Homages to Dante's Divine Comedy in the Bayonetta Series

Hashimoto, Yusuke. Stationed on a rocky perch, Bayonetta surveys Inferno. 14 June 2014. Platinum Games, https://www.platinumgames.com/official-blog/article/6530. Accessed 18 Nov. 2023.

Dante's Divine Comedy, a medieval epic written by Dante Alighieri during his exile from Florence in the fourteenth century, stands as a testament to his aspiration to craft a literary masterpiece—an ambition he undeniably fulfilled. His work, notably Inferno, is extensively studied in high school and college curricula for its vivid depictions of the torturous punishments awaiting souls in Hell. The narrative follows Dante, the protagonist, as he journeys through the three realms of the afterlife—Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso—guided first by Virgil, a pagan Roman poet, and later by Beatrice, Dante's romanticized love interest from the realm of the living. Beyond serving as a guide through the afterlife, Dante’s work serves as a conduit for his political and philosophical reflections, providing insight into his perspectives on morality, justice, and the essence of the human soul. The profound impact of this poem on literature, art, and theology has endured through the centuries. Its themes and imagery continue to influence various forms of media and creative expression. One such example is the Bayonetta series of games, developed by Platinum Games, where the Divine Comedy is a major source of inspiration. As one of the last two Umbra Witches, Bayonetta is the central character of the games. In the first game, Bayonetta awakens from a five-hundred-year slumber, navigating through Purgatorio as she attempts to piece together her memories, fighting the angels of Paradiso along the way. In the second installment, her journey takes her to Inferno as she strives to save her friend and remaining Umbra Witch, Jeanne while fighting the demons of the realm. The Bayonetta series pays homage to the Divine Comedy through its worldbuilding and how Bayonetta’s story mirrors Dante’s.

The Bayonetta series’s worldbuilding is heavily inspired by the Divine Comedy. The world of the Bayonetta series is composed of three realms: Inferno, the Chaos realm (the realm in which humans reside), and Paradiso. Purgatorio, the intersection of the Trinity, connects the three realms, forming the Trinity of Realms. An obvious similarity between the Bayonetta series’s Trinity of Realms and Dante's three realms of the afterlife is that, aside from the Chaos realm, they all share the same names. Bayonetta’s powers as an Umbra Witch are also inspired by Dante’s work. Umbra Witches in the Bayonetta series are human practitioners of dark arts with supernatural abilities. Notably, their combat prowess is characterized by the ability to summon demons during intense battles. In a thematic nod to Dante's Inferno, where demons are both tormentors and enforcers of divine justice, Bayonetta uses the demons she summons as instruments to carry out her judgment.

Both Dante's Inferno and the Bayonetta series’s Inferno share a common thread in their portrayal of this abyssal realm as inhabited by demons. In Inferno, the souls condemned to Hell are subjected to various tortures inflicted by demons that correspond to their sins. This grim landscape is vividly depicted through Dante Alighieri's poetic descriptions, where demons serve as both tormentors and enforcers of divine justice. Similarly, the Bayonetta series’s Inferno resonates with this infernal imagery. In the second installment of the Bayonetta series, Bayonetta 2, Bayonetta navigates through Inferno, facing relentless hordes of demonic entities. The image above shows Bayonetta’s initial entry into Inferno where her friend Jeanne was dragged to from the Chaos realm. The hellish red tornados pay homage to the second circle of Hell in Dante’s Inferno, the circle of the lustful. The demons that populate this realm become formidable adversaries, each reflecting a unique design and malevolent prowess. Bayonetta's journey through the fiery depths of Inferno is fraught with intense battles against these demons, mirroring Dante's vision of Hell as a place teeming with infernal creatures. The shared thematic element deepens the connection between the two works, highlighting the enduring fascination with concepts of infernal punishment and the creative exploration of demonic entities. Both the Divine Comedy and the Bayonetta series invite audiences to confront the nightmarish landscapes of Inferno, where demons become not only instruments of suffering but also integral components of the narrative, embodying the consequences of moral transgressions and the eternal struggle between good and evil.

