Dante's Inferno Study Guide

allusion

an expression designed to call something to mind witout mentioning it explicitly

Epic simile

A long comparison using like or as that explains something in a very detailed way

Dante

The author of the divine comedy who travels through, hell, purgatory, and heaven

Beatrice

Dante’s ideal love who guides him through heaven

Pope Boniface

A corrupt pope whom dante criticizes and places in hell

Virgil

A roman poet who guides dante through hell and purgatory

Charon

The boatman who ferries souls across the river into hell

Minos

the judge of hell who decides where souls are punished

lucifer

the ruler of hell who is trapped in ice at the very bottom

Brutus

One of julius Caesar’s betrayers punished in hell’s deepest level

Judas

The man who betrayed jesus and recieves the worst punishment in hell

Canto 1

In what canto does Dante get lost in the dark wood?

Canto 1

In what canto does Virgil first appear?

Leopard, lion, she-wolf

What three animals block Dante’s path?

Canto 3

In what canto are the gates of Hell introduced?

Canto 3

In what canto does Charon appear?

First Circle

Which circle contains the Limbo souls?

Canto 4

In what canto does Dante enter Limbo?

Homer, Horace, Ovid

Name famous poets Dante meets in Limbo.

Lust

Which sin is punished in the Second Circle?

Canto 5

In what canto does Minos judge souls?

Paolo and Francesca

Who are the famous lovers swept by the winds?

Canto 5

In what canto do Paolo and Francesca speak?

Lucifer

Who rules the Ninth Circle of Hell?

Canto 34

In what canto does Dante see Lucifer?

Sin / lost soul

What does the dark wood symbolize?

She-wolf

Which animal represents greed?

Canto 3

In what canto is the quote “Abandon all hope, ye who enter” found?

sin / being lost

What does the dark wood symbolize?

she-wolf

Which animal represents greed?

abandon all hope

What is written on the gates of Hell?

chasing banners

What punishment do the opportunists suffer?

Canto 3

In what canto are the opportunists punished?

Acheron

What river do souls cross to enter Hell?

Minos

Who is the judge of the Second Circle?

tail wraps

How does Minos assign punishments?

blown by winds

What punishment do the lustful receive?

lack of control

What does the wind symbolize for the lustful?

Canto 5

In what canto does Dante faint from pity?

Minotaur

Who guards the Violent Against Neighbors?

Canto 12

In what canto does the Minotaur appear?

Phlegethon

What river of blood punishes violent tyrants?

Canto 12

In what canto is the river of blood described?

Centaurs

Who guards the river of blood?

Nessus

Which centaur guides Dante and Virgil?

Canto 12

In what canto is Nessus introduced?

violence

What sin is punished in the Seventh Circle?

Canto 1

“Midway upon the journey of our life…” appears in which canto?

Canto 3

Which canto emphasizes divine justice at the gates of Hell?

hope

What do the souls in Limbo lack?

Canto 4

In what canto does Dante meet noble pagans?

no personal sin

why are the souls in Limbo not tortured?

Canto 5

Which canto explains contrapasso most clearly for lust?

Lancelot

What book led Paolo and Francesca to sin?

Canto 5

In what canto is the Lancelot book mentioned?

Canto 12

Which canto begins the Circle of Violence?

violence against others

What sin is punished in boiling blood?

Canto 14

Which canto features violence against God and nature?

burning sand

What landscape punishes blasphemers?

Canto 14

In what canto does fire rain from the sky?

Canto 15

Which canto introduces Brunetto Latini?

sodomy

What sin is Brunetto punished for?

Canto 16

Which canto discusses Florentine politics heavily?

Geryon

What monster carries Dante downward toward fraud?

Canto 17

In what canto does Geryon appear?

fraud

What does Geryon symbolize?

three

How many mouths does Lucifer have?

Judas

Who is chewed in Lucifer’s mouths?

Judas

Who receives the worst punishment in Hell?

Canto 34

In what canto is the center of the Earth reached?

ice

What element traps Lucifer?

absence of God’s love

Why is the lowest part of Hell frozen?