According to most critics, how does Dante distinguish love from lust ?

Correct answer: C. Lust involves the subordination of reason to desire.

  • A. Lust is often pure, while love tends to be crude.
  • B. Lust and love are both sins that place the sinner in hell.
  • C. Lust involves the subordination of reason to desire.
  • D. Lust leads to moral improvement, while love is a more destructive force.

Explanation

For Dante, lust occurs when sexual desire overrules rational judgment and moral order. Love can be virtuous when guided by reason, so the poem does not treat every form of love as sinful.

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