Dante Final

what group of individuals are found in Canto 20, in the 4th bolgia?

the Soothsayers

What is the punishment/contrapasso of the soothsayers in Canto 20?

They walk with their heads turned backward, forced to see only what is behind them.

What types of people are found with the soothsayers in Canto 20?

Sorcerers, astrologers, false prophets

What key characters are found with the soothsayers in canto 20?

Tiresias, Amphiaraus, Manto

How does Dante react to the soothsayers in canto 20?

Dante reacts with a mix of pity and disgust, recognizing that they are suffering but that it is God’s will. Virgil scolds Dante for expressing pity, and Dante learns that this is Divine Justice.

What group of sinners are found in the 5th bolgia in Canto 21?

Barrators, corrupt politicians

What is the contrapasso of the Barrators in Canto 21?

they are submerged in boiling tar (pitch) because tar is dark, sticky, and conceals just like their sins which were often hidden behind closed doors.

what happens if a barrator tries to come to the surface in canto 21?

they are stabbed with hooks by demons

who are the malebranche in canto 21?

the demons who guard the barrators in the fifth bolgia. Their names are Malacoda, Cagnazzo, Barbariccia, Graffiacane.

what happens between Dante and Virgil and the Malebranche in Canto 21?

Dante freaks out when he sees the Malebranche. Virgil tells the demons that they are traveling by divine will and that the demons must let them pass. Malacoda stops the attack but then lies, telling Dante and Virgil the next bridge over the bolgia is broken, and they must take a longer route to the next bolgia, which leads them into more danger.

what sinners are in canto 22?

still in the fifth bolgia with the Barrators

what happens in canto 22?

Dante and Virgil are being “escorted” by the malebranche through the fifth bolgia to the correct bridge. The malebranche are fighting with themselves, and are deceived by one of the sinners.

what happens between the malebranche and the Navarrese man in canto 22?

the Navarrese man is hooked by a demon and then bargains for a deal by saying he will lure more sinners up if they let him go. The demons let him go and he jumps back into the tar to escape. Alchino and Calabrian begin to argue and fall into the tar.

what is a main literary trait of canto 22?

canto 22 is full of humor and ironic as the fraudsters and deceived by the sinners

who are the sinners residing in canto 23?

hypocrites

what happens at the beginning of canto 23?

Dante and Virgil flee the Malebranche and encounter the hypocrites

what is the contrapasso for the sinners in Canto 23?

the hypocrites are forced to wear cloaked weighed down by lead, moving in a slow line. the heavy cloaks represent their deceit and heavy burden of their sins.

what does Dante compare the hypocrites to in canto 23?

monks in procession — but a false holiness

who does Dante and Virgil meet in canto 23?

Caiaphas the high priest who enabled the crucifixion of Christ, who is crucified on the ground, and other sinners walk over him. This is a symbol of being crushed by his own hypocrisy.

what happens at the end of canto 23?

Dante and Virgil learn that the next bridge is destroyed — malacoda lied and they must find another way out of the bolgia.

who are the sinners in canto 24?

in bolgia 7, the thieves remain

what is the contrapasso for the sinners in canto 24?

the thieves are punished by being constantly bitten, burned, and regenerated by serpents. some are transformed into serpents, or fuse with them

what does the contrapasso symbolize in canto 24?

the metamorphosis into snakes symbolizes the loss of identity — just as they stole from others, their very selves are stolen.

how does canto 24 begin?

Virgil helps Dante climb a broken bridge — Virgil motivates Dante who is very tired.

Who does Dante and Virgil come upon in Canto 24 with the Thieves?

Vanni Fucci

Who is Vanni Fucci in Canto 24?

Vanni Fucci is a violent thief from Pistoia. Vanni confesses his crimes — he stole from a church, and another man was blamed. He is not remorseful at all for what he did.

What is Vanni Fucci’s prophecy in canto 24?

Vanni Fucci prophesies the political downfall for Florence, mocking Dante’s hope. Specifically, Vanni says that the white guelphs will lose to the black guelphs. Vanni then flips off God and is attacked by snakes again. He is swarmed by the snakes, silencing him.

what group of sinners are in canto 25 in the 7th bolgia?

still with the thieves

what mythical creature does Dante encounter in canto 25?

Cacus the centaur/demon who is covered in snakes and carrying a dragon on his back.

who does Dante see in canto 25?

