Circle 7 round
3
Circle 7 round 3 is for the blasphemers, sodomites and usurers. Along with
the In this round of circle 7, there is a combination of raining fire and
burning sands that are used to torture the inhabitants. The blasphemy and
sodomy are represented by the desert plain and the wrath is displayed as
fiery rain, as rain is intended to be fertile and nourishing on earth, in hell,
its is hurtful and destructive.
Jacopo Rusticucci
A wraith, Jacopo was once a
politician whom Dante
admired greatly for
personality and policies.
Jacopo runs to Dante along
with Tegghiaho when he
notices his Florentine dress
attire in circle 7 round 3. They
ask for news from Florence
and Dante deters them away
by news of its degradation.
Guido Guerra
• Italian politician and military leader
• One of the leaders of the Guelph faction
in Florence
• Exiled for 7 years after loss at battle of Montaperti
• Returned to Florence when Guelph party regained
control
SIGNIFIGANCE:
Dante identifies with Guido Guerra because they are both
political exiles. He also has heard his name before in Florence
and has respect for him and his politics.
Tegghiaio Aldobrandi
• Also a military warrior and political leader
• Was a night for the Guelph nobles
• Political ally of Guido Guerra, also exiled at
battle of Montaperti
SIGNIFIGANCE:
Dante also identifies with Tegghiaio Aldobrandi, and respects
him as well.
Both Tegghiaio and Guido were in Hell for the sin of Sodomy.
However there’s no record of anything they did that was
violent against art and nature, so it is implied that Dante
knew something about them that other people did not.
Geryon
• A character from Greek mythology, son of
Chrysaor and Medusa, and described as
having 3 heads.
• Dwelt on the island of Erytheia and had
many riches and good farm animals
• Slain by Hercules
Vitalioano
• Full name: Vitaliano di Iacopo Vitaliani
• Originally a Paduan nobleman who lived in
the 1200s around the same time as Dante
• Portrayed as a wicked usurer in the Divine
Comedy
Icarus
• He is in Greek mythology.
• Icarus, while flying away from a cell with waxed
feathers, does not listen to his father’s words of not
going too close to the sun. He goes too close to the
sun, melting the wax, and dies.
• Dies mainly because of his enormous pride and
arrogance.
• The allusion takes place in Circle 7 Round 3.
• Dante recalls Icarus when he’s about to fly down
from the cliff.
Circle 8
• Pope Nicholas III- He was a simonist. Chief sinner of
Circle 8 Bolgia 3.
• Pope Boniface VIII- Dante’s main enemy both
personally and publicly. Boniface was the Pope from
1294-1303. He believed that the Pope should have the
supreme power of an empire, which went against
Dante’s political party. He’s mentioned in Circle 8
Bolgia 3.
Canto XVIII, Circle 8
• Ghisola serves as the will and lust of men.
• In the first ditch, Dante sees two files
of naked sinners each running in opposite direction, whipped by
demons. These sinners are the panderers and the seducers. Dante
recognizes Venedico Caccianemico, a man he once knew. Venedico
in this case is depicted as having sold his sister, Ghisola to another
man, Marquis. Dante at this point uses a fellow contemporary to
show what happens when one goes against the will of God and sins.
“It was I who brought the fair
Ghisola ‘round to serve the will
and lust of the Marquis, however
sordid that old tale may sound.”
Canto XVIII, Circle 8
• Jason, the Argonaut
The son of Aeson, who was sent by his uncle Pelias, from Iolchos in
Thessaly, to bring back the Golden Fleece from Colchis. He sailed
the Argo, the first ship, with the Argonauts, the Greek heroes. Medea
the witch, the king’s daughter, fell in love with him, and helped him,
but he abandoned her for Creusa. He also abandoned Hypsipyle,
the daughter of King Thoas of Lemnos.
“It is Jason, who by courage and good advice made off with the
Colchian Ram.”
Jeeda Oulabi
Alessio Interminelli
da Lucca
• In Canto XVII, circle 8
Found in the ditch of flatterers,
It is in this trench that persons
who had sinned as flatterers
are punished by being made to
wallow in a river of human
excrement from which
emanates nauseating fumes.
Dante recognizes Alessio
Interminelli da Lucca.
• flatterers due their abuse of
language in excrement which
metaphorically symbolizes “ because if memory serves me, I knew you when your
hair was dry. That’s why I pick you from this filthy fry.
the words they used in
And he then, beating himself on his clown’s head,
flattering other on earth
“Down to this have the flatteries I sold, the living sunk
me hear among the dead”
Jeeda Oulabi
Circle 8 Bolgia 3
• In Canto XIX
The
Simonists/Simoniacs
•The heat of the flames
burns according to the
guilt of the sinner.
Sin: Clergy who sold offices
and forgave sins for money &
personal gain
Punishment: held upside
down with feet on fire
Synonyms:
• bribery
• fraud
• extortion
• malpractice
• sacrilege
• barratry
Simoniacs:
• People guilty of buying or selling spiritual or
Church benefits.
• Simon Magus
– “Simony” is derived from him.
