Dante's Inferno: The Guardians Of The Inferno

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approached hell, and therefore
is a glutton himself. However, being a glutton, he must surrender himself
to his appetite. His appetite just overtakes him when Dante throws dirt in
Cerberus' mouth, and the poets are allowed to enter the circle. Cerberus
is an example of how everything must submit to the glutton's appetite,
including his soul. This is a dark sin because they now worship food
instead of God, and this is reciprocated by the rain, which belies the
jolly nature of gluttons and gives them dark temperaments. Gluttony is a
sin which involves one person, and it is more of a selfish sin, but the
gluttonous are alone because they always ate alone.
Pluto is the guardian of Circle IV, the circle of Misers and Spendthrift.
Pluto is meant to symbolize riches, as he is the god of wealth that
springs from soil in ancient mythology. This is appropriate because he
guards those who hoarded money and those who spent it foolishly. This is
a different type of appetite, as these ...

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others. Phlegyas is a good
example of how the guardian can portray the people he guards.
The Furies are the guardians of Circle VI, the Heretics. They are the
avenging goddesses who went after great sinners. They symbolize remorse
that does not lead to repentance. This is how the Heretics are. They
deeply feel remorse for the fact they interpreted things outside the
judgment of the Church, preferring their own judgment against the Church's.
However, they still do not change their ways. The fitting punishment is
that they would be buried in iron tombs and surrounded by fire. However,
none of the fire is inside the tomb. This shows how the outside appearance
of holiness is ...

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