Commentary on the Seven Deadly Sins of Dante Alighieri (2 of 7)

COMMENTARY ON THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF DANTE ALIGHEIRI: ENVY

Dante places envy at the second level of Mount Purgatory.

Envy is rightly associated with the primordial sin of pride at the first level because two of the most defining murders in Scripture are motivated by envy—the murder of Abel by Cain, the murder of Jesus by the religious leaders of Israel—and because the prohibition against committing murder is, after the duty to honor your father and mother, the second of God's commandments in relation to neighbor. Envy and murder are associated with each other in an almost elemental and in a capital sense.

Notably, murder is not always or only motivated by envy. The murder in Scripture of Uriah by David was driven mainly by David’s fear of the consequences before Israel of his adultery with Bathsheba. David’s fall, the entire world looking on, is today remembered as instructive testimony to the dreadful coincidence of adultery and murder. 

 

Dante’s Aligheiri’s universe, Mount Purgatory in particular, is discussed here: 

 
https://poetryofgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-universe-of-dante-alighieris-divine.html