The Finish

And following its path, we took no care
To rest, but climbed: he first, then I-so far,
Through a round aperture I saw appear

Some of the beautiful things that Heaven bears,
Where we came forth, and once more saw the stars.
(Cantos XXXIV lines 136-140)

They climbed through his back hair. I am in denial about that, I really am. I can't beleive that they climbed through his back hair.
Ignoring that weird exit from hell I've got to say that the way in which the devil is portrayed is an amazing take on Satan. The idea that he is getting punished himself is so novel and new and yet makes perfect sense following the tenants of the christian religion. If God is all powerful, why should his power over Satan be any different? God should logically be able to punish satan just as much as he punishes any other betrayer or sinner or whatever. Even suggesting that Satan can try and usurp god and get away with it kind of defeats the idealogy of an "All Powerful Being." Hell, he can't even keep his angels in line.
Regardless of the fact that the Bible portrays a completely contrary veiw of satan, Dante's Satan is a very good take on the role of a fallen angel. He was thrown from heaven so hard that he created a crater in which hell now lies. He is forced to eat three bad tasting sinners for all eternity and every movement he makes only makes him suffer more. He can no longer speak out against God because he has sinners in his mouth and he can no longer move against god because he is frozenin ice that he helps maintain. Satan wanted to fight God and take his power and found himself forced to do nothing but gods will. Its terribly evil genius-y.
The back hair thing though. Really? And where do they pop out? The other side of the earth? I really did not think that Dante thought the world was round. That was Columbus right? Well, Galileo a little but no one beleived him. Galileo was later then the 1300s though. Strange, very strange.