With the thieves, Dante sees Agnello, Cianfa, Buoso all from Florence. Agnello and Cianfa morph into a single being, Buoso becomes the snake.

what is different about canto 25?

Dante the poet’s bravado vs. Dante the pilgrim’s confusion

the scenery and description in this canto is quite alien and different by highlighting a nightmarish landscape.

what sinners are found in canto 26?

Bolgia 8, Faudulent Counselors (sinners who used their intellect and eloquence to deceive others

how does canto 26 begin?

Opens with an apostrophe to Florence, Dante and Virgil arrive in the eighth bolgia with the fraudulent counselors. Dante sees thousands of “fireflies” which are actually the sinners.

who does Dante meet in canto 26 with the false counselors?

Odysseus is guilty of the trojan horse deception, persuading achilles to join the war (leading to his death), stealing the palladium from Troy (with Diomedes). He also encounters Diomedes, a fellow Greek hero involved in similar deceptions.

what is the central theme of canto 26?

being a good warrior was meaningful but if you put yourself before God, no matter the social value, it is a sin.

what is the contrapasso of canto 26?

each sinner is trapped inside an individual flame, burning forever in silence as a reflection of their guilt.

what does odysseus say to Dante in canto 26?

his hunger for knowledge and experience drove him to sail past the pillars of Hercules (edge of known world), against all warnings. His actions led to his death as him and his crew are sunk by a storm as they encounter mount purgatory.

what sinners does Dante encounter in canto 27?

still in bolgia 8 with the fraudulent counselors

who does Dante encounter in canto 27?

Dante encounters Guido da Montefeltro who was a famous military leader and cunning political strategist. Pope Boniface VIII asked Guido for advice on how to destroy the Colonna family, and Guido gave a counsel that resulted in the death of many, ultimately leading to his own damnation. Guido knew it was wrong but Boniface promised absolution.

what happened when Guido died in canto 27?

Saint Francis and the Demons fought for his soul but the demons won and took Guido to Minos.

what sinners are located in Canto 28?

in the ninth bolgia, the Sowers of Discord

who are the sowers of discord in canto 28?

people who caused division in religion, politics, families, and communities

what is the contrapasso for the sinners in canto 28?

these sinners are physically mutilated, torn open, sliced apart by a devil with a sword but after each cut, their bodies heal enough for them to be sliced again leading to endless pain

what is the meaning behind the contrapasso in canto 28?

their punishment reflects how they tore apart the fabric of human unity, and now their bodies are torn apart.

what is the scenery of canto 28?

dark, bloody valley, filled with mangled bodies, gore and moaning of souls. mirrors of a battlefield but even worse

who is found in canto 28?

Mohamed and Ali, Bertran de Born, Fra Dolcino

what does Bertrand de born look like in canto 28?

he must carry his severed head like a lantern — he caused conflict between Henry II and his sons

why is Muhammed and Ali included in canto 28?

caused a religious schism, led to debates and controversy.

what is the classical source for the ninth bolgia in canto 28?

the contrapasso is like Prometheus’ punishment in the sense that their wounds regrow

who are the sinners found in canto 29?

in the tenth bolgia, falsifiers

what is the contrapasso of the sinners in canto 29?

the sinners here suffer from disease and madness

what types of sinners are found in canto 29?

alchemists, counterfeiters, liars, and identity thieves

who is Griffolino d’Arezzo in canto 29?

an alchemist who promised he could teach people to fly and perform miracles, burned at the stake, punished with an horrific skin disease.

what is dante and Virgil’s interaction at the beginning of canto 29?

Virgil tells Dante to begin moving again. Dante tells Virgil that he thought he saw someone he knows— misunderstanding between the two. First time in the Inferno in which we understand that Virgil cannot read Dante’s mind.

who does Dante see in canto 29?

Geri Del Bello - Dante’s Father’s Cousin is murdered by a member of the Sacchetti Family and revenge was only achieved later in 1310.

who is capocchio in canto 29?