Purgatorio functions as the crossroads between the three realms in Bayonetta and shares conceptual similarities with Dante's Purgatorio. The Bayonetta series’s Purgatorio, serving as the intermediary between the three realms of Inferno, Chaos, and Paradiso, resonates deeply with Dante's concept of Purgatorio as a transitory realm in his work. In Dante's Purgatorio, souls undergo purification and atonement for their sins, gradually ascending towards Heaven. This journey represents a process of redemption and spiritual cleansing. Moreover, the intertwining of realms through Purgatorio in both works reinforces the idea of transitional spaces as catalysts for transformation. Bayonetta's exploration of Purgatorio becomes a metaphorical representation of her internal journey, aligning with Dante's vision of Purgatorio as a realm where souls undergo a transformative process before ascending to higher planes of existence. By incorporating this transitory aspect into Bayonetta's narrative structure, the series not only references the Divine Comedy but also engages with its thematic depth. In both works, Purgatorio becomes a dynamic and symbolic space that contributes to the profound exploration of morality, redemption, and the complexities of the human soul.

Paradiso, the celestial realm in the Bayonetta series, aligns with Dante's Paradiso as a realm of godlike beauty and angelic entities. In the Bayonetta series, however, the portrayal of angels diverges significantly from the angels that assist Dante in the Divine Comedy. In the Divine Comedy, angels serve as benevolent guides and guardians, helping Dante navigate the treacherous terrains of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. They act as messengers of divine will, offering counsel, protection, and ensuring the fulfillment of Dante's quest. These angels play a crucial role in facilitating Dante's spiritual journey, embodying a sense of order, justice, and celestial mercy. On the other hand, in the Bayonetta series, angels adopt a more antagonistic role. The angels of Paradiso become formidable adversaries, actively impeding Bayonetta's progress and serving as obstacles in her quest. One key thing to note about some of the angels Bayonetta faces is that their names make up the four cardinal virtues in Christianity: Fortitudo (Fortitude), Iustitia (Justice), Temperantia (Temperance), and Sapientia (Wisdom/Prudence). The four cardinal virtues are celebrated in Dante’s Paradiso but are dreaded by Bayonetta. This inversion of the traditional portrayal of angels reflects the series's unique narrative and thematic choices. Instead of aiding Bayonetta, angels and celestial beings become formidable foes embodying the complexities and conflicts inherent in the games' universe. The shift in the portrayal of angels in Bayonetta introduces a layer of moral ambiguity and challenges conventional notions of good and evil. The angels, traditionally seen as symbols of purity and goodness, become entities with their own motivations and agendas. This narrative choice not only adds depth to the story but also underscores the intricate interplay between the different realms and forces within the world of Bayonetta.

The Chaos realm introduces a unique and innovative element that diverges from Dante's depiction of the afterlife. In Dante's work, the souls of the departed wait in various realms—Hell, Purgatory, or Heaven—until the final reckoning on Judgment Day. The prospect of salvation or damnation is intricately tied to this event, shaping the trajectory of each soul's eternal fate. On the other hand, the narrative density of the Bayonetta series causes it to steer away from exploring the afterlife. It is unclear if there even is an afterlife in the series. Instead, the Chaos Realm merely serves as the habitat for humanity. Confined within the Chaos realm, normal humans remain entirely unaware of the Trinity of Realms and cannot even perceive angels and demons. On the other hand, Umbra Witches, Lumen Sages (human practitioners of celestial and light-based magical arts and the opposing faction to the Umbra Witches), demons, and angels can traverse the Trinity of Realms freely.

Works Cited

Alighieri, Dante. “The Divine Comedy.” Translated by Allen Mandelbaum, The Divine Comedy – Digital Dante, https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/.

Bailes, Jon. "Over 10 years later, Bayonetta is still one of the best action games." GamesRadar+, 15 July 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, https://go-gale-com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&u=wash_main&id=GALE%7CA757240600&v=2.1&it=r&aty=ip

Davies, E. (2016). Bayonetta: A Journey through Time and Space. M/C Journal, 19(5). https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.1147