There are various thematic concepts that common in Beowulf, Divine comedy (Inferno) and paradise lost. One of the thematic concepts that transcend these works is tension. Tension in Beowulf occurs between the values systems that are there in this Danish society and the heroic code that Beowulf has created. This poetry concerns itself with the articulation of the heroic code that embodies hospitality, loyalty, power and ceremonial practices. The tense point of the heroic code is presented by the intrinsic value contradictions (Hudson 72). There are divisions between the loyalties and the heroic code does not in any way give any direction of action in the face of the divisions. This means that the code cannot work with the principles of early Christianity because there would be tension between the two. This is because the heroic code maintains that honor comes through actions while the medieval Christianity believes in honor in the afterlife. The tensions that flow throughout the story are brought by the efforts of the author to encompass two values that are ideally antagonistic.
In the inferno, the tensions that arise are created by Dante’s strict observance of the religious values and doctrines against the society’s corrupt disposition. The society in which the inferno is created gives priority to human happiness and peace while on earth while Dante has a moral system that gives priority to the will of God (Dinsmore 12). The tension is created by Dante’s representation of evil as an act that violates the will of God. When comparing violence and fraud, he argues that fraud violates the will of God more than violence meaning that violence is a lesser evil in comparison to fraud. The tension is not resolved because this exploration does not factor in the causes of the evil meaning that the reinforcement of the doctrinal message overrides critical thinking.
In Milton’s paradise lost, the tension comes when Satan disobeys God which by default puts a question on the authority of God. The tension is aggravated by the banishment of Satan from heaven and his subsequent attempts to establish his own hierarchy in hell. In his continued disobedience to God, Satan creates more tension by corrupting the mankind. The corrupted mankind disobeys God, leading to the development of tension between man and God which leads to his eviction from the Garden of Eden and the subsequent fall from glory.
The other theme that transcends the three books is Justice. In Beowulf, the tenure of this King illustrates how leaders should uphold justice. Beowulf exercises restraint that ensures that there is delivery of justice especially he refuses to assume power after the death of Hygelac. He ensures that the succession line is upheld when he supports, the formers king’s son when he is appointed as the successor.
In the inferno, Dante makes a presentation of Gods justice. According to Dante, it is the idea of justice that motivated God to create hell. This is because the prime reason why there is existence of hell is the punishment of sin as a testimony to the divinity of the perfection that is violated by sin.
According to Dante, Gods Justice is perfect and all the sinners undergo suffering that is equivalent to the severity of their abominations. In this poem, there is a connection between several sections of hell with some types of sin meaning that all sinners will not undergo the same level of punishment once in hell.
In paradise, the issue of God’s Justice and punishment is revisited. According to Milton, God will always punish those that disobey his will (Milton 67). Lucifer is the first God’s creature to rebel against the will of God. This rebellion took place even before the creation of the universe. Satan was punished through his banishment from heaven together with his camp of angels. This means that the idea of Gods Justice started way before the creation of the universe. Adam and Eve were the first people to rebel against the authority of God and God delivered his justice by casting them away from the paradise they were living in. The difference between the rebellion by Satan and the rebellion by Adam and Eve is that the one by Satan was self motivated and that of Adam and eve was extrinsically motivated. Secondly, Satan continued to disobey God while Adam and eve repented. That is why God has never forgiven Satan while the descendants of Adam and Eve have their rebellion corrected through their labor and that of their descendants on earth.
The three books are applicable in the modern day context. The different levels of heroism that are presented in Beowulf are a reflection of the modern day leadership where a heroic warrior does not always make a heroic leader (Wright 50). In Dante’s Inferno, the idea of justice reflects the modern day justice systems where the severity of the punishment depends with the gravity of the crime. Finally, in Milton’s Paradise Lost, rebellion against the authority of God attracts the same consequences as the ones that it’s used to attract during the time of creation.
Works Cited
Hudson, Marc. Beowulf. Introduction and notes WA: Wordsworth Classics. 2007.
Dinsmore, Allen.The Teachings of Dante. London: Ayer Publishing. 1970
Milton, John. John Milton Writings: London: J Dant. 1980.
Wright, David. Beowulf. London: Panther Books, 1970