Crime of Passion?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzgnU61a9d0

In Dante's mind fraud is a worse sin than violence. This is because fraud takes time to think over and violence is an act of passion and rage. Violence is usually sprung on very fast and one can not fully be held accountable for their actions because their state of mind is not how it usually is. Fraud is completely intentional and a person should be held responsible entirely for their actions because whatever they did they did it on purpose.

The fortune tellers are punished deeper than the violent because they tried to see the future when God never intended any human to have that capability. Fortune tellers went around knowing the future that God created for them and the only person who should know that is God and the already deceased. When Dante began to cry Virgil tells him, "Who is more arrogant/ within his soul, who is more impious/ than one who dares to sorrow at God's judgement?" (175). Virgil tells Dante he can't feel sorry for these sinners because they insulted God by telling the future that was supposed to be unknown. Also, in God's eyes these sinners are worse than the violent because they intentionally felt empowered and all-knowing by telling fortunes and only God is supposed to know this.

The violent sinners were act of rage and passion. These sins were not intentional or thought through they were heated and rash. Virgil says to Capaneus,"You are made to suffer as much fire inside/ as falls upon you. Only your own rage / could be fit to torment for your sullen pride." (130). Capaneus was violent against God. When Virgil says this he means that Capaneus' sins were out of rage and rash choices and now he must pay for them by laying in the burning sand. This sin's punishment was less severe because the state of mind of the sinners when they committed it was rash and not thought through. With fraud the sins were thought through and intentionally harm someone.