Guido and the guilty mind: Mens rea and actus reus in Inferno 27

Abstract

Very early in their education, law students are introduced to the two necessary components of a crime—mens rea and actus reus—that is, one is not guilty of a crime unless culpable in both thought and action. In Inferno 27, however, we meet Guido da Montefeltro whose promised absolution should, in theory, deprive him of mens rea: his conscience is clear. Yet Dante puts him in hell. Indeed, Guido’s condemnation comes as quite a surprise not only to the sinner but also to St Francis’s own cherub. This article will explore that moment and consider how Dante uses the episode to interpret the intersection of guilty thoughts (mens rea) and guilty acts (actus reus) and in so doing, creates a code of law to justify the Inferno’s anticipatory condemnation of Boniface VIII.

Keywords

absolution Boniface VIII Dante Guido da Montefeltro guilt St Augustine St Francis Ulysses

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