Feasts have always held cultural and symbolic significance in Western Society particularly in the country of Italy. As early as the Romans, a banquet or convivium(Latin for “living together”), represented not only a social gathering but a measure of taste and status (Raff). Medieval banquets were no exception to this rule. During this time period such banquets were often of religious origin and represented important social gathering (Rouff); therefore, any interruption of social, political, or moral norms relating to hospitality was viewed as particularly alarming in the context of medieval Italy. In Dante’s Inferno, such crimes of deceit in the context of hospitality are designated to the ninth circle of hell, the lowest circle of hell. Appeals
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Friar Alberigo’s murder of several of his family members at a banquet takes on a new atrocity in the context of Italian culture of the time. Betraying a guest,, suggests the Friar contorted the traditional Italian values of hospitality and banquets which were popular and contorted it to suit his own despicable, sinful desires. For this crime against one’s guest the Friar is designated to the lowermost circles where he is blinded by frozen tears. His literal blindness reflects his own blindness to his crimes. When he makes the pun “‘here dates are served me for the figs I gave’” (Alighieri XXXIII. 120) he refers to his signal for the assassins and falsely assumes his punishment is worse than the sin committed as dates are more valuable than figs. However, in medieval Italian culture the banquet and hospitality were of utmost importance therefore from the medieval perspective, such a punishment would surely be justified. Blindness to one’s crimes in canto XXXIII is also exemplified by Count Ugolino, who reportedly went blind due to his starvation, a punishment he received for his treason against others during life (Landas). Therefore, when he tells his story, he assumes innocence though the nuanced medieval reader would be aware of his political
Friar Alberigo’s murder of several of his family members at a banquet takes on a new atrocity in the context of Italian culture of the time. Betraying a guest,, suggests the Friar contorted the traditional Italian values of hospitality and banquets which were popular and contorted it to suit his own despicable, sinful desires. For this crime against one’s guest the Friar is designated to the lowermost circles where he is blinded by frozen tears. His literal blindness reflects his own blindness to his crimes. When he makes the pun “‘here dates are served me for the figs I gave’” (Alighieri XXXIII. 120) he refers to his signal for the assassins and falsely assumes his punishment is worse than the sin committed as dates are more valuable than figs. However, in medieval Italian culture the banquet and hospitality were of utmost importance therefore from the medieval perspective, such a punishment would surely be justified. Blindness to one’s crimes in canto XXXIII is also exemplified by Count Ugolino, who reportedly went blind due to his starvation, a punishment he received for his treason against others during life (Landas). Therefore, when he tells his story, he assumes innocence though the nuanced medieval reader would be aware of his political