The most enigmatic circle of Dante Alighieri's Inferno is also one of the first. It is here, in the second circle, where the lustful spend eternity. Canto V is full of contradictions, perplexities and curious word choices. At first glance, Dante's tale of lustful sinners appears to be entirely one-dimensional: these are men and women who have succumbed to sexual desire and longing and whose cruel punishments are deserved. However, closer examination reveals that Dante empathizes with these sinners, assigning them the least severe of all the punishments of hell and occasionally even overlooking the other sins of souls to ensure their place in the most docile circle of hell . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay One possible first impression of Dante's second circle is that lust is not a legitimate sin. Perhaps this logic is a product of age and culture; many 21st century readers might consider the list, especially in comparison to the more violent, mundane, and common sins. Everyone has experienced sexual desires, or at the very least been infatuated with someone, suggesting that lust is inherent to human nature and should not guarantee one's level in hell. Ancient philosophers, however, disagree. The Desert Fathers included lust in their list of the seven deadly sins, and the Book of Job writes, “For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that must be punished” (Job 31:11). Thomas Aquinas would probably have classified lust as a venial sin, committed impulsively and without reflection, making it less serious than mortal sins. Dante, whose theological and philosophical perspectives were heavily influenced by Aquinas, held a similar opinion. Lust has been placed in one of the highest circles of hell, among other incontinent sins. Dante describes lustful sinners as those who “have sinned in carnal things” (5:35). In other words, lust is a bodily impulse, not of the soul. Following Aquinas' logic, this makes lust significantly less serious than other sins, such as betrayal and fraud, both of which are committed with the deliberate intention of harming others and causing the corruption of sinners' souls. We hear the lustful before we see them. Dante uses flowery phrases that connote agony, such as "the notes of agony," "sad crescendo," and "explosions of pain" (5:24-27), as if we had entered a symphonic performance, not a hellish circle. The souls arrive in the sky above Dante and Virgil, “turbulent in a storm of conflicting winds” (5.29), like a flock of birds swept by the wind. The English language is saturated with quotes and clichés about the wind: “Rough winds do shake the dear buds of May;” “candle in the wind;” “as the wind blows;” “throwing caution to the wind”. The wind is aggressive. The wind is antagonistic. The wind knocked down power lines and razed houses to the ground. Dante's use of wind as punishment creates a tone of chaos: these sinners are condemned to spend eternity in a constant state of movement and disorder. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the actions of the lustful defied nature, God and the course of history. Cleopatra, for example, sacrificed her authority in both Rome and Egypt for the sake of Mark Antony's love, and Helena provoked an entire war when she eloped with Paris. As penance, they are forced to spend eternity dealing with the same chaos they caused in life. However, once the dramatic entrance of the souls concludes, readers discover that their suffering extends beyond the stormy breezes. Francesca declares that “'None:.