Dante’s Inferno

Unit 5, Lecture 2: The Inferno: I-V

Allegorical “Architecture” of Dante’s Afterworld Built on Medieval Views of Astronomy and Geography: Nine celestial spheres circle the earth Earth divided into Northern and Southern Hemispheres Physical Architecture of The Comedy Hell is a “funnel” in the Northern Hemisphere Purgatory is a mountain rising up from the Southern Hemisphere’s waters Heaven is “distributed” among the 9 spheres Allegorical Architecture of The Comedy Hell, purgatory, and heaven as forms of love Hell=love perverted Purgatory=love misdirected Heaven=love completed

Structure of Dante’s Cosmos

“Drama of the Soul’s Choice: A Literal and Allegorical Trip through the Inferno Canto 1: Lost in a woods, a soul’s fearful “wakeup” call Literal Story (1) Sleepy awakening in a dark woods: Sunlit hill blocked by three beasts Allegorical meaning (1) Dante=The “backslidden” soul Dark Woods=confusing darkness of sin The Hill=the upward climb of repentance Three Beasts=powerful habit The Leopard of Self-indulgence The Lion of violence The Wolf of fraud Literal Story (2) Dante meets Virgil Virgil: Escape must lie through infernal regions Allegorical Meaning (2) Virgil represents both classical culture and reason Virgil as “reason” symbolizes the end of “denial.” Virgil/Reason cannot “cure” sin or “

Literal Story & Allegorical Meaning in Cantos II-IV Canto II: Virgil’s Visitor, the outreach of grace Literal Story: Beatrice “commissioned” the journey Allegorical Meaning Beatrice as “god-bearing” image of Divine Grace Divine grace is “passionless” but seeks out the sinner Canto III: Hell’s Vestibule Literal Story Wasp stung runners chasing an elusive banner Eager sinners waiting on Charonn’s boat The “banner chasers” represent opportunism The eager souls represent sin’s illusion Charon represents the loss of illusion Canto IV: Limbo, the first circle: Limbo the place of deserving unbaptized Dante meets the great of antiquity Pagan learning is incomplete Reason as “the failure of the imagination

Literal and Allegorical Story, Canto V Canto V, Circle 2, lust in the driver’s seat Literal Story: The “funnel” shape of hell: The circle of the lustful and its shattering wind Glimpses of Helen, Paris, Dido Tragic tale of Paolo and Francesca Allegorical meaning The funnel as “shape” of increasing sin The gale-like winds as picture of uncontrolled passion. Dante’s “fainting” as softness towards temptation