In Canto 1, Dante encounters a leopard, lion, and a she-wolf. I believe that each of the beasts that Dante encounters are significant because they represent sin temptation. I agree with what the book says about the beasts representing lust, pride, and greed.
I think the leopard represents lust because she seemed to have been lusting to scare Dante. The leopard wouldn’t back off, and let Dante continue on his path. Dante said, “Blocking the path, she stayed before my face and more than once she made me turn about to go back down” (Alighieri, I, 27-29). The leopard tempted him to turn around and go back a couple times already, but still did not back off. She continued to stay in his path, like she was lusting for the power she had over him, which was his fear of her. So that’s why I think the leopard represents lust. Then, when Dante encounters the lion, it says, “A lion came at me, his head high as he ran…” (Alighieri, I, 36). This makes me think that the lion represents pride. I think it represents pride because usually when people walk with their head held up high, they are feeling proud of themselves and almighty. So in this case, the lion is running with his head high because he is feeling important and mighty, which is pride. Lastly, I think the she-wolf represents greed. I think the she-wolf represents greed because when Dante encounters the she-wolf, he said, “whose leanness seemed to compress all the world’s cravings…” (Alighieri, I, 38-39). Then at the side, it is explained that the phrase meant, “whose thinness seemed to squeeze together all the desires of the world”. So, the she-wolf is taking in all the desires of the world for itself, which is greed.
I believe that each of the beasts relate to Dante’s journey because they foreshadow the fears and despairs that he will have to go through, throughout his journey through hell. They all represent darkness, evil, and fear that he has to overcome to continue on his journey. The beasts each seem to be threatening Dante to turn back, or give up hope.
The first beast that Dante encountered was the leopard. When he encountered the leopard, he said, “Blocking the path, she stayed before my face and more than once she made me turn about to go back down” (Alighieri, I, 27-29). In that line, Dante was saying that he had to face the temptation to turn around and go back. He feared the leopard that blocked his path, and he had to overcome the fear of it to continue his journey.
The second beast that Dante encountered was the lion. When he encountered the lion, he said, “A lion came at me, his head high as he ran, roaring with hunger so the air appeared to tremble” (Alighieri, I, 36-37). I think he was trying to say that since the lion was so fearful, it made him feel like trembling, like people usually do when they are afraid of something.
Lastly, the final beast that Dante encountered was the she-wolf. He seemed to be most frightened and threatened by the she-wolf. He says that, “All the world’s cravings, that had made miserable such multitudes; she put such heaviness into my spirit, I lost hope of the crest (Alighieri, I, 39-41). The she-wolf made him feel such despair that he lost all his hope and happiness. It made him want to turn back, and it made him feel lost. He also expresses this in his next line, “Surrenders to gloom and weeps, so did that beast make me feel, as harrying toward me at a lope she forced me back toward where the sun is lost” (Alighieri, I, 43-45).
So, as you can see, each beast seemed to be threatening, and wanting to scare him. He felt fear and despair from them, and they also discouraged him. He lost all hope and courage as he encountered each beast. This relates to his journey that he will go on because his journey through hell is going to be a despairing journey. He will face many pains and dreads that he must overcome.
