The Enduring Myth of Love

Paper Summary:

An analysis of the "Inferno", "Tristan", and the "Symposium" and their depiction of love . The author argues that the myth of love and emotion is hinted by the the author's use of symbolism and imagery. Includes an analysis of the characters and themes.

From the Paper:

"In Canto V of Dante's Inferno, "all those who sin in lust" are "punished in the sweep of the black wind" (D 111). Similar to the Symposium and Tristan, the Inferno attempts to serve as an expert on love, yet fails by treating the subject in an unrealistic context. The Inferno punishes through eternal damnation one of the most carnal instincts, while Tristan idealizes love by invoking its perfect occurrence through a false means, namely the love potion. The Symposium also fails to define love because it takes an emotion and tries to legitimize it through dialectical inquiry. When read as entire works and considering all points made, the Inferno, Tristan, and the Symposium fail to present an adequate meaning of love. All of the texts, however, make claims that when taken out of the particular works do define meanings of love. It is through these recounts of emotion that the myth of love has managed to endure. "

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