Book Review
Title: The Divine Comedy (Part One; Inferno)
Author: Dante Alighieri
Genre: Classic
Rating: *****
Review: Before I can jump into the events of the first Canto, I do need to provide some context on The Divine Comedy itself. So, the book is set around 1300 and Dante himself was born around 1265 meaning it takes place directly in the middle of his mortal life, then it was considered to be around 70 years old. Before I started this book I did some research on the best way to read it as it is told in verse. The general consensus was to read each canto as an individual poem, so that’s the way I am reading it, because of this I will be writing my thoughts on each canto but it is split by section as well and then I will wrap it up with my thoughts on the book as a whole at the end. Due to the slightly complicated nature of some of the Cantos, I did have to consult good old SparkNotes.
Inferno
Canto 1
We first meet Dante in a dark forest which I believe is a metaphor for sin and while he seeks a way out of the forest he is repeatedly driven back in but three creates; a leopard, a lion and a wolf. I believe these animals are also metaphors, the leopard presents lust, the lion represents pride and the wolf represents greed. Now trapped in the forest with no way to escape he sees a human figure although he can’t work out if it’s a person or a shadow, but he turns to it for help in getting out of the forest. The shadow turns out to be a man called Virgil who suggests that he take a different direction because the wolf is too dangerous and will ultimately kill him. Virgil tells Dante that the work of the wolf will continue on earth until a saviour comes to liberate the world. Virgil’s prophecy is very dark, and it’s about a saviour who will be nourished with wisdom, love, and virtue, and who will drive away the wolf into the hell.
Virgil tells Dante in order to be saved he must make the journey through Hell and Purgatory and offers to guide him but if Dante wants to go to Heaven someone else must accompany him, this person being Beatrice because God does not allow pagans to enter. Virgil was born in ancient Rome before Christendom spread, so he was a good person but not a Christian. Dante accepts and the two poets begin their journey. In this first part of his poem, Dante makes it clear to the reader that the story he is telling is not a personal story but the story of all human beings. The loss and the journey he takes from sin to salvation belong to everyone’s experience. I don’t read many classics, and this was a very interesting start to the story, the reader must also bear in mind that Dante is madly in love with Beatrice having only met her twice, the first time when she was only eight years old.
Canto 2
A lot happens in the relatively short second canto, Dante invokes the muses; the Goddesses of art and poetry and asks their help in the telling of his experiences on this journey. As he and Virgil approach the mouth of Hell, Dante finds himself gripped by dread as he recalls only two people have made similar journeys and returned; the Apostle Paul, who visited the Third Circle of Heaven, and Aeneas, who travels through Hell in Virgil’s Aeneid. Dante considers himself less worthy than these two and fears that he may not survive his passage through Hell.
Virgil rebukes Dante’s worries and reassures him that he is being watched over and will return from this journey. According to Virgil, a woman in Heaven took pity upon Dante when he was lost and came down to Hell to ask Virgil to help him. This woman was Beatrice, Dante’s departed love, who now has an honoured place among the blessed. She had learned of Dante’s plight from St. Lucia, also in Heaven, who in turn heard about the poor poet from an unnamed lady, most likely the Virgin Mary. Thus, a trio of holy women watches over Dante from above. Virgil says that Beatrice wept as she told him of Dante’s misery and that he found her entreaty deeply moving. Dante feels comforted to hear that his beloved Beatrice has gone to Heaven and cares so much for him. He praises both her and Virgil for their aid and then continues to follow Virgil toward Hell.
Canto 3
Virgil leads Dante to the gates of Hell where he reads the foreboding inscription “abandon all hope those who enter here” but as soon as they pass Dante is greeted with cries of suffering and asks to know why the people suffer so much. Virgil explains that these souls are neither good or evil, living their lives without making conscious moral choices and therefore Heaven and Hell have both denied them entrance, so they reside in the Ante-Inferno, just within Hell’s borders but not truly a part of it. On the banks of the river Acheron, Dante sees a new group of souls waiting to be ferried across by Charon. Upon his arrival Charon recognises Dante as a living soul and warns him to stay away from the dead but once Virgil explains that their journey has been ordained, Charon troubles them no more. Upon boarding the ferry that will carry them truly in Hell Virgil explains that Charon’s reluctance to take Dante is a good sign as only the damned enter Hell. Suddenly, an earthquake shakes the plain; wind and fire rise up from the ground, and Dante, terrified, faints.
