The Contrapasso of The Vestibule

The Vestibule of hell is the area of hell which holds those who are neither good nor bad but only lived for themselves and their own opportunities. These people are not technically in hell but are not in heaven either, they are not allowed a place in hell. Dante says, "As they sinned so are they punished. They took no sides, therefore they are given no place" (41). Their lack of a place in hell represents their sin in the sense that they were the people who never chose a side due to the fact that they were too busy looking out for themselves. Even though the Vestibule isn't technically in hell the punishments there are still quite harsh. The punishments include being constantly stung by wasps and hornets, having worms and maggots eating their blood, and chasing a banner they can never catch.



On the punishment of being constantly stung by wasps and hornets Dante says, "As their own guilty conscience pursued them, so are they pursued by swarms of wasps and hornets "(41). The sinners in the Vestibule spend their lives ignoring a guilty conscience for their own personal interests, the constant sting of the hornets represents this. On the punishment of constantly chasing a banner which cannot be caught Dante says, "As they pursued the ever-shifting illusion of their own advantage, changing their courses with every changing wind, so they pursue eternally an elusive, ever-shifting banner" (41). The sinners of the Vestibule spent their life chasing opportunities for themselves, so they now will spend eternity in hell chasing an opportunity which can never be reached. On the maggots and worms of the Vestibule Dante says, "As their actions were moral filth, so they run eternally through the filth of worms and maggots which they themselves feed" (41). The maggots and worms symbolize the moral filth of the people. The use of the word filth shows Dante's view on the sin of the people and how he sees them as despicable. These punishments imply Dante's view of these sinners as scum, that they are immoral and despicable.