Critique of the punishments in Dante's Inferno

<Tab/>Dante Alighieri was born in 13th century Italy, where he was involved in politics. When a different political party came to power, Dante was sent out of Florence, as was the custom at those times. After being exiled from Florence, Dante wrote The Divine Comedy which consisted of three books, one of which was the Inferno. The Inferno tells what Dante thought hell should be like. Dante's Inferno consisted of 34 …

…people into trees was an example of a punishment that was probably appropriate in 13th century Italy, but today is not. Being a tree for the rest of eternity may have been an appropriate punishment for those that destroyed their possessions for no reason, but it is not harsh enough for murderers. Instead, those who committed suicide should have been punished with those who killed others, since the crime they committed was essentially the same.