– Tried to buy the gifts of the Holy Ghost.
– Simoniacs in Hell are followers of him.
• Simoniacs are seen in the 3rd Bulgia of the 8th
Circle of Hell.
– Large frauds: 8th circle is reserved for
fraudulence.
• Dante’s criticism of the Catholic Church is seen
in his resentment of the Simoniacs.
– Presents simony as a form of spiritual
prostitution.
Boniface:
“His enemies portrayed
him as a heretic, a
sorcerer,
a sodomite,
• Top personal
andand
public enemy of Dante.
a •traducer
theyet
faith.”
Not in of
Hell
because he is still living.
– Will take Pope Nicholas III’s place in 3rd Bulgia of 8th Circle of Hell.
– Symbol of sin
– Role as emblem of deceit
– Simonist
• Came to be Pope because he planted doubts in Pope Celestine V’s
head, which convinced him to resign.
• Had view that Pope was spiritual head of Christendom and superior to
the emperor
– Dante did not share this idea
• Thought Pope and emperor should be co-equals.
Cantos 16-21 Circle 8 Bolgia 3, Peter
When the apostles in Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had accepted
the word of God, they sent
missionaries, Peter and John,
who went down and prayed for
them, that they might receive the
holy Spirit, because they had not
yet realized that they had only
been baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus. Then they received
the holy Spirit. When Simon saw
that the Spirit was conferred by
the laying on of the apostles'
hands, he offered them money
and said, "Give me this power too,
so that anyone upon whom I lay
my hands may receive the holy
Spirit." But Peter said to him, "May
your money perish with you,
because you thought that you
could buy the gift of God with
money…”.
By: Lilia Souri
Cantos 16-23 Circle 8 Bolgia 3,
She who sits upon the waters
“She Who Sits upon the Waters”
are referring to St. John the
Evangelist. St John’s vision of She
Who Sits upon the Waters is set
forth in “Revelations,” XVII. The
Evangelist intended it as a vision
of Pagan Rome, but Dante
interprets it as a vision of the
Roman Church in its simoniacal
corruption.
By: Lilia Souri
Constantine
“Ah Constantine, what evil
marked the hour not of your
conversion, but of the free the
first rich Father took from you
in dower!” (Canto 19 ,circle 8
line 110)
•Who was also known as Constantine the Great,
controlled the expanding Roman Empire from 306 to his
death in 337.
•Constantine's most important accomplishment was
making Christianity the unofficial sponsored religion in
Rome.
•Dante believed Constantine was cured of leprosy by
Sylvester and rewarded him with the riches of the Roman
Empire.
•Constantine granted sovereignty to Pope Sylvester I over
Italy and the rest of the Western Empire .
•He was the first known Christian Roman Emperor and
proclaimed religious tolerance in 313 by passing the Edict
of Milan.
•The city of Constantinople, which eventually became the
capital of the Roman Empire was named after him.
Circle 8
Bolgia 4
•In this fourth trench of the 8th circle,
Dante sees the souls of fortune tellers
and diviners (those who predict the
future).
•Their contrapasso is to have their heads
twisted backwards so they cannot see in
front of them .
•They are unable to speak because of
their twisted necks and can only cry.
•Since they distorted Gods law, they are
forced in hell to have contorted bodies.
•Dante reacts to them with tears because
of his own guilt with his involvement in
astrological predictions.
“And when I looked down from their faces ,I saw that each of them was hideously distorted
….for the face was reversed on the neck and they came on backwards , staring backwards at their
loins, for to look before them was forbidden.”( Canto 20 10-15)
Tiresias
Tiresias was a magician who changed
himself from man to woman by
transforming all his limbs and parts.
Later, he had to strike apart two
entwined serpents with his wand to
turn back into a man.
He is in Circle 8, the fraudulent and
malicious, and in Bolgia 4, the fortune
tellers/diviners group of this circle.
Tiresias is significant because sorcery
is a distortion of God’s law. That is
why he is in Hell.
Aruns
Aruns was an Etruscan fortune teller who
foretold the war between Pompey and
Julius Caesar. He predicted that Caesar
would win and Pompey would die. Also, he
had a white marble cave as a den where he
observed the sea and the constellations.
Aruns is with Tiresias in Circle 8, the
fraudulent and malicious, and in Bolgia 4,
the fortune tellers/diviners group of the
eighth circle.
He is significant to the 4th Bolgia of Circle 8
because he also tried to look into the future
which goes against God’s rules, according
to Dante. These offenders are punished
here in Hell.
Thebes, the city of Bacchus
Canto 20, Circle 8: Bolgia 4
“After his death, Thebes, the city of Bacchus,
became enslaved, and for many years she [Manto]
roamed about the earth” (lines 58-60).
- The city hosting the Greek myths of the blind
prophet Tiresias and Manto, as well as the
famous play Oedipus Rex
- Holds the citadel Cadmeia, made by Cadmus
- Contains a seven-gaited wall, most likely
representing the ‘Seven Against Thebes’ wars and
the seven kings who fought against Thebes.
