Class CD Notes 1/21

Dante has all people born before Christ being sent to Hell, but some of the pagans were
saved when Christ descended into Limbo. Vergil, Homer, and Lucan.

In circle two, the sinners are punished by being swept up by winds so powerful it strips
flesh from bone with no direction.

Dante feels empathetic for the sinners as he has a soft spot for lovers, due to his own love
in the real world. This causes him to feel so much extreme emotion that he faints for a
second time.

Helen of Troy cheated on her husband leading to the outbreak of the Trojan War, which
led to her being in circle two. However in some tellings of the story it was not her choice
to cheat on him.

In the middle ages family name was everything, so killing your own family member was
seen as way worse than just a regular murder. In the book this is reflected in Giovanni
who is sent to circle nine, as he betrayed the bond of his family.

The sinner in circle three, Ciacco is pronounced Cha - co. He wants to be remembered
back home.

Down the line the sinners no longer want to be remembered as they feel their sin is so bad
that it is not worth them being remembered.

Inferno Analysis Questions, Cantos 7-9

Canto VII (Circle 4 & 5)

1. Why is Plutus an appropriate guardian before the 4th Circle, and how is Virgil so
easily able to dispatch him? (72, end-notes)
Plutus is an appropriate guardian before the 4th Circle as in Greek mythology he is the
god of wealth, so it makes sense that the mythological god of wealth would overlook
those who both hoarded and wasted their wealth. Virgil is so easily able to dispatch him
as just like most of the monsters they encounter he tells them that they are on a mission
from the highest authority, God, so they must be allowed to pass.
2. What kind of sinners populate the 4th circle? What is their punishment, and how is
it ironic? (73)
The sinners that populate the fourth circle are those who either hoarded or wasted in their
life. Their punishment is to carry heavy weights around their chests and use them to
attack one another over and over again. This is ironic as in life one group hoarded, hence
the weights they must carry, and one group wasted, hence why they must attack each
other to get rid of the weight.
3. Describe the powers and caprices of Dame Fortune. What is Virgil’s message to
man on how he should react to the random hardships of chance? (74-75, end-notes).
Dame Fortune has the powers of controlling chance and luck within the world, she
decides who is and who is not fortunate, she does this at random and whimsically, so
one's fortune can change at any given moment. Vergil’s message on how man should
react to the random hardships of chance is to accept it and not be overly reactive of them.
4. Upon reaching the marsh of Styx, Dante has also reached the 5th circle. Describe
the spirits here (there are 2 distinct groups), their punishment, and its accompanying
irony (75-76).
The spirits here are the wrathful and the sullen. The punishment of the wrathful is to be
swarmed in a bog of slime while attacking one another, this is ironic as in life the
wrathful were angry people who lived a life of misery attacking other people, so now in
death they must live the same way. The punishment of the sullen is to be submerged
under the slime, repeating the same message about why they are in Hell, this is ironic as
in life they refused to let the divine light into their life so now they must live without it
forever.

Canto VIII (5th Circle)

1. Why is Phylegas a good choice of a ferryman to navigate Dante between the

wrathful and the fallen angels? (80, end-notes)
Phylegas is a good choice to be the ferryman that navigates Dante between the wrathful
and the fallen angels as in mythology he is the son of Ares(Mars), the mythological god
of war, and in his life he angered Apollo, another mythological god. This means he has
both a connection to wrath, from his father, and to those who angered God, from him
angering Apollo.
2. Who is the spirit Dante comes across in the water? How is Dante’s reaction to this
spirit different than to all that came before? What accounts for it? (81, end-notes)
The spirit that Dante comes across in the water is Filippo Argenti. Dante’s reaction to this
spirit is different from those that came before, as before he took a more empathetic
approach to the spirits and felt bad for them, but this spirit he only felt anger towards and
wanted his punishment to be worse. This is because the real Filippo Argenti was a
political rival of Dante, so Dante likely wanted to insult him as best he could.
3. Why does Virgil bestow such praise on Dante for his treatment of the damned soul
in the Styx?
Virgil praises Dante for his treatment of the damned soul in the Styx as Dante’s anger to
the damned soul was like him purging his soul of wrath as he is accepting that those who
are wrathful are deserving of punishment, making him closer to perfection than he was
before.
4. Why are the churches of Dis referred to as mosques? (end-notes)
The churches of Dis are referred to as mosques as at the time of the book being written
Islam was seen as a perversion of the church in Europe, so in the book it would make
sense that the opposite of churches in the opposite of heaven would be mosques.
5. How is Dante affected by the words of the rebellious angels? (83)
Dante is affected by the words of the rebellious angels as they scare him and make him
want to go back to the beginning of the journey and out of Hell, so much so that he begs
Vergil to let that happen.
6. What’s the allegorical significance of Virgil being unable to open the gates of Dis
alone? (end-notes)
The allegorical significance of Virgil being unable to open the gates of Dis alone is that
there are limitations to human reason when confronted with the evil forces of the world
that are found within Hell.

Canto IX (5th and 6th Circle)

1. Why does Dante ask Virgil if any spirits from the “first ledge” have crossed beyond
Dis? (88, end-notes)
Dante asks this as scared to continue with this journey without a clear sign that they
should, this is to demonstrate the limit that human reason has within the world and that
sometimes you need to have faith to continue.
2. What logistical error does Dante seem to commit in Virgil’s retelling of the story
of Erichtho?
The error that Dante commits in Virgil’s retelling of the story of Erichtho is that there is
no record of Virgil ever being in this story, in fact when the story takes place Virgil was
still alive.
3. Dante faces his first mortal danger, despite Virgil’s company. What is it? (89)
The danger that Dante encounters despite Vergil’s company is the furies, who call out to
Medusa the gorgon to turn Dante into stone.
4. According to the end-notes, explain why the Furies and the Gorgon represent remorse
and despair of ever winning G-d’s mercy, respectively.
The furies and the gorgon represent represent remorse and despair of ever winning God’s
mercy, respectively, as in traditional mythology the furies are spirits who pursued and
tormented those who broke taboos, meaning those who likely have a guilty conscious, while
the gorgon turns those who look into her eyes to stone, she also comes when called by the
furies, this shows how even God’s mercy is not without trial and tribulation.
5. What do we learn about Dante’s intentions from where he breaks from his narrative?
(lines 58-60, p. 90)
We learn that Dante wants those reading this book to be engaged with the book as it is meant to
be read as an account of what Hell is actually like, and not just some made up story with
monsters out of mythology, so the audience can feel the emotional connection to what he is
writing.
6. Why is Cerberus’ throat peeled raw? (91, end-notes)
Cerberus’ throat is peeled raw as in mythology, Hercules dragged Cerberus out of Hell
with a chain around his neck when he refused him entrance.
7. How are the heretics punished, and why? As always, explain the irony of their
punishment. (92, end-notes)
The heretics are punished by being put in giant chests that are shaped as tombs, but they
are made of iron and are red-hot, they are being punished for having knowledge of God,
but denying his existance. This is ironic as heresy is thought of as the death of the soul, so
their punishment is like a death in a death as they are put in a giant coffin for all eternity.