"When we moved forward into woods unmarked by any path. The leaves not green earth-hued; The boughs not smooth, knotted and crooked-forked; No fruit, but poisoned thorns." (Canto XIII. 2-5)
This passage is one of many passages in Dante's Inferno that utilize tremendous imagery in their description of Hell. In this tale Dante is illustrating for the viewer what Hell is. He is recounting his journey through Hell, and at the same time bringing us along for the ride. To accomplish this goal his description is almost saturated with imagery. Each new place he travels to is pictured through descriptions of vivid smells and shadowy images that allow us as the reader to live vicariously through him, and truly embark on our own journey through hell. In this passage above Dante could have kept his description succinct. He could have stated that they walked into a wild wilderness, or an untamed forest. Instead builds upon those primitive descriptions with fantastic imagery. He describes the woods as if we were walking through them, saying they are "unmarked by any path." The leaves are not simply brown, they are "not green [but] earth hued." The boughs are not simply rough but "not smooth, knotted and crooked-forked." There are not simply thorns, but the poisonous thorns in fact serve as the only fruit of the forest. This passage is a great example of Dante's use of imagery to tell the story of his journey through hell.
"...and this path is the way By which he leads me home." (Canto XV. 48-49)
Hell is the path by which Dante is returning home. This sentence for me stood in stark contrast to the purpose of the story as I had presumed it. With these words Dante broke up a long series of descriptions of Hell and his journey through it, and gave us a subtle reminder that he is still alive as we are, and that he is merely trying to return home. His initial reluctance at being offered a chance to go through Hell is realized; he simply wants to return home. The words of this passage throw his journey through Hell in a state of nonchalance. The journey is suddenly not as important as the destination. With his next few sentences Dante returns to his former descriptions of Hell. It is, after all, the basis of the story. However this small passage broke up the journey and reminded us all that Dante was distinctly not a part of Hell, but simply a human being as we are, that has a chance to travel through it. With these brief words Dante reminds us that we are not actually in Hell but in the real world, and that his journey through Hell should be something we learn from and adapt to our own lives, rather than something we treat as simple poetry. After all, all literature has a purpose...
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