"Avarice, Envy, Pride, Three Fatal Sparks"
". . . After long striving they will come
To blood; and the wild party from the woods
Will chase the other with much injury forth.
. . .
The just are two in number,
But they neglected. Avarice, envy, pride,
Three fatal sparks, have set the hearts of all
On fire." Here ceased the lamentable sound.
. . .
In this passage from Dante's Inferno, the character Ciacco offers a
bleak prophecy about the future of Florence, revealing the city's fate through
vivid imagery. His mention of "blood" and political factions symbolically
highlights the destructive nature of civil strife. The "wild party from the
woods" alludes to an emerging faction that will overthrow the current power,
emphasizing the ongoing turbulence.
Ciacco's statement about "avarice, envy, pride," as "fatal sparks" speaks to
the deep-rooted vices that inflame human hearts, suggesting these are driving
forces behind societal chaos. Even as he references the few "just" individuals,
the neglect they suffer underscores a world where virtue is overshadowed by
vice. Through this, Dante critiques not just Florence's political environment
but human nature's susceptibility to moral corruption.
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