Vocab
Terza Rima - An arrangement of triplets, especially in lambs, that rhyme aba, bcb, cdc, etc.
Purgatory – A place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating their sins
before going to heaven.
Contrapasso – “Suffer the opposite”, the punishment of souls
Vernacular – The language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
Canto – A principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry.
Rhyme – A repetition of similar sounds in two or more words most often in the final syllables of lines in
poems and songs.
Fourfold interpretation –
Lecture or Handouts
What is the Italian word for Hell? The Italian word for hell is Inferno.
What is the difference between Hell and Purgatory in medieval belief? The difference between Hell
and Purgatory is that Hell is a place of eternal suffering for your sins and Purgatory is an intermediate
state for souls undergoing purification and destined for Heaven.
Introduction
How many cantos are in the Divine Comedy as a whole? There are 99 cantos in the Divine Comedy.
How many in each subsection--the Inferno, the Purgatorio, and the Paradiso? There are 33 cantos in
each section of the Divine Comedy.
What happened in 1302 that ensured Dante would never get to see his hometown of Florence again?
In 1302, Dante was sentenced to death.
Characters
Gemma Donati – Gemma Donati is the girl whom Dante was betrothed to.
Beatrice Portinari – Beatrice Portinari is Dante’s love who meets him at the end of Purgatory and leads
him to Paradise
Dante the Pilgrim – Dante is the main character of The Divine Comedy.
The 3 beasts – The three beasts represent three types of sin: the self-indulgent, the violent, and the
malicious.
Virgil – Virgil is Dante’s guide through hell
Minos – Minos is the judge of the Underworld.
Francesca da Rimini and Paulo – Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta are punished together in hell
for their adultery: Francesca was married to Paolo's brother, Gianciotto. Francesca and Paolo had
feelings for each other, and they became lovers behind Gianciotto’s back.
Medusa – Medusa is one of the three sisters known as the Gorgons. She is adorned with a head full of
snakes and is so frightening she can turn whoever gazes upon her into stone.
The 3 Furies – They are mythological winged creatures of the underworld, with the body of a woman
and snakes in their hair, often dripping blood. When they see Dante and Virgil, they call for Medusa.
The Angelic Gatekeeper – The gatekeeper of the city of Dis.
Ugolino – Ugolino is the last great sinner that Dante meets. He is in hell for betraying the city of Pisa and
died of starvation.
Ugolino’s son, Anselm – Anselm offered his body to be eaten by his father so his father would stop
trying to eat himself
Ugolno’s son, Gaddo – Gaddo was the first to die in the prison. He threw himself at his father’s feet, sad
because Ugolino did not comfort them while they were dying.
Satan – A giant demon, frozen mid-breast in ice at the center of Hell. Satan has three faces and a pair of
bat-like wings affixed under each chin. His wings create the icy wind of the 9th level.
Brutus – Lucius Junius Brutus, who was said to have driven the Etruscan kings from Rome, joined Cassius
and other leading senators in the plot that led to the assassination of Julius Caesar. He is one of the
three people deemed sinful enough to get chewed in Satan’s left mouth.
Cassius – Gaius Cassius Longinus was a Roman senator and general best known as a leading instigator of
the plot to assassinate Julius Caesar. He is one of the three people deemed sinful enough to get chewed
in Satan’s right mouth.
Judas Iscariot – Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane by kissing
him and addressing him as "rabbi" to reveal his identity to the crowd who had come to arrest him. He is
one of the three people deemed sinful enough to get chewed in Satan’s center mouth.
Significance
Terza Rima – The rhyme scheme of the Divine Comedy
Divine Comedy –
The number three – The number 3 is significant because of the relationship to the Holy Trinity
Contrapasso – Nearly every punishment described in Inferno is intended to represent a contrapasso, a
reflection of the sin being punished.
Fourfold Interpretation –
Reading questions
Canto I
At what point in Dante's life does he "lose his way" on the path of righteousness? Dante “loses his
way” on the path of righteousness midway through his life at 35.
When Dante tries to travel upward toward the beautiful mountain and leave the dark valley behind,
what animal blocks his path at first? Dante first saw the Leopard of Malice and Fraud.
When Dante tries to go around that beast, what second animal appears and blocks his path? Dante
gets blocked by the Lion of Violence.
When he tries yet again to get around that second beast, what third animal blocks his path? Dante
gets blocked again by the She-Wolf of Incontinence.
Dante then sees a spirit in the desert and asks this spirit for help. This spirit offers to guide him
through Hell. Who is Dante's guide through hell? Why does he make a suitable guide for Dante? Virgil
is Dante’s guide through Hell. He is a suitable guide because he represents Human Reason which is Godgiven intellect.
Where have we seen this spirit-guide character before as a historical figure? He wrote the Aeneid.
