, 98)Satan himself is an embodiment of the disunion in Hell. Like him, his realm is divided in sin. This is seen most clearly by the description of Satan’s cannibalism. (Dante, Hell, XXXIV, 55) The body of Satan is a grotesque malformation, nature perverted. (Dante, Hell, XXXIV, 37-60) The line, “This was not life and yet it was not death,” (Dante, Hell, XXXIV, 25) creates an image of a punishment that keeps the sinner in limbo.God’s realm, on the other hand, is the ultimate union. Dante sees the entire universe within God. (Dante, Paradise, XXXIII, 85-7) Therefore, God himself is perfection and love embodied. The Empyrean is a world of “timeless peace.” (Dante, Paradise, XXXIII, 8)The appearance of each realm and its characters is telling as well. The “topsy-turvy” voyage up Satan’s body represents the disorder within Satan and his kingdom. (Dorothy L. Sayers, commentary of Hell, p. 290, note 19) The description of Satan’s body as immense gives the impression of something overpowering. (Dorothy L. Sayers, commentary of Hell, p. 290, note 74) God’s universe is a more approachable, pleasant place, seen most clearly by the image of man in Christ. (Dante, Paradise, XXXIII, 131)We now come to the most significant difference: the inversion of the Trinity as seen in Satan. Why is this inversion present?The answer is twofold; it lies in Christian theology and in Paradise. Christian doctrine (which was used heavily in the writing of the Comedy) states that, “evil can only mimic and distort, not create.” Therefore, evil (and consequently Hell) cannot have distinct attributes, but must mimic and distort those naturally created by God.Dorothy Sayers mentions this in her introduction to Canto XXXIII of Paradise:“[. . .] the True Light of which all other is the radiance or reflection.” The True Light referred to is, of course, God.Dante describes Satan as havi...
