In Dante's Divine Comedy, Virgil guides Dante through Hell, where Dante experiences changes in his compassion. I will argue that Dante expresses less compassion throughout his journey when Virgil leads him through Hell. This essay will demonstrate how Dante shows more feelings at the beginning of the Inferno than at the end of the Inferno. Dante acts like a coward by thinking that he is incapable of completing his journey: I would be too slow if I had obeyed by now. You no longer need to declare your will to me. But tell me why you pay so little attention to yourself and, up to this dead center in between, leave the spacious circle where you dare to go. In this particular part, in Canto II, Dante is saying that their journey is over because he doesn't want to continue. He is telling her not to waste any more time because he is no longer interested in their trip because of the things he saw during it. He is afraid that if the trip continues any longer he will get hurt, so he wants to back out now before it becomes too late. Virgil was sent there to accompany Dante through this journey, so Virgil prevents Dante from backing out. saying to him, She replied, "I'll tell you why I'm not afraid to come in down here." We fear an object when (but only when) that object has the power to do harm. Nothing else can cause fear.'( Dante, Inferno, 2: 88-90)In this part of the Inferno Dante and Virgil are just beginning their journey into Hell. Dante begins to fear what he sees during their journey. Virgil tells him not to be afraid of the journey be...... middle of paper...... of feeling” (Dante, Inferno, 33: 100-102) This quote means, his face is now frozen in the cold, the sensation has completely disappeared from his face and he no longer has any kind of sensation. This period is the last Canto of Hell in the Divine Comedy. Dante has just discovered all six circles of hell with Virgil guiding him the entire time. During this moment in Dante's life, he shows no emotions arising from the experiences he had on his long journey into Hell. This essay has directed the reader's attention to how Dante's compassions changed during the sections of the Canto dell'Inferno in the Divine Comedy with Virgil's directions along the way to help Dante achieve the new direction of his life. Works Cited Dante, Alighieri. The Divine Comedy. Trans. Robin Kirkpatrick. New York, United States: Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, 2012. Print.