Virgil claims that he has been exiled in this location because he was rebellious to the laws of "That
Emperor who reigns above." Of whom is Virgil speaking? When Virgil says, “The Emperor who reigns
above,” he is speaking of God.
Canto V
In Canto V, they meet the judge who assigns sinners to various places in Hell. What is this judge's
name? What does this judge do with his tail to indicate how far down in Hell the sinner must go? The
judge who assigns sinners to various places in Hell is named Minos. To dictate how far down in hell the
sinner must go, he wraps his tail around himself. Each coil represents the circle the soul shall descend.
What does Virgil tell Minos in order to convince him to let Virgil and Dante pass? In order to convince
Minos to let him and Dante pass, Virgil basically tells Minos that it’s none of his business.
How are illicit lovers ("carnal malefactors") punished in their ring of Hell? Who are some of these
famous lovers? Illicit lovers are punished by eternal flight. Some of these famous lovers are Cleopatra,
Achilles, Dido, and Semiramis.
When Dante wants to speak to some of the lovers, Virgil says he can call them down by imploring
them "by [XXX]." By what force or name does Dante implore the lovers to come down? Why is that
appropriate, given the nature of their sins? Dante called to them in the name of love. It is appropriate
because it’s what they have been condemned for.
The lover that speaks with Dante in Canto V says she has "stained the world incarnadine" through her
sins. What does she mean, and how does this relate to Christian beliefs about the forgiveness of sins?
Her blood is her sin. Christ's blood is the only blood that can forgive. His bloodshed saved humans from
their sin.
According to Francesca, what was she reading when she first gave into desire? When Francesca first
gave into desire, she was reading the romance of Lancelot and how love conquered him.
Canto IX
In Canto 9, Dante and Virgil approach the city of Dis at the center of hell. They encounter the Three
Furies or Erinyes here. What are these three beings? (Consult a mythological dictionary, encyclopedia,
or look online for this information.) The Furies were the three goddesses of vengeance: Tisiphone
(avenger of murder), Megaera (the jealous) and Alecto (constant anger).
What physical actions do the Three Furies take as they confront the two pilgrims Virgil and Dante?
What do those gestures and actions suggest about their state of mind? They claw at their skin. This
shows how crazy they are.
Why does Virgil turn Dante away and cover his eyes as the Medusa approaches? Why is he so afraid of
her? Virgil turns Dante away and covers his eyes because whoever gazes into Medusa’s eyes get turned
to stone.
Who opens the gates to Dis so that Virgil and Dante can enter? What tool does he use to push open
the doors? An angel appears and opens the gates to Dis. The angel only has to wave his hand to open it.
How does the Angelic messenger react to the air in Hell as he breathes? The angelic messenger tries to
remove the air from his face.
In lines 110-120 of Canto 9, we hear what structures make up the city of Hell. What structures are
visible everywhere with flame scattered between them? The structures were called Sepulchers which
are built of rocks and were a dead person in laid and graves.
Canto XXXIII
In Canto 33, Dante and Virgil encounter Ugolino frozen in ice. What is Ugolino eating? Ugolino was
eating the head of Archbishop Ruggieri.
How did Ugolino and his sons die in Pisa? Ugolino and his sons died from starvation.
How does Ugolino spend all eternity? What is his food? Ugolino spends all eternity devouring Ruggieri’s
head.
What does Dante promise to Friar Alberigo in hell? How does he fulfill his promise? (trick question!)
Dante promised to wipe away his tears if he tells him who he is. When Dante learns who he is, instead of
fulfilling his promise, he walks away.
What is Friar Alberigo's body and Ser Branca d'Oria's body doing while their souls are in hell? Who or
what does Alberigo claim is controlling these bodies? Their physical bodies are still roaming on Earth
but are possessed by demons.
Canto XXXIV
What is the temperature like in the center of hell? The temperature in the center of hell is below
freezing.
When they cross over past the fog of freezing mist, Dante sees something he first thinks is a giant
windmill. What is this windmill in actuality? The “windmill” that Dante sees is actually Satan himself.
What is the source of the cold winds in hell that rhythmically blow outward from the center ring? The
cold winds come from Satan flapping his wings.
Describe Satan's body and appearance. What are some of his distinctive features in The Inferno? He
has a giant physique with large biceps and a torso higher than the surface (below is frozen in ice), A large
pair of wings. and 3 faces (one looking forward and two looking over his shoulder).
What three things does Satan snack on? Satan is snacking on Brutus, Judas, and Cassius.
When Virgil and Dante run between Satan's beating wings, Virgil stops and puts his feet on the ceiling
and appears to turn upside down. What happened that allowed him to do this astonishing feat, and
how is this connected to their location at the center of the earth? They climbed down Satan’s body and
reverse directions which caused them to climb up from the earths center.
When Dante looks upward/downward to gaze at Satan, what does he see that horrifies him? Why is
this funny? Dante see's Satan’s body upside down. It’s funny because it looks like Satan's legs are
sticking up.