Name: _____________________________________________ Date:________ Canto XXXIV
Along with your notes, answer the following questions to help you understand the reading.
1. What is Cocytus? Where is it? Who is there?
The river of wailing; in the ninth circle of Hell; Satan
2. As the verse begins, who is speaking, to whom, and who is he talking about?
Virgil is asking Dante if he sees Satan
3. What is the climate in this section of Hell?
Icy, windy, & cold.
4. What are the devil’s wings compared to?
A whirling windmill
5. Why did Dante hide behind Virgil?
Because of the wild and bitter wind
6. What is the ‘last round’ called? Who is it named for?
Judecca- named for Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus
7. What has happened to the souls of the last class? Do they all look the same?
They are covered in ice; No, some are lying down, some are some standing, some are upside down, and
some are bent over
8. What are some of the ways Satan is referred to as?
Foul creature, Dis, the emperor of the universe of pain, Great worm of evil, Fiend, Image of all Evil,
Beelzebub
9. According to Virgil, what must Dante do?
Guard his soul against all dread
10. In line 21, who is Dante addressing? What does he say? Why does he do this?
The reader; the terror that he felt is indescribable; To get the reader’s attention and makes the reader
sympathize with him
11. How was Dante deprived of both life and death?
He could not breathe, but was not dead
12. In comparing Satan to the titans, what is Dante saying about him?
He was enormous
13. What does Dante wonder in lines 33-35?
If Satan was ever as beautiful (before he betrayed God) as he is ugly
14. Describe Satan’s face & body
He has three faces. The front one was red; the one on the right was between white and
yellowish/greenish color; and the one on the left was dark colored. From all six eyes, he cried blood and
pus. He had rake-like teeth; his heads come together from the middle of each shoulder and they come
to a point at the top of his skull. Under each head, he had two wings that were not made of feathers
15. What happened when he flapped his wings?
It created three winds with came together to create one large storm
16. According to Virgil, which soul in Satan’s mouth suffers the most?
Judas
17. How is the punishment of these three men symbolic retribution?
Because the betrayed their legitimate masters (Cassius and Brutus betrayed Caesar and Judas betrayed
Christ,) they now are tortured by a new master (Satan.)
18. What day and time of day is it?
It’s Saturday Night
19. Why do they go?
Because they have seen everything in Hell
20. How do they get out of Hell?
They climb Satan
21. How do they begin climbing down, but then climb up?
They have reached the center of gravity/ they have gone through the center and were on the other side
of the Earth
22. When he looked back into Hell, what did Dante see?
He saw Satan’s legs in the air
23. What time is it?
About 7:30 A.M. on Easter Sunday
24. Where did they come out?
An animal pit in rock
25. What do they see?
The mountain of Purgatory
26. Why is it significant that the river Lithe flows from it?
This river washes away the memory of sin
27. What did Dante and Virgil begin to do on line 136?
They crossed the river and began to climb the mountain to Purgatory
28. What happened as they reached a round opening?
They saw the stars of Heaven
29. What do the stars symbolize?
Hope and virtue
Dante’s Inferno
30. Where is Dante as the story begins? How did he get there?
31. How is Dante’s Hell set up?
32. What is Dante’s law of punishment? What does it mean? Explain how this rule is applied throughout
the circles of Hell
33. Define allegory. Explain how it is used throughout this story.
34. Define allusion. Give examples of it throughout the story. Why does Dante choose to use this
technique?
35. Define imagery. How does Dante use imagery?
36. How does Dante’s feeling about the people he meets in Hell change throughout the story?
37. Why did Dante, the poet, choose Virgil as his guide? Why can’t Virgil lead him to Heaven? Explain.
38. Many times, people assume that Hell is hot and fiery. Why does Dante choose to make it icy and
cold?