Canto 4
Dante awakens on the other side of the river Acheron, where Virgil is ready to lead him into the first circle of Hell; Limbo where Virgil himself resides. He explains that this place is filled with souls of those who lives before the advent of Christianity and thus could not properly honour God or were never baptized, in response Dante asks if any from this place have ascended to Heaven, Virgil gives him a list of names not limited to Moses and Noah as Christ granted these souls amnesty when he descended into Hell during the time between his death and resurrection, an episode commonly known as the Harrowing of Hell. However, other notable figures from history still reside in this place, Dante meets a group of men who Virgil introduces as Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan—the greatest poets of antiquity. Having led Dante to a castle with seven walls he sees more important figures including the philosophers Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato; Aeneas, Lavinia, the astronomer Ptolemy; and many others. After seeing these figures bound to a place they can’t escape from, Virgil guides Dante out of the castle and again off into the darkness. Virgil had explained that he was only granted a temporary leave from Limbo in order to guide Dante on his journey.
Canto 5
Dante leaves Limbo with Virgil and they descends into the second circle where the lustful reside. It is here they meet Minos who judges the souls of those who enter Hell and assign them a level worthy of their sins, he gives with judgement by wrapping his tail around his body a specific number of times, one for each level. In this level, Dante asks Virgil once again to identify some of the shades here and he points out Helen, for whose sake the Trojan War was fought, and Cleopatra, whom he feels a great sympathy for as his own love has already departed the mortal world, but isn’t damned to suffer being near their loved one and yet have nobody to embrace them with. Dante asks for Virgil’s permission to see if any of them will speak to him and tell him their stories. One woman, Francesca, recognises Dante as a living soul and tells him her story. She was married to an old and deformed man and eventually fell in love with her husband’s younger brother; Paolo da Rimini. She and Paolo read together an Arthurian legend about the love between Lancelot and Guinevere and they both began to feel it reflected their own secret love. When they came to a particularly romantic moment in the story, they could not resist kissing. Francesca’s husband quickly discovered their transgression and had the young lovers killed. Now Paolo and Francesca are doomed to spend eternity in the Second Circle of Hell. Dante is completely overcome with pity and faints once again.
Canto 6
Dante wakes to find they have moved to the third circle of Hell where the gluttonous reside. In this circle of Hell, it rains continuously but the rain consists of filth and excrement. This circle is guarded by the three-headed dog; Cerberus who tries to block Virgil and Dante’s path, but Virgil sates the beast by throwing it a chunk of earth to consume. One of the souls here asks Dante if he recognises him and when Dante tells him he doesn’t, he introduces himself as Ciacco saying he spent his earthly life in Florence. At Dante’s request, he voices his predictions for Florence’s political future, which he anticipates will be filled with strife. Dante then asks about figures from Florence’s political past, naming individuals he believes to have been well-intentioned. Ciacco replies that they reside in a much deeper circle of Hell. Before lying back down, he asks Dante to remember his name when he returns to the world above. As they leave the Third Circle, Dante asks Virgil how the punishments of the souls will change after the Last Judgment. Virgil replies that since that day will bring the perfection of all creation, their punishments will be perfected as well.
Canto 7
Dante and Virgil continue on their journey descending into the fourth circle of Hell. This is a place where those that hoarded and squandered their money dwell, Dante asks if he recognizes anyone here to which Virgil replies most of the souls here are corrupt clergymen and the like but their time in this circle has made them unrecognisable. Virgil also notes that all the souls share one thing in common; they didn’t share in the good of Fortune. Dante is confused by this and asks Virgil to explain what Fortune is. Virgil explains that Fortune has received orders from God to transfer worldly goods between people and between nations. As Fortune’s actions are beyond human understanding, Virgil argues that they shouldn’t blame her when they lose their possessions. After this Virgil and Dante move to the fifth circle of Hell which houses the wrathful and the sullen. The fifth lies on the banks of the river Styx and the souls fighting and attacking each other are obviously wrathful but Virgil has to point out the sullen who shied from the light in life hide beneath the muddy water invisible to Dante.
