Dante's Inferno Flashcards

Flashcards based on lecture notes for reviewing Dante's Inferno.

What does Virgil symbolize in Dante's Inferno?

Human reason, guiding Dante through sin toward redemption.

How old is Dante at the beginning of the Inferno, and what is the significance?

35, midway through the biblical lifespan of 70 years, signaling a spiritual quest.

How is Dante the character portrayed, and why?

Emotional, fearful, and confused, to show human vulnerability and the need for guidance.

What is the significance of Dante's journey starting on Good Friday and ending on Easter Sunday?

It links Dante's journey to Christ's death and resurrection, symbolizing spiritual rebirth.

What do the three beasts Dante encounters symbolize?

The leopard represents fraud, the lion represents violence, and the she-wolf represents incontinence.

Who are the two people, worthy of the vision of Rome and her Church, who preceded Dante?

Aeneas, who founded Rome, and St. Paul, who spread Christianity.

What motivates Virgil to help Dante?

Compassion and divine instruction, initiated by Mary, St. Lucy, and Beatrice.

What is the first thing Dante sees in Canto III, and what does it signify?

The gate of Hell with the inscription 'Abandon all hope', marking the point of no return.

Who is Charon, and how does he initially respond to Dante?

Charon is the ferryman of Acheron; he resists taking Dante because Dante is still alive.

To what does Dante compare the souls leaving the shores of Acheron?

Falling leaves, symbolizing lifelessness and inevitability.

Who dwells in the First Circle of Hell (Limbo), and what is their punishment?

The virtuous unbaptized, like classical philosophers; they live in longing without hope of seeing God.

Who, according to Virgil, eventually left Limbo for Paradise?

Biblical figures like Abraham, David, and Rachel, saved by Christ during the Harrowing of Hell.

How does recognition or remembrance affect the fate of the pagan poets in Canto IV?

They are honored through memory but still denied salvation.

What is the sin of the first people Dante encounters in Canto V, and how is their punishment illustrated?

Lust; they are blown by endless winds, symbolizing a lack of control.

Where does Dante use bird references in Canto V, and what is their effect?

He compares souls to starlings and doves, conveying chaos and tenderness, evoking sympathy.

What are Dante's feelings about Paolo and Francesca, and why is their fate pitiable?

He pities them, even weeps, because their love was sincere but led to sin.

Compare Cerberus to Minos. How is each beast appropriate for his location?

Minos is a judge, fitting for Lust's circle. Cerberus is monstrous and gluttonous, matching the sinners he torments.

What does Ciacco foretell, and what is the purpose of this prophecy?

Predicts Florence's political conflict, reminding readers that Hell includes real, recent sinners.

Why might 'sinners of the flesh' feel a relatively small amount of shame?

Their sin comes from emotion, not malice; lust is seen as less grave than betrayal or fraud.

Compare Plutus to the previous two monsters. How does Virgil respond?

Plutus is more demonic and less beastly. Virgil boldly silences him, asserting divine power.

What group makes up many of the Hoarders and Wasters, and how does Dante use sarcasm?

Clergy, including popes and cardinals. Sarcasm criticizes Church corruption.

Summarize Virgil's lecture on Dame Fortune.

Dame Fortune shifts wealth; her changes are divinely ordered.

What is allegorical meaning of the Rebellious Angels refusing entry to Dis?

Sin resists reason and divine aid.

Why must Virgil place his hands over Dante's eyes?

To shield him from evil; symbolizing reason protecting innocence.

What does the Messenger say to the Rebellious Angels?

He rebukes them and opens the gates; divine authority overcomes evil.

What sin do the souls in Canto X have in common?

Heresy; they denied immortality and eternal life.

Who is Farinata dal Uberti?

A prominent political figure in Florence condemned to fiery tombs for heresy, expresses prideful defiance.

What is the function of the three main divisions of Hell that Virgil explains in Canto XI?

Incontinence, violence, and fraud. These sins are ranked by the severity of their moral consequences.

Who are the souls in Canto XII, and what sin do they represent?

The violent against others (murderers, robbers, etc.); they are punished in a river of boiling blood.

Why are the Centaurs the perfect guardians for this circle?

Centaurs represent a mixture of human and animal nature, symbolizing the blending of reason and savagery, fitting for violent souls.

What sin do the souls punished in Canto XIII commit?

Suicide, or those who destroyed their own bodies; they are transformed into thorny bushes and tortured by harpies.

What is the punishment of the blasphemers, sodomites, and usurers in Canto XIV?

Blasphemers lie on burning sand, sodomites walk in a circle, and usurers sit beneath a rain of fire.

Who are the souls Dante meets in Canto XV, and what is their sin?

Sodomites - those who committed acts of homosexuality or unnatural sexual acts. Their punishment is to walk in a rain of fire, symbolizing the unnatural nature of their desires.

What is the sin of the souls in Canto XVI?

The sin of sodomy is again the focus, with additional souls from Dante's time punished. Their punishment is walking beneath a perpetual rain of fire.

What sin do the souls in Canto XVII represent, and what is their punishment?

Usury - earning money from lending at interest. Their punishment is sitting in a circle, perpetually surrounded by fire, symbolizing the sterility and sin of their greed.

What sin does Canto XVIII focus on?

Fraud. The souls here are divided into different types of fraud, with each group punished according to their treachery

Who is Pope Nicholas III, and what is his punishment?

A corrupt pope, punished for simony (selling church offices). He is buried headfirst in a hole with flames burning his feet, symbolizing the inversion of his spiritual authority.

What sin do the souls in Canto XX commit?

Divination or fortune-telling (trying to predict the future). They are punished by having their heads twisted backward, forced to walk blind.

What is the punishment of the corrupt politicians in Canto XXI?

They are submerged in a boiling pitch, eternally being torn apart by demons. Their sin of political corruption and bribery is punished by eternal pain.

Who are the thieves in Canto XXIV, and how are they punished?

Thieves are punished by being eternally pursued by serpents that eat their flesh. The punishment represents the fleeting and destructive nature of theft.

What the final punishment that Dante encounters in the deepest part of Hell in Canto XXXI?

Satan's punishment: Betrayal and being frozen in ice. This represents the ultimate isolation and punishment for betrayal.