The Divine Comedy The Inferno By Dante Alighieri

The Divine Comedy Divided into three parts –Hell –Purgatory –Paradise Written in 100 Cantos (chapters) Tercets - three lines stanzas Symbolizes a spiritual quest for salvation

100 Cantos Each canto is like a chapter Divided in sections of 33 –1 introduction canto –33 cantos - The Inferno –33 cantos - Purgatory –33 cantos - Paradise 100 was considered the number of perfection in the Middle Ages

Tercets Three lined stanzas Rhyme Scheme –Terza Rima: The middle line of each stanza rhymes with the first and third line of the next stanza Associated with the Trinity to represent three divine figures –God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit

Characters and Time Takes place over three days –Good Friday - Hell –Day of Christ’s crucifixion - Purgatory –Easter Sunday - Paradise Guided by three ladies –Virgin Mary –St. Lucia –Beatrice

Oooh…Scary! Before we begin our journey into the depths of Dante’s Hell… What other depictions of Hell have you seen?

Ever play “DOOM?” Ever wonder what Hell sounds like?

Even Lucifer can’t stand it…

Virgil Guides Dante through the Inferno and Purgatory Was a Roman poet who Dante idolized Symbolizes the limitations of human reasoning without Faith Cannot guide Dante to Paradise because of his reliance of reason and logic

Jeff Goldblum: He did it in “Jurassic Park 2” The Rock: He did it in “Doom” John Stamos: He needs something to do Ms. Eubank? Who would be your guide?

Beatrice Symbol of Love and Faith She sends Virgil to help Dante find salvation/Paradise (where she is found) Was a true woman from Dante’s life who he fell in love with when he was younger She gave him his first glimpse of “spiritual perfection”

Language Written in Italian Epic poem “Comedy” –Happy ending Used ordinary language of the day - Vernacular

Dante is guided through the nine circles of Hell He encounters figures from: –Ancient Rome –Greek Mythology –Political enemies from his own era

Circle One - Limbo Those who died before the birth of Christ or without being baptized (pagans and babies) But were basically good people. They are not punished. They merely stay where they are, unhurt, but unable to see God.

Circle Two - The Lustful Their punishment is to be whirled around forever in a gale (wind). Paolo and Francesca (a married woman) were lovers while they lived. Their contrapasso is to be stuck together forever in the act of making love without satisfaction-- their sinful pleasure in life is now their torture.

Circle Three - The Gluttonous The three-headed Hellhound. Cerberus in Dante's hell is a furious, gluttonous beast. It enjoys gulping down huge, sloppy bites of mud and muck, and barking incessantly. Think of an ugly, drooling, ill- mannered mutt. The sinners here wallow in the mud while a constant torrential downpour of rain, sleet, and snow falls on them.

Circle Four - Hoarders & Spendthrifts Spendthrifts: These people are the ones who squandered their money in life on useless things. Their punishment is to roll large stones, clashing in head-on collisions with the Avaricious who are trying to go the opposite direction. Avaricious: These people are the Miserly, who hoarded their money, never giving or sharing freely. They try to push their stones in one direction at all times, but are halted by the constant violent collisions with the Prodigious (Spendthrifts).

Circle Five - The Wrathful The wrathful are punished in the sloppy, muddy River Styx, where, mad with rage, they bite each other and themselves.

Circle Six - The Heretics Here lies the city of Dis. Three furies appear at the gates to intimidate Dante and Virgil. They are scared, but do not take heed of the warnings because an angel sent from heaven comes to their aid. The inside of the city is carpeted with coffins, in which the arch heretics (bad religious leaders) and their followers are tortured as flames shot out of their graves. Cavalcante de’ Cavalcanti is here.

Circle Seven - The Violent

Circle VII - Outer Ring The Violent Against Neighbors -Murderers and Warmakers are immersed in boiling blood (symbolic of the blood of those they killed). -Centaurs (pictured here) guard the banks and shoot arrows at anyone who tries to escape

Circle VII – Middle Ring The Violent Against Self -The Wood of the Suicides -Their souls are encased in thorny trees. - The harpies feed upon their leaves.

Circle VII – Inner Ring The Violent Against God -The blasphemers, sodomites, and usurers all committed a profane act against God -They are lain over burning sand or forced to ceaselessly run around in circles -The sky rains fire symbolic of God’s wrath

Circle Eight - The Fraudulent

Malebolge This circle (called Malebolge, Italian for Bad Circle) is divided into ten sub-circles called "Bolgias." Bolgia 1: Panderers, Seducers Bolgia 2: Flatterers Bolgia 3: Simoniacs Bolgia 4: Fortunetellers Bolgia 5: Grafters (Barrators) The pimps and seducers are whipped; the flatterers are forced to wallow in muck; simoniacs are buried upside down and burned. Bolgia 6: Hypocrites Bolgia 7: Thieves Bolgia 8: Evil Counselors Bolgia 9: Sowers of Discord Bolgia 10: Falsifiers

Falsifiers Simoniacs: the making of profit out of sacred things. Sowers of Discord: people who deliberately pick fights or cause problems. Thieves

Circle Nine - Bottom of the Well This circle is divided into four sub-circles of Traitors: To Kindred To Country To Guests To Masters Here at the bottom of the pit, frozen in Lake Cocytus, is the Great Worm in the core of the earth. He has three faces, each a different color, each chewing on a famous sinner.

Satan  Red: The color of Hatred. Opposite of Divine Love. The middle face, chewing Judas Iscariot.  Yellow: The color of Impotence. Opposite of Divine Omnipotence (one having unlimited power). He is powerless--uselessly trapped here forever. The right face chews Cassius.  Black: The color of Ignorance. Opposite of Divine Wisdom. He made his mistake and learned nothing from it. It chews Brutus, who stabbed Caesar, his best friend, in the back.

The End That’s All Folks...