Canto 8
Virgil and Dante continue through the fifth circle coming across a large tower, here they meet Phlegyas who takes them across the river Styx and Virgil’s insistence. On boarding, Dante recognises a man he knowns as Filippo Argenti but he has no pity for this man and watches gladly as the other sinners tear him apart. They are now approaching the city of Dis, marking their entrance into lower Hell. As the approach Dis, the fallen angels demand to know why one of the living wants to gain entrance into Dis, Virgil tries to reason with them as he had done previously but this time it fails as the demons slam the gates in Virgil’s face who returns to Dante hurt but not defeated.
Canto 9
Dante upon seeing Virgil’s defeat begins to fear but Virgil seems to be waiting for someone. He tries to reassure Dante but when the Furies notice Dante and call for Medusa to come and turn him to stone and Virgil quickly covers Dante’s eye so that he won’t see Medusa’s head. This Canto proves that despite not knowing him for a long time Virgil does seem to care for Dante and doesn’t want him to be stuck in this place the same way he is.
Canto 10
In the sixth circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil wander around the tombs of the Heretics. Virgil describes the particular sins of the Epicureans, who pursued pleasure in life because they believed the soul died with the body. A voice interprets them, and Dante recognises this person as Farinata, a political leader from Dante’s era and Virgil encourages them to speak. They have barely begun to speak when the soul of Cavalcante de’ Cavalcanti, the father of Dante’s friend Guido, interrupts them wondering why his son has not accompanied Dante. Dante explains that Guido held Virgil in disdain although this is up for interpretation. Distressed the shades believes his son is dead and sinks back down into his grave. This was actually quite a sad moment for me, but I am loving the journey the characters are on.
After Cavalcante is gone, Dante and Farinata return to discussing Florentine politics, and it is clear to see that he and Dante lie on opposing sides, but they treat each other politely and with respect. From Farinata’s words Dante realises that the shades in Hell can see the future but not the present. Farinata has the ability to predict the future and he predicts Dante’s exile from Florence but remains ignorant of current events. Farinata confirms that, as part of their punishment, the Heretics can see only distant things. Before Dante can spend too long with the Heretics Virgil calls him back and they move through the rest of the sixth circle. However, the conversation has made Dante anxious about the amount of time he has remaining before his exile but once again he is reassured by Virgil that he will learn more when they come to a better place.
Canto 11
At the edge of the Seventh Circle of Hell, Dante becomes overwhelmed by the smell, so he and Virgil take a moment at the tomb of Pope Anastasius in order to adjust to it. Virgil takes this time to explain how the last three circles are different from the ones they have come through as they have subdivisions. The seventh circle contains the souls of the violent and its three subdivisions; sins against one’s neighbour, sins against one’s self and finally sins against God. We learn here that the sin of fraud is worse than any violence as it breaks the trust of the souls fellow man and is the sin that greatly opposes the virtue of love. The final two circle of Hell punish these souls; the fraudulent, the eighth circle punishes “normal fraud” and sins that violate the trust between people for example, hypocrisy and flattery while the ninth circle, the very heart of Dis punish betrayal, sins that violate a particular kind of special trust. These are the loyalties to one’s family, country, party, guests and benefactors.
After Virgil’s explanation, Dante asks Virgil why these divisions exist as he wonders why the souls they have seen previously do not receive the same amount of punishment as they have also acted contrary to God’s will. Virgil reminds Dante of the philosophy set forth in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, which posits the existence of “three dispositions counter to Heaven’s will: / Incontinence, malice, insane brutality” (XI.79–80). The disposition of incontinence offends God least and