ng “Three faces in his head.” (Dante, Hell, XXXIV, 38). Conversely, God is described as, “Three spheres, which bare three hues distinct, and occupied one space.” (Dante, Paradise, XXXIII, 116-7) The significance of the hues will be discussed later; it is the three spheres that are relevant to the three faces of Satan. Satan’s three faces are extremely symbolic. The image of a face represents the human nature of Satan. The separate faces represent the disunion that results from sin. Dorothy Sayers says that the three faces represent “hatred, ignorance, and impotence” –the opposite of the three theological virtues. (Dorothy L. Sayers, Commentary on Hell, Page 290, Note 38)Dante sees God as three spheres. (Dante, Paradise, XXXIII, 116) The image of the sphere is one of eternity, as it has no beginning and no end but simply continues. The three are as one; the first two mirror each other and the third is born from the two. (Dante, Paradise, XXXIII, 118-20) Each sphere has three meanings. The first sphere is Love, Faith, and God. The second is Wisdom, Hope, and the Son. The third is Power, Charity, and the Holy Ghost. (Dorothy L. Sayers, Commentary on Hell, Page 290, Note 38)Each sphere melds into the next, so that all contain the characteristics of each other. Dante sees the image of man in the sum of the three spheres. (Dante, Paradise, XXXIII, 127-30)The three colors are also significant to the inversion. Satan is composed of three separate colors: red, black, and yellow. (Dante, Hell, XXXIV, 37-45) This is another representation of the separation that sin incurs, as discussed above. The spheres of God are distinct but share the same color, differing only in hue. (Dante, Paradise, XXXIII, 116-7) This is another representation of God’s unity.Although the language that Dante uses to describe God and Satan lends to some similarities, a close examination of the text reveals that the two ar...
