Dante's Inferno: Circle Sins, Punishments, and Mythological Figures

plutus

greek god of wealth, resembles a wolf

what are the sins of circle 4?

hoarders and prodigals

what are the punishments for circle 4?

pushing boulders in (hoarders)

pushing boulders out (prodigals)

contrapasso for circle 4

push boulders as they push wealth

who is present in circle 4?

popes, cardinels, and lady fortune

who is lady fortune?

personification of luck, in our world it's "picking who wins"

resembles God's sovereignity

how does lady fortune resemble gods sovereingity

Dante transforms the classical pagan figure of Lady Fortune into a divine, angelic minister of God's will, whose seemingly random actions on Earth ultimately serve God's sovereign and inscrutable plan

what is the second barrier of circle 4 canto 7?

the river styx

who guards/ is in charge of the river styx and boat

phlyegas

what were the two sins of styx?

wrathful: endless combat

sullen: sink to the bottom of the river

what is the river styx?

- Unlike its depiction in Greek mythology as a flowing river, Dante portrays the Styx as a disgusting, toxic marsh with noxious black fluid

- also serves as a border to the lower circles, which begin at the fortified city of Dis.

- entryway to circle 5

what is the contrapsso of circle 5?

- no control over wrath on earth; none in death

- di dnot appreciate joy and freedom on earth, will not in death

who does dante see in the river styx? what is significant

Argenti was a member of the Adimari family and a Black Guelph, a rival political faction to Dante's White Guelphs. Some accounts suggest that Argenti seized Dante's property when the poet was exiled from Florence.

- when dante sees him, he ends his pity for all sinners and virgil is proud

who tried to block them at the wall of Dis

the fureis and medusa

who let them into Dis

a heavenly angel

who is erictho

a sorceress from lucan's story, adn virgil was a powerful soreceress who erictho had power over, forced to do erictho's evil bidding

what is a heretic

a person who disagrees with the church's teachings.

what is the next barrier

walls of dis

what is the sin in circle 6

arch heretics

what is the ppunishment of circle 6

locked in burning tombs with those they led astray

what is the contrapasso of circle 6

jammed together with those they led astray

what are the furries?

goddesses of vengenace, megaro, alecto, tsephony

who does dante talk to in circle 6

some heretics about florentine politics

what happens in canto 11

dante and virgil pause and rest to let their nosees get used to the smell

what do we learn of virgil in canto 9?

- he has been here before on an arrant to get a soul of circle 9

what are the three circles within 7?

malice to one's neighbor

violence to self

and hate to god