you’ll look up or down when I take my reign,

    I know only that your former world will be fester-ifying in sin.

    Sin and decay which these burning rings were never thought to contain.                    (45)

 

Divine Fury drives me forth, plague and ruin I will have unfurled.

    Loki’s mischief and damage, seems tame compared to mine,

    I’ll incite war in every land, and tear apart the world.                                

 

For only when the world has fallen, will the end of days begin.

    Sin and hate have incurred His wrath, He knew this day to come.

    I am the one to sparkify the end, to destroy the world of men.

 

I will settle in a land of great power, but a crooked land it will be.

    For their corruption will let me rise to command,

    And from that seat I’ll bring forth mayhem and anarchy.

 

This land will be a nest of festering sin,

    And thus shall invite first blow.

    None can stand in my way.” He stated with a grin.

 

“As I will war with Mohammed once in this desolate ringing hall,

    So again I will battle with the sons of Ishmael,

    When I ascend to pillage and destroy in preparation for the final fall.                  (60)

 

I will guide all lands to war, through trickeration and deceits.

    And chaos follows quickly by, and as sin gives birth to hate

    At my hands the world will crumble, until final doom it meets.”                        

 

 

The wonder and terror of this filled my heart with worry.

    This wretch seemed encouraged by this fiery pain around him.

    Every moment of pain only amplified his fury.

 

“How is he so able” I asked my honored guide,

    “To shrug of the pains that make others shriek and wail?

     Eternal pain seems trivial; he takes each pain in stride.”

 

From him: “My foolish wandering son, hardly eternal are his pains.

    Unlike other souls in this god forsaken place,

    Since he suffers only temporarily, no need for grief remains.”

 

The bush cut short my good guide, “The inscription above the gate

    Holds no weight with me,

    I have hope for what lies ahead, my hour to devastate.”                                       (75)

 

A groan of pity for God’s unborn children

    Escaped my lips with such aching sorrow,

    That the echo of the sinful forest seemed to voice it once again.

 

“Your have a chance it seems.” said the bush without delay.

    “Should you turn back now, you’d surely have the chance

    To warn your kin of the terror that looks their way.”

 

I pondered the unlucky task of abandoning my quest

    To warn the world of this fiends approach.

    The fact I even considered this, invited my guide’s fierce protest:            

 

“Whose footsteps are yours that against God’s will do tread!

    Would you in your trifling baseness think to abandon your search

    For God to attack his word instead!”

 

Now more than ever, I cowered in agonizing disgrace.

    I quickly saw that no man can stand against the will of God,

    His infinite power would not portend of this if it were not to take place.               (90)

 

Shaking with laughter, the bush to me again: “No memory will you retain

    When you press on further in your quest.

    You’ll only sense that something on the horizon portend-icizes of pain.

 

This encounter will waft in the wind for all time,

    Never settling in the minds of any

    Save my Maker’s and mine, prior to my climb.”

 

I examined this arrogant demon, and my heart was split in twain.

    I pitied those unfortunate souls

    Who would have to endure his reign.

 

The monster babbled on, “I am just the first of many

    Who’ll be sent to plague the world.

    The wrath of God has many hands, one as good as any.

 

I am sent to lead the way, others await my call.

    For they too will have found their roles above,

    And at my signal I unleashify the fury of them all.                                     (105)

 

Seasons above shall cycle a single score short of Satan’s sum,”

    His hissing began to swell,

    “And on the 6th day of Caesar’s month, human I’ll become.

 

From that moment the hour will not be far,

    God’s forsaken children will blindly follow my command

    None will know how evil my strategeries really are.”

 

The bush had, all the while, seemed jumbled in his speech.

    He spoke of “trickeration” and the fury he’d “unleashify”

    I thought perhaps my guide would know. His wisdom I’d beseech:

 

“My gentle master, is it the nature of this land

    That causes his speech to linger in and out of comprehension?

    Would you help me understand?”

 

In reply: “In being “edumacated” in the ways of Hell,

    He often absorbs too much.