Virgil’s speech in Canto 20 talks of Manto, the daughter
of Tiresias, who left Thebes after the death of Tiresias
and traveled for years before settling in Italy. Because
she left Thebes and wandered, the site of her death
became the foundation for the city of Mantua, Virgil’s
native city.
Peschiera
Canto 20, Circle 8: Bolgia 4
“Peschiera, the beautiful fortress, strong in
war against the Brescians and the
Bergamese, sits at the lowest point along
that shore” (lines 70-72).
- A beautiful fortress that worked as a
fortified military citadel (the jail closed in
2002)
- On an island in the Mincio River in Italy
- The fortress was important in many
military campaigns in northern Italy after
1400
Map of the fortress of Peschiera
Virgil talks about Peschiera only briefly, but uses it to lead into
where the foundation of Mantua was to be set. Therefore, the
significance of Peschiera here is not very noteworthy, but still
a nice touch when describing and leading into Mantua’s
foundation.
Eurypylus
-Trapped in circle
eight Bolgia four
- Among the
Fortune tellers and
Diviners
-He is significant
because he
supposedly “cut
the cables” at Aulis
-He also was a
Greek Augar
-An Augar was a
person who was
summoned before
each voyage to
choose the exact
propitious moment
for departure
Aulis
• The place where Dante says that
Eurypylus chose the time to cut the cables
• Aulis is a Greek city that was very
important
• Aulis is mentioned in Circle 8 Bolgia 4 in
the Inferno
Michael Scott
• Scottish Wizard
• In the eight circle, circle of diviners,
soothsayers, and magicians.
• Was a tutor to the Pope, educator and
studied mathematics.
• “The next, who is so slender in the flanks,
Was Michael Scott, who of a
verity Of magical illusions knew
the game.”
Guido Bonatti
• Astrologer, in Hell because
studying Astrology was against
Papal forces.
• During his lifetime, his workers
combated the Geulphs.
Dante was a Geulph, this may have led to
Guido’s fate.
“Behold Guido Bonatti, behold Asdente, Who now
unto his leather and his thread Would fain have
stuck, but he too late repents.”
Asdente of Parma
•
Humble Cobbler who prophesized events
like the death of Nicholas 3rd and election of
Martian 4th. Also predicted the destruction of
Parma's rival Modena and the defeat of the
Pison Navy By Genoa.
•
Found in Dantes 8th circle under False
prophets because Dante thought that his
prophecies were fraudulent.
•
Referenced in The Cities of the Gods.
“No local prophet took second place to the
illiterate cobbler Asdente of Parma.”
•
In The Inferno he is referenced when this is
said.
“See Guido Bonatti; see Asdente, Who
wishes now he had kept to his thread and
shoe-leather, but he repents too late.”
Santa Zita’s Elders
•
•
Location- Circle 8: Bolgia 5
-Santa Zita was the Patron Saint of Lucca. She was born to a poor
family in a small village located in Lucca. At the young age of twelve
Zita began working for the Fatinelli Family as a maid. She believed
that she was serving God rather than her employer. Zita was
hardworking, generous, and warm-hearted. Her fellow servants
resented her and did not treat her with respect, so she often
prayed to God for patience. She was rewarded for her hard work by
being named head house keeper of the Fatinelli home. Loved by
the many citizens of Lucca Zita was proclaimed a saint to the city of
Lucca after her death.
•
•
Santa Zita was also known as one of Lucca’s senators. The city of
Lucca itself was thought to be the city of grafters. The grafters in
circle eight are punished by being sunken in a pitch guarded by
demons that rip them to pieces. Santa Zita’s elders are the
grafters of circle eight.
“Blacktalons of our bridge, he began to roar, I bring you one of Santa
Zita’s Elders ! Scrub him down while I go back for more.” ( Canto
XXI line 37)
Serchio
•
•
•
•
•
Location- Circle 8: Bolgia 5
-Serchio is a river near Lucca in the region of
Tuscany, Italy
The river of Serchio is the third longest river in Italy at
126 kilometers.
The bridge that is also known as Ponte della
Maddalena, stretches across the river near the village
of Borgo a Mozzano in Lucca.
In the circle of the grafters , they sink in pitches and if
they are caught above the surface, the grafters are
torn to pieces by grappling hooks. The river of
Serchio is used as a comparison to the pitch of the
grafters in The Inferno.
“This is no dip in the Serchio: take your look and then get
down in the pitch. And stay below unless you want a
taste of the grappling hook.” ( Canto XXI line 52)
Explanation:
Panderers and
Seducers run from
one side of the
pouch to the other,
being whipped by
demos with whips.
Location: Takes
place in Circle 8.
Allusion/Significance: During their life the panderers and seducers deceived people to
do their bidding. Now demons with whips drive them to march back and forth in the
pouch for all eternity.
Explanation: Flatterers are
forced to lay in a vile and
filthy river filled with muck
and sewage.
Location: Takes place in
Circle 8
Allusion/Significance: The flatterers used language to deceive people and the muck and
sewage represents the words they spoke.