BOOK REPORT OF CANTO III
The Vestibule of Hell
The Opportunists
Dante Alighieri was born on 1265 in Florence, Italy and died September 1321 in Ravenna. He
was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He
is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina
commedia (The Divine Comedy). Dante’s Divine Comedy, a landmark in Italian literature and
among the greatest works of all medieval European literature, is a profound Christian vision
of humankind’s temporal and eternal destiny. In addition to poetry Dante wrote important
theoretical works ranging from discussions of rhetoric to moral philosophy and political
thought. He was fully conversant with the classical tradition, drawing for his own purposes on
such writers as Virgil, Cicero, and Boethius. But, most unusual for a layman, he also had an
impressive command of the most recent scholastic philosophy and of theology. His learning
and his personal involvement in the heated political controversies of his age led him to
the composition of De Monarchia, one of the major tracts of medieval political philosophy.
Dante was endowed with remarkable intellectual and aesthetic self-confidence. By the time
he was 18, as he himself says in the Vita nuova, he had already taught himself the art of
making verse (chapter III). He sent an early sonnet, which was to become the first poem in
the Vita Nuova, to the most famous poets of his day.
Elaiza Marie B. Dela Cerna 10 – Adoration
Author: Dante Alighieri
Setting: The story happened in the vestibule of hell where you can hear the unending cry,
weep, and sigh coming from different souls. A place where you can witness the eternal
punishment for the people who chose not to live a good life.
MAIN CHARACTERS
Dante – a man who took on a spiritual journey to learn the true nature of sin; main character
of the story
Virgil – a Poet; a strong and competent guide of Dante’s spiritual journey
MINOR CHARACTERS
Charon – the ferryman of the first river in hell, Acheron
The Opportunists – the souls who did not take part in the struggle between good or evil and
lived a selfish life
MAIN EVENTS
Upon entering hell the Poets immediately heard the loud and unending cry of the sinners that
begged for an ending in their suffering. Dante saw the opportunists who did not take part in
the struggle between good or evil and lived a selfish life. There he saw the souls racing round
and round pursuing a banner that runs forever before them and continually stung by wasps.
He saw every detail of how the sinners suffer in the vestibule of hell. Then they moved to
Acheron, the first river of hell where the newly arrived souls were gathered and wait for
Charon to ferry them over their punishment. Monstrous Charon ordered Dante to return
because the living cannot cross the river but Virgil replied and said that Dante’s journey is
willed by God. There he witnessed many souls attempting to cling to the boat but are hit by
Charon with an oar. As Virgil finished his explanations, a strong earthquake occurred and
there is a sudden flash of wind and fire. After that, Dante faints.
If you were Dante, what would you do to the people from eternal retribution? How?
Explain.
If I were Dante, I would pray for the people from eternal retribution for I know that God is the
only one who knows how to handle them. Maybe they are really bad and they really deserve
their life in Hell that’s why they are faced to eternal punishment like that. Dante was in a
spiritual journey, and if I were him, like a living man who got an opportunity to witness hell, I
would never have the courage to look at those people for a long time. I may feel pity for them
but I know that I cannot do anything to save them from the consequences of their wrong and
selfish deeds but to pray for them and for the people living here on Earth. I’ll pray that soon
they will realize that they are wasting a lot of chances to become better and to live a good life
before it’s too late.
Realization: Did the story help you understand the value of living a GOOD life? Explain. (5-
10 sentences)
Yes, the story helped me understand the value of living a good life. After reading Canto III, I
realized that people there are begging for another chance because they can’t stand their
situation in that circle of hell. They are punished for they chose an evil way of life here on
Earth. While, most of the people who are still alive are wasting millions of chances to change
for the better. Now, I am more aware that sometimes the things that make us happy are not
always good for us. We need to be sensitive enough because sometimes we can’t see or we
are not fully aware that the things we do are hurting the people around us. Sometimes we
are selfish that we only think for the good of ourselves. Now, I know that living a good life will
soon give us the eternal peace in heaven. We must do everything for the glory of God. Maybe
it’s hard to choose doing good deeds because of we are surrounded by people who crave for
the instances of life or for the happiness that the world offer and we might think that we can’t
be different from them. But now, I learned that being different makes us more beautiful. And,
living a good life is more important than living a selfish life.
