- Danves
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- Elder Legendary Member
I don't believe in magic, but I DO believe in bones.
Posted by: HoveringNebula
Just another few things I noticed.
In the REAL Divine Comedy, Dante does not go to rescue Beatrice (his lover), she is actually his guide through Purgatory. You may remember that when you get to the coastal highway, Dare gets the commandeered Oliphant, which must escourt as you make your way to the extraction point, so she kind've guides you. The same could be applied to Buck, who guides the Rookie, Dare and the engineer out of the data center, to the surface (ascend from Hell to Purgatory).
Another thing, the descent to circle 9. In The Comedy, the only way to reach the ninth circle of Hell was to jump down a pit at the center of the eighth. You and the cop must jump down to level 9 via the lifted data stack.
This next one is less known, but still quite important. When Virgil has finally led Dante to Satan, he then must show Dante the exit. So, Virgil jumps onto Satan's back and to Dante's surprise climbs down through the ice, yet once he reaches the other side, he flips around and climbs up, still towards Satan's feet. This is because the ninth circle was supposedly at the center of the world. Dante follows Virgil, and on the under side of the ice, the hidden exit of Hell can be found.
After meeting up with Buck, the Rookie and company are led down yet another shaft, but Buck eventually leads them to an elevator, and later reveals his secret exit to "Hell," a Phantom he and the ODSTs stole.
Finally, in the last scene, the stolen Phantom can be seen "ascending to heaven," much as Dante did at the end of the Comedy.
Also, and sorry for the length, the flamethrower in the Data Hive could represent warmth of God, as belief in Renaissance times was that the love of God brought warmth, and the further from God, the colder it got, hence the utter lack of heat in the ninth circle.
Now if only we could figure out the Forerunner glyphs all over the city. Also, don't forget about the three beasts from the begginning. Romeo may represent one, as he violently awakens the rookie on Prepare to Drop. The Covenant Carrier may also represent the Mountain of Paradise, or Heaven, which Dante was unable to reach without first braving the pits of Hell.
Very nice comparisons! Now I remember the fact that they had to jump in a pit to reach the 9th circle. I'm fairly certain the act of jumping down the hole under the data stack was intentionally done for that reference.
I also had the same idea of the Phantom at the end representing their ascent to Paradise. My only concern is that the Purgatory references don't seem to be as consistent as the Inferno ones. Although, since the Inferno seems to be the main intentional reference, perhaps they didn't focus on making as many Purgatory and Paradise tie-ins.