{ The Inferno Dante Alighieri
Dark Wood of Error What is the allegory of the wood? Upon waking, Dante tried to run where? Who stopped him? Who sent Virgil to aid him? What is Fortune’s wheel? “Thy words have moved my heart to its first purpose”
“This is the place I told you to expect. / Here you shall pass among the fallen people, / souls who have lost the good of intellect.” Why are these souls here? What is their punishment? Why is this an appropriate punishment? Who is Charon? What is the body of water? Vestibule of Hell
Who resides here? Why is the an appropriate “punishment”? “And they honored me far beyond courtesy, for they included me in their own number, making me sixth in that high company.” Circle 1: Limbo
What are the sins of the carnal? Who is out of place here? Why is he/she allowed in circle 2? What is the punishment and why is it appropriate? “On the day for dalliance we read the rhyme / of Lancelot, how love had mastered him. / We were alone with innocence and dim time.” Circle 2: The Carnal
What is the punishment and why is it appropriate? What creature tortures these shades? Why is he appropriate here? “We made our way across the sodden mess / of souls the rain beat down, and when our steps / fell on a body, they sank through emptiness” How are these souls different from the souls of lower hell? Circle 3: The Gluttons
Who tortures them and why is he appropriate? Allusion to The Odyssey “Now may you see the fleeting vanity / of the good of Fortune for which men tear down / all that they are, to build a mockery.” Circle 4: Hoarders and Wasters
Who is the gatekeeper here? What is the body of water? Where have you seen it before? What is their punishment and why is it appropriate? Who is Filippo Argenti? How does Dante react to him? Circle 5: wrathful and the sullen
Who guards the gates? Why is this appropriate? What impedes their passage? Why are the guardians appropriate to the next circle? How does Virgil act toward Dante? How is the problem solved? Circle 6: Gates of Dis
What is a heretic? How are they punished and why is it appropriate? How do we explain the different levels of heresy? (they appear elsewhere as well) “And when I stood alone at the foot of the tomb, / the great soul stared almost contemptuously,” What does this show about the shades here? Who is the “Sweet Lady” referenced on p. 86? Why is Canto XI important? Circle 6: Heretics
Complete the handout with your partners. Make sure you define the sins of each round. note any famous people in the circle. explain the allegory of the punishments. notice any guardians, gatekeepers, mythological creatures. Circle 7: Violence against Neighbors, Self, and God