Dante

Knowledge Through Light
The sun is a very important element in the Divine Comedy. It is a clear representation of light, but it can have multiple meanings. The sun is a key factor of significancein the three canticles. Whether present or not, there is a meaning and purpose that makes it one of the most important elements of the Divine Comedy.
The sun in the inferno is obviously absent. Thesinners in Hell are cut off from the sun since it symbolizes truth, light, and God. Each sinner is positioned on a different level depending on the severeness of their sin. Throughout the Inferno,Dante elaborates on the darkness and horrible environment of Hell. When Dante and Virgil are about to enter the first circle of Hell Dante says: “Let us descend into the blind world now,1” meaning that heknows and expects a world with no light or hope. During his journey through Hell, he describes all the circles with darkness and with suffering souls: “Strange utterances, horrible darkness, anger,words of suffering, and voices shrill and faint.2” Dante faints several times after seeing the terror and the lack of light in the levels of Hell. The lack of sun or light is most apparent when Dantegoes deeper into Hell. Light and hope diminish while the never-ending heat increases. Each successive circle is farther down the earth and thus farther from the Sun, which indicates Dante’s evaluationof the increasing seriousness of any given sin. In Hell the lack of light is the loss of all hope, because once one is there one cannot be saved. The lack of light also indicates the absence ofknowledge or even acknowledgment of God. The denial of God obscures Hell and it is a forever darkened place with no escape.
The sun begins to be seen in Purgatorio when the souls are aware that they needthe knowledge and understanding of God in order to achieve their path to heaven. When Dante gets out of Hell, he sees the light which brings back his joy3. On Mount Purgatory, the closer a soul is...