SCHWEBEL-PAGANSUICIDES-2018

Title: The Pagan Suicides: Augustine and Inferno
Author: Leah Schwebel
Published in: Medium Ævum, 2018
Volume: 87, Issue 1, Pages 106-132
Key Theme: The exploration of Dante’s treatment of pagan suicides in relation to Augustine's views.

Place in Limbo in Dante's Inferno IV among virtuous pagans.
Raped by Tarquin and subsequently commits suicide.
Dante follows Augustine's view that suicide is a sin, yet Lucretia is not punished like other suicides in Inferno XIII.

Recognized as a hero who exiles Tarquin after Lucretia's rape.
Positioned alongside Lucretia as virtuous despite their roles and actions after the crime.

Seneca, Orpheus, Tully, Linus, and Dido: All displayed in various ways that challenge the idea of consistent punitive measures for suicide.
Cleopatra punished alongside Dido for lustful behavior rather than suicide.
Cato: A suicide who serves as a guardian in Purgatory, presenting an apparent contradiction in Dante's punitive system for suicides.

Augustine's writings Frame suicide as sinful (De civitate Dei) and critiques figures like Lucretia and Cato for their acts.
Points out that self-murder is a sin and morally worse for those living virtuously.
Portrays pagan suicides in a negative light, contrasting them with Christianity’s perspective on virtue and moral failings.

In Inferno XIII, Dante invokes Augustine's arguments against suicides but chooses not to punish several pagan figures.
This inconsistency raises the question of why some suicides are punished while others are not.
Argument: Dante’s portrayal suggests a complex intertextual dialogue between pagan virtue and Christian morality.

Scholars suggest varied treatments of Cato and Lucretia represent Dante’s navigation between pagan and Christian values.
Discussion includes interpretations of motives for suicide, emphasizing different emotional states and social contexts.

Dido is treated sympathetically by Dante, placed among the lustful in Inferno V instead of among suicides, aligning her narrative with themes of love and loss rather than guilt.
Rejected Augustine's harsh condemnation in favor of a complex portrayal that honors the emotions inherent in her story.

Dante challenges Augustine’s authority and selectively uses sources from Roman poets to craft a nuanced understanding of pagan figures.
His treatment highlights a distinction between poetic narrative and theological dogma, suggesting that narratives of honor and despair diverge from strict moral imperatives.
By redeeming characters like Lucretia, Cato, and Dido, Dante critiques Augustine's negative portrayal while upholding their complex virtues in a Christian context.

The exploration of pagan suicides in Dante's work reveals a debate about values, morality, and the politics of literary interpretation.
Dante ultimately crafts a narrative that celebrates the human condition and the multifaceted nature of personal choice against the backdrop of Augustine's ideas.