This paper is bull. I wrote it in 30 minutes.
When I first read the quote, “It is easy to go down into hell; night and day the gates of dark Death stand wide; but to climb back again, to retrace one’s steps to the upper air--there’s the rub, the task” by Virgil, I thought it was perfect, honest and applicable to everyone at all stages of life. I paraphrased it as this, it is easy to make mistakes; opportunities and temptations are everywhere; but to make amends, to clear your name, to make it right, is hard. The theme found in this quote is simply, its easy to mess up, and hard to make it right. In a world with an abundance of tragedies, pain and weakness, mistakes and grudges are found everywhere.
At this point in time in my life, nearly nineteen years old, I am very aware of the concept of a mistake. At least once a day, I do something that can be construed as wrong; I say a curse word, I lose my temper, act too brashly, offend someone or hurt their feelings. In the same turn, all of these offenses are committed against me on a regular basis. While its unpleasant and can occasionally result in an altercation, it happens everyday, and it is a fact of life that everyone will inevitably hurt someone and be hurt themselves as well.
However, this example does not seem worthy enough to be described as “hell”. I think Virgil was referring to bigger issues. When I read “It is easy to go down into hell” I think of substance abuse, drugs and alcohol; physical abuse, rape, violence and murder; emotional pain unrequited love, unfaithfulness, and divorce. One could argue that it is not easy to do these things, to participate in such activities, and while it may not seem easy to a nineteen year old student, for some, clearly it is easy. If it were not easy not so many people would be involved. There would not be rehabilitation clinics for every addiction imaginable and there would not be battery and rape support groups, there would not be a 50% divorce rate.
The next part of the quote says, “night and day, the gates of dark Death stand wide”. Everyday, everywhere there is a temptation, there is an opportunity to do evil, to do wrong. In my experience, the “temptation of hell” was not everywhere for me. I was not tempted as a teenager, I had no desire to get wasted at some party, vandalize or steal. However, the opportunity was everywhere. Even at my private Christian high school I knew who I could get drugs from, I knew which parties to go to if I wanted to get drunk, I knew who was behind the recent vandalism, or theft in the school.
The question is when does opportunity turn into temptation? It cannot just be peer pressure, it is something internal, something that happened in their life and weakened their resolve. Its more than pressure because everyone has broken under pressure at least once, but not everyone is an addict, cheater, rapist or murderer.
The quote goes onto say “but to climb back again, to retrace one’s steps to the upper air--”. Many times in life we have to make amends for mistakes, depending upon the mistake, it maybe more difficult to clear your name. I think it is fair to say that most people are cynical when it comes to this. When someone enters rehab, a person maybe appear happy on the outside, but in their head they are thinking “I bet this won’t last.” Many do not believe that it is possible to right wrongs fully, they harbor grudges, they push aside hope and they hold onto their anger and hurt, rather than believe that a person can change.
This cynicism is particularly evident in relationships. Unfaithfulness in relationships, usually ends in a break up. However, if the couple remain together there is a suspicion, an underlying accusatory tone behind everything. Rarely is complete forgiveness is achieved.
Amazingly enough, even if you are able to climb back again, to make amends, you are still tainted. “To retraces one’s steps to the upper air“, to clear your name, is impossible for most. Someone, or everyone will forever remember what you did and associate it with everything you do, good or bad. Basically, you cannot go down into hell without getting burned.
The quote ends by saying, “there’s the rub, the task”, to make it right is hard. Who has not had to apologize for something, for hurting someone you love? How hard is it to know that your selfishness hurt your loved ones, broken their trust and made them think less of you? How hard is it to see them cry for you, to see the hurt and disappointment in their eyes? When this happens hell seems easy, everything you did to yourself was simple. Life after the mistake is hard.
In conclusion, the theme found in Virgil’s quote simply states, its easy to mess up, and hard to make it right. In a world with an abundance of tragedies, pain and weakness, mistakes and grudges are found everywhere. It is then, wise to avoid mistakes by first thinking through how they will affect not only you, but also those around you.