Capocchio was an alchemist who said “how I a skillful ape of nature was”

what group of sinners are found in canto 30?

falsifiers but specifically identify and liars

what is the contrapasso of the sinners in canto 30?

intense madness, plague, physical sickness

they corrupted truth, truth corrupts their minds.

who is Gianni Schicchi in canto 30?

impersonated Buoso donati to steal inheritance, runs madly and bites others.

who is Myrrha in canto 30?

she impersonated another to sleep with her father

what are the other forms of punishment in canto 30?

impersonators: hydrophobia but desire water

counterfeiters of coin: dropsy bloated but desire water

perjurers: fever

what is the setting of canto 31?

between circle 8 and circle 9

who do Dante and Virgil approach in canto 31?

they approach the giants guarding the entrance to cocytus. Specifically, Nimrod, Ephialtes, Antaeus

what is the central theme of canto 31?

pride as the gateway to betrayal, giants are representation of futile hubris, rebellion against divine justice

what is the scenery of lake cocytus in canto 31?

frozen lake - time is frozen

god represents warmth, and there is no warmth here nor is there light

what other topography is there in canto 30?

medieval urban topography, pride of the giants / towers as family pride…. fallen towers = fallen pride

what is the significance of nimrod in canto 30?

Nimrod > Tower of Babel to reach but can’t understand others

God > linguistic diversity

what is the importance of antaeus in canto 30?

he is not chained, he helps Dante and Virgil by lifting them in his hands and lowering them into the ninth circle

what is the structure of canto 31?

transition canto, opening confusion in lines 1-30, encounter with giants 31-90, descent via antaeus 90 to the end

what sinners are located in canto 32?

9th circle, traitors

what are the four zones of circle nine?

China - traitors to family

Antenora - traitors to country or party

Ptolomea - traitors to guests

Judecca - traitors to lords/benefactors (where Satan is)

what circles are included in canto 32?

caina and antenora

what is the contrapasso of the traitors in canto 32?

all are frozen in a lake with their head above the water, eyes were encrusted with frozen tears

who is bocca degli abati in canto 32?

a ghibelline who pretended to side with the guelphs during a battle, only to betray them leading to their defeat. Dante asks for his name but the sinner refuses because he is ashamed.

how does Dante feel in canto 32?

he kicks a sinner’s head and doesn’t feel bad at all, Dante shows his hatred for treachery by threatening Bocca degli Abati

what is the setting canto 33?

Ptolomea in the ninth circle

who are the sinners in canto 33?

traitors to guests and hospitality

what is the contrapasso in canto 33?

lying on their back in the ice, their tears freeze to their eye sockets making it impossible to weep

who is Count Ugolino in canto 33?

a nobleman from Pisa, plotted to bring Guelphs into power with Ruggieri, and was betrayed by him. Ruggieri plotted with Ghibellines to gain power and imprisoned ugolino with his sons and grandsons leaving them to starve to death. Ugolino is punished in antenora, ruggieri in ptolomea

what is ugolino doing in canto 33?

ugolino is gnawing on the head of ruggieri for eternity

who was friar alberigo in canto 33?

alberigo poisoned his guests during a banquet, his soul was immediately sent to hell even though his body is still alive.

what is dante’s reaction to canto 33?

Dante is sympathetic towards Ugolino’s children and their suffering but believes that Ugolino and Ruggieri’s punishment in hell is deserved. Friar Alberigo asks Dante to remove the frozen tears from his eyes, Dante refuses which shows his understanding of the moral wrongness of his actions. Dante understand =s divine justice

where is canto 34?

ninth circle, judecca

what is the contrapasso of judecca in canto 34?

sinners are entirely frozen - no movement, speech or identity

how does canto 34 begin?

beginning lines of a religious hymn used to announce the cross on Good Friday

Who is Lucifer in canto 34?

Lucifer is a worm, ugly, sorrowful, weeping blood and tears emanating evil and hatred. Lucifer has three faces that represent Yellow: Cassius: Impotence, Red: Judas: Anger, and Black: Brutus: Ignorance with different sinners attached.

what are the characteristics of Cocytus in canto 34?

no movement except for Lucifer’s wings making wind, no sounds but Lucifer’s jaws. Only Dante and Virgil move

how do Dante and Virgil escape hell in canto 34?

climb satan’s legs to exit, they go down and then up past the center of earth (past the point of gravity) to reach the shores of mount purgatory.

what is the significance of the stars in canto 34?

all 3 canticles end with the word “stars” — voyage upward towards the stars > symbol of hope and virtue. from no hope to hope.

how long is dante’s journey

Took the poet one day and night to walk through the “dark wood,” a day and night to travel through hell, a night and day to come back up from the center of the earth to the shore of purgatory, and finally an additional day to ascend through purgatory, totaling three days and nights. Begins Good Friday and ends easter morning.