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Thoughts on Canto V~ Logan Turner

 Once again, this post is not going to be particularly profound, but rather an observation that I made while reading Inferno.

One thing that I found to be particularly interesting was the plight of Francesca. She was forced to be in the second circle of Hell after she kissed her husband's younger brother while reading the tale of Lancelot and Guinevere. Of all the things she had to be sent to Hell for, she got sent to Hell for kissing someone? They didn't even consummate the relationship in the 'traditional' way, but yet she still got sent to Hell? I just think that is quite extreme given how minor the act was compared to others she could have committed.

I also find it to be sort of ironic because we often idealize the sort of love stories like the one she was reading, but she got swept up into it and got sent to Hell as a result. In all honesty, the whole time I was reading this I had the image of a high school student comparing their relationship to Romeo and Juliet's. Like the students, she never quite understood the meaning behind the story that they were reading. I guess that is a loose connection, though.

Anyway, those are some barely coherent thoughts I had while reading Inferno.

Edit: Commented on Haylee Lynd's and Caroline Tucker's posts

Comments

  1. Ian BlairMarch 16, 2021 at 7:12 AM

    I think the problem with relationships like Francesca had romanticized is that they just simply never work out. At least, not in the way that one typically hopes a relationship will work out. Having the emotional maturity to understand when a relationship is not working right was not usually found in people at the age that some would marry, which would cause tension between houses of families simply because the parents of the couple tried to rush something that wasn't ready to happen yet.

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  2. Jackson RiddleMarch 16, 2021 at 9:27 AM

    I think part of the reasoning behind Francesca being sent to Hell was that not only did she let her lust consume her, she betrayed her husband and broke the loyalty she had with him through marriage. Also, I agree, it's almost comical to see teenagers compare their love for each other to such extreme examples such as Romeo and Juliet, when in reality what they think is love comes nowhere close to the extremities of Romeo and Juliet's situation.

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