    Nimrod’s babble lies just ahead, you’ll see the nonsense he’ll expel.               (120)

 

This disgusting wretch is influenced by the Giants jabbering verse

    One will find that as he progresses through Hell,

    It will only get steadily worse.

 

We linger too long,” he continued. “Let us leave this evil thing.

    A long road lies ahead of us,

    Let’s continue through this dreadful ring.”

 

Turning away from his wretched face,

I knew ahead lay blissful ignorance of what had taken place

 

 

Notes

    4. Soul whose limbs protrude: This figure is only partially encased in the shrubbery, as he is preparing to move on. This will be explained.

 

    10-11. This reference to the “bush” marked with the letter “W” remains largely a mystery, as theorists find it difficult to connect this to any modern figure. ;-). As a result he is simply referred to as “W” by many literary critics.

 

    13. The day the earth shook and fissure tore: W was “born” into Hell the day Chirst’s death shook Hell. He has since spent time in each of the first 7 circles in an amount proportionate to his need for such sins when he is born on Earth.

 

    15. I once dwelt with your companion. I now venture more: This is a reference to Virgil. Specifically that W also started in Limbo. He has now progressed over the years of his “education” as far as the 7th circle.

 

    20. unleashify: This and other examples of W’s clumsiness with the spoken word are soon explained.

 

    23. A taste for destructive pale powder:  an odd reference considering the time period, but modern day theorists have suggested that this likely refers to cocaine.

 

    25-27: This is meant to show that each layer of Hell has an effect on W’s character, each ring teaches him a new way to destroy.

 

 

    43. I know not whether you’ll look up or down when I take my reign: W intentionally refuses to speculate as to the moral character of Dante, as it is his job to punish the unjust and just alike. W remarks that he does not know whether Dante will be in Hell or Heaven when he unleashes his wrath. He does not care.

 

    47. Loki: A Norse God known for mischief and disruption.

 

    49. End of days:  apocalypse.

 

    52. Land of great power: Much speculation surrounds this area. We can only safely say that this was meant to refer to the premier power of W’s time. 

 

    58. I will war with Mohammed once: When W reaches the ninth bolgia of the eighth circle of Hell, he will clash and battle with Mahomet (Mohammed).

  

    59. sons of Ishmael: Those of the Muslim faith.

 

    73. The inscription above the gate:  Referring to the inscription of “Abandon all hope ye who enter here.” W points out that he escapes this threat, as he is able to anticipate the day when he will be unleashed upon the world.

 

    79. Your have a chance it seems: W, as he already knows what Dante will do, tries to trick the poet here. Appealing to Dante’s weakness (pity), W tricks him into doubting his quest.

 

    91. No memory will you retain: Since W’s day of birth has not yet come, God will not allow Dante to retain memory of this encounter. His memory will fade, and he’ll only be left with the faint sense that something evil is in store for man.

In a hotly debated theory, it is suggested that Dante’s fixation with his exile in fact comes from his struggle to identify why he has this sense of impending doom. Dante attributes it prematurely to the events of his exile, because this event occurs in a time span which he can comprehend. In reality, his mind is struggling with the sense of doom that W has left him with.

In addition, this encounter is thought also to be a reason for Dante’s creation of the work as a warning against sin. With a faint sense of disaster after the prophecy of W, Dante creates the Inferno in the hopes that that it will survive until W’s reign and possibly curtail the intense sin that W speaks of.

 

    106. Seasons above shall cycle a single score short of Satan’s sum: W, through an alliterative hiss (see next note), foretells that 646 years will pass before his birth.

 

    107. His hissing began to swell: The hissing of W has become unmistakable. Many equate this with his similarity to the Serpent of Eden. Through trickery W will exploit the sins of man and bring forth God’s wrath.

 

    108. 6th day of Caesar’s month: July 6th. July was named for ‘Iulius’ or Julius Caesar.

 

    128. Blissful ignorance of what had taken place: Dante is well aware that his memory of this will immediately begin to fade.