~Dante Inferno~
Canto 28:
At the end of this canto, Bertran de Born, French troubadour poet and false counselor to King Henry II of England, explains that he is punished with the usual "law of counter-penalty" ("contrapasso" in Italian). How does "contrapasso" work, and how do the other souls in this canto suffer in accordance with it?
See this website for an explanation of Dante's counter-penalty concept and how (in paragraph 6) it is applied to Bertran de Born:
http://www.123helpme.com/assets/4313.html
Contrapasso is a concept in Dante's Inferno that refers to the punishment of souls in a manner mirroring the nature of their sins. It is a form of divine justice that ensures the punishment matches the crime committed. In Canto 28 of Dante's Inferno, Bertran de Born explains the concept of contrapasso while describing his own punishment.
Bertran de Born, a French troubadour poet and false counselor, is seen carrying his severed head in his hands. This punishment reflects his sin of causing discord and strife by manipulating and sowing discord among people, particularly within families and rulers. In life, Bertran de Born was instrumental in instigating war and rebellion, by fanning the flames of discord between King Henry II and his sons.
The punishment of carrying his own severed head signifies the disunity he caused in his time on Earth. Just as he had divided families and rulers, he is now forever divided from his body, with his intellect detached from his physical being. This separation symbolizes the consequences of his actions, where he is deprived of wholeness and unity for eternity.
The other souls in Canto 28 also suffer punishments that adhere to the principle of contrapasso. For example, the souls who were involved in acts of schism and discord are seen wandering aimlessly, their bodies split or torn apart, reflecting the division they caused in society. Their suffering is a direct consequence of the harm they inflicted upon others.
In essence, contrapasso is a form of poetic justice implemented in Hell, where the punishment corresponds to the nature of the sin committed. It serves to demonstrate the divine justice and the moral consequences of one's actions, as envisioned by Dante in his Inferno.