Order 1521579: Dante′s Inferno

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Joshua McKenzie

Mrs. Sainclivier

Humanities Honors Sec. I

7 February 2019

Dante’s Influences on Modern Day

1. Dante’s Inferno Death Edition Video Game- https://www.engadget.com/2010/02/02/dantes-

inferno-the-book-based-on-the-game-based-on-the-poem-ba/

1. The present day video game, Dante’s Inferno Death Edition Video Game, has been

influenced by Dante’s Inferno. The video game is influenced by Dante’s inferno of hell

because the video game demonstrates the same similarities of Dante’s journey through

hell. The book influenced the game as the video game follows the same plot of the book,

but puts more of a modern day touch to it. The key and main similarity is that the

protagonist of the video game is named after the poet of Dante’s Inferno, and also the

battles between demons and Lucifer himself in hell. Many people have attempted to

replicate Dante’s Inferno in different forms of art, literature, and movies, but few have

done so in the video game world, and that is what makes this influence so unique. The

video game attempts to bring aspects of the book literally to life, and continue the

timeless poem of Dante’s Inferno through a platform that many people can ultimately

relate to.

2. Dante’s Lucifer T-Shirt - https://www.lookhuman.com/design/9805-all-hope-abandon/

3480bc-heathered_gray_bc-md

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2. This present day clothing company has been influenced by the Book, Dante’s Inferno,

and as a result a clothing company was created. This company was certainly influenced by the

literature piece as it presently makes t-shirts that depict the hell and monsters that reside in hell.

More specifically the shirt attached here is a direct quote on a t-shirt from the Book that states,

“All hope abandon ye who enter here”. This is an inscription that is written on the entrance of

hell in the book. The quote from the book is literal and is explaining that anyone who enters the

gates of hell, will essentially have no hope. This clothing line was clearly influenced by the

Book, but particularly this quote that years later they are posting a quote from the book on a t-

shirt.

3. The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult - https://www.jodipicoult.com/the-tenth-circle.html\

3. The Tenth Circle is a novel that was written in 2006. Although the novel and the plot are

not encompassed from Dante’s Inferno, one can see that many of the reverences and quotes

allude to Dante’s Inferno. The novel, The Tenth Circle, is about a young girl who was date raped

by her ex boyfriend. She attempts to unravel the events that took place that night, but she cannot

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remember and she goes insane, pushing her accused rapist off of a bridge. Throughout the novel

the main character is described as going through hell similarly to Dante’s Inferno. One of the

sections in the novel is titled, “Inferno” and is a direct allusion to the book of Dante’s Inferno.

The actual title of the novel as well is an allusion to the book as the “Tenth Circle” is ironic when

it comes to Dante’s Inferno. In the book there are only Nine Circles of Hell, so the novel

emphasizes and exaggerates how bad the protagonist’s life is in the novel considering it so be the

worst dimension/circle of hell that does not even exist, The Tenth Circle.

4. Film Inferno by Tom Hanks - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3062096/plotsummary

4. The film Inferno that was created in 2016 was influenced much by the Book that was

written hundreds of years ago. The title in itself is a direct reference and allusion to the literature

piece. The movie is clearly a modernized version of the inferno that has many similarities, but

the film is certainly not a recreation or reinterpretation of the book, Dante’s Inferno. The film

stars Tom Hanks who wakes up in a hospital void of all his memories, and begins to follow a

trial of clues that are tied back to Dante (Poet of Dante’s Inferno). In the film, Tom Hanks

receives a Map of Hell in order to help him along his mission. All throughout the film there are

several allusions that demonstrate the influence that Dante’s Inferno has had on modern day. It is

clearly evident to see that the Director of the film, Ron Howard, was inspired in making his film

due to Dante’s Inferno written hundreds of years ago.

5. Song - “Dante's Inferno” by Iced Earth - http://loudwire.com/11-metal-songs-inspired-by-

dantes-inferno/

5. The song “Dante’s Inferno” might be one of the closest representations of Dante’s Inferno

when it comes to the music industry. The song was written in 1995 and is a heavy metal song.

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The genre of the song speaks for itself as it is heavy metal and had a dark and almost hell-like

tone. The songs essentially talks, or for better terms yells about the journey and what it entails on

each circle of hell. Some of the lyrics mentioned in the song are directly from the book itself,

which goes to show the influence it had on the artist. The song really illustrates a very dark and

demonic image about hell similar to that of the hell described in Dante's Inferno over hundreds

of years ago.

Cites/Sources:

https://www.engadget.com/2010/02/02/dantes-inferno-the-book-based-on-the-game-based-on-

the-poem-ba/

https://www.lookhuman.com/design/9805-all-hope-abandon/3480bc-heathered_gray_bc-md

https://www.jodipicoult.com/the-tenth-circle.html\

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3062096/plotsummary

http://loudwire.com/11-metal-songs-inspired-by-dantes-inferno/