The Sweet Brook and Meadow

The overall appeal of Limbo is that it is not a terrible place to be; the only punishment is that the souls have no hope of going to heaven. They did not have the opportunity to know Christ in their lifetime, therefore they cannot know God in heaven. The Virtuous Pagans are damned to Limbo because they were born before Christ. Dante observes, "and by a sweet brook flowing round them all/....and came to a green meadow blooming round" (Alighieri 30). The serene quality illustrates part of Limbo's contrapasso in that it is not a bad place to be.The sinners did not mean to be bad in their lifetime, but they still sinned without knowing it. Therefore they reside in a nice place, to correspond with their innocence, but still have to endure punishment for eternity in Hell for their sin. Dante at first believes that Limbo is not an awful place, especially after experiencing the Vestibule. He recites, "No tortured wailing rose to greet us here/ but sounds of sighing rose from every side,/ sending a tremor through the timeless air" (27). The souls are constantly sighing and weeping because they have no hope to go to heaven, like they had no hope to know Jesus in their lives; their torment is in their heads. Like their sin, the punishment has to do with personal beliefs. They believe and know that there is no hope of going to heaven like they did not believe in or know Jesus in their lifetime. 

My initial reaction to reading of the first circle for many is that living without hope is a pretty lame punishment, they might as well be in heaven for all the minor amount of pain it is causing them. The souls who reside in Limbo have no control over their fate in Hell like they had no control over their lives without God. Dante says, " And I, sick with alarm at his new pallor,/ cried out, 'How can I go this way when you/ who are my strength in doubt turn pale with terror?'" Virgil's face goes pale when they enter Limbo; he is filled with torment in returning to his home. A place that is so terrible that it makes one sick must have a harsh punishment, yet to readers who have not lived without hope, the punishment seems minor and ineffective. Virgil's inability to control his emotions regarding hope further emphasizes the actual severity of the punishment. It is most unfortunate that Virgil and the others must endure such a harsh punishment for a crime they could not control.

Dante mentions that the Great Poets of All Time are in Limbo; Dante the author needs a place to put all the good people, who in the Catholic church, cannot go to heaven. He attempts to make Limbo as nice as possible for the poor Pagans that had no chance, leading readers to think that Dante believes that this particular law is a bit unfair to the Pagans.