Dante's Inferno is a classic work by the Christian author, describing his fictional journey through the hierarchical levels of Hell in the year 1300 AD While Dante travels through the underworld, stopping at each stage of condemnation, often speaking with some of the pitiful sinners, learning of their crimes and the punishments to which God has condemned them for eternity. The sinners to whom Dante chooses to speak are generally real people, well known in Dante's 14th-century Florence for their political significance or their infamous transgressions. These conversations add a depth of realism to the otherwise fantastical and imagined journey that is Hell. One of these sinners with whom Dante speaks is Farinata degli Uberti, in life a Florentine nobleman and leader of the Ghibelline faction, a pro-imperial political party; however, in death, Farinata wallows in the sixth circle of Hell, where heretics dwell. Dante was loyal to his family's party, the Guelphs, a party that desired papal supremacy; however, Dante has more sympathy than hatred for the man who "loves his noble homeland more than he hates his Florentine enemies" (Sinclair, 141). Dante overlooks the injustices committed by the Ghibellines against the Guelphs and, instead of hating this man for some of his worldly actions, honors him for his pure love for Florence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Dante, in canto X of the Inferno, is approached by Farinata's shadow and is immediately asked: "'who were your ancestors?' " (135). Dante identifies himself as a Guelph and the man and the shadow immediately engage in a discussion about Florentine politics. Farinata expresses his acrimony towards the Guelph party by saying: "'they were my fierce enemies, both of my ancestors and of my party, so much so that I dispersed them twice'" (135). Farinata refers to the exile of the Guelphs from Florence in 1248, their return in 1251, and the second expulsion of the Guelphs in 1260 after the Battle of Montaperti (translated as "death hill"). Farinata had in fact himself been expelled from Florence in 1258. Despite this episode, Farinata refused to accept defeat. He took control of nearby Florentine rival Siena, which allied itself with King Manfred of Sicily. Together they formed a force of over 20,000 soldiers. The Guelphs, however, had the larger forces, organizing all males between the ages of 15 and 70 in Florence and calling for reinforcements from several nearby cities, from the Papal state, and from Guelphs in exile in Siena. On 4 September 1260 - the bloodiest day of the Italian Middle Ages - Guelphs and Ghibellines clashed near Montaperti, spilling so much blood into the nearby Arbia river that it turned red. Bocca degli Abati, a man later seen in canto XXXII, in the ninth circle of Hell, was a Ghibelline who fought for the Guelphs until he turned against them in the middle of the battle and mutilated the Guelph standard-bearer. The Ghibellines won and were brought back to Florence by Guido Novello and Farinata. This triumph, however, was short-lived. In 1266, two years after Farinata's death, the Guelphs returned to Florence and issued numerous decrees to exclude the Uberti family from Florence. Dante grants Farinata post-mortem self-defense in Hell; Farinata implores: "'tell me why those people are so merciless against my relatives in all their laws" (137). Dante blames Montaperti, replying: "'the defeat and the great massacre that dyed Arbia red are the cause of such devotions'" (137). Farinata defends himself by saying: "'In this I was not alone, nor without a cause'" (137). When the Ghibellines, in open council, were in favor of destroying Florence after Montaperti, Farinata points out to Dante that "'I was alone... the only one whodefend it before all" (137). Clearly most Guelphs ignored this fact when they banished the Ubertifamiglia in 1266, and even later, in 1283, when Farinata and his wife were subsequently condemned for heresy. Dante, on the contrary, he does not deny Farinata the credit he deserves for his role in saving Florence. Dante treats Farinata with great respect, addressing him with the politeness you form ("vostri" [canto x: 51]) and even calling him "magnanimous" (canto x:73), which, literally translated, means "virtuous, man of great soul". how much he hates his Florentine enemies" (Sinclair, 141). The sympathy derives from Dante's personal political opinions which "were neither Guelph nor Ghibelline in the common sense of the term. He condemned both parties and wanted the Church and the Empire, instead of fighting each other, to return each to their own office" (141). In addition to a profound love for Florence, Farinata and Dante are united by similar experiences of expulsion from the city. The Guelph party, having regained power, split into White Guelphs and Black Guelphs; Dante sided with the less radical White faction and was sent by Pope Boniface VIII to ask him to limit his tyrannical abuse of power period the Black Guelphs took strong power in Florence and forced Dante into exile. Dante, like Farinata, only wanted to do what he believed was most beneficial to his city-state, but was penalized for this. During their conversation, Farinata he predicts Dante's imminent exile and his failure to reconcile with the city by saying, "but not fifty times will the face of her who reigns here revive before you know for yourself how hard this art is" (137). the passage of time before his exile to Proserpina, queen of Hell, metaphorically providing his opinion on the government of Pope Boniface VIII. By sympathizing with a Ghibelline leader and denouncing the Pope's rule, Dante is demonstrating that loyalty to Florence, not loyalty to a selfish leader or arbitrary faction, should be the pinnacle of one's political goals. Because of their shared experiences and loyalties in Florence, Dante is offering mercy to a man who really should rightfully be in a lower circle of Hell. Farinata was infamous for leading the battle that cost the lives of over 14,000 people. Logically, Farinata should be condemned to the first bedlam of the seventh circle, where the "tyrants who gave their hands to blood and prey" reside (161). These shadows boil in a river of blood; an image that recalls the battle of Montaperti, when the river Arbia turned red due to the massive shedding of blood. Circle Seven is home to infamous warriors such as Alexander the Great, the northern Italian dictators Ezzelino and Obizzo, Guelphs and Ghibellines respectively, and Attila the Hun, all men who assembled their armies with evil, power-hungry intentions. Farinata differed from these men in one significant way: he fought to regain control of Florence. Farinata did not fight to expand an empire, nor did he enjoy torturing his subordinates; Farinata fought for his pure political beliefs, thinking he was doing what was best for Florence. Dante, placing Farinata in the sixth circle, recognizes that the eminent Ghibelline, as a pro-imperialist, challenged the authority of the Church and should have been condemned for heresy. However, by refusing to condemn Farinata to the circle of violence, Dante conveys the message that Farinata's actions were carried out with the best intentions for Florence and that he should not be punished for such a noble cause. Dante takes a harder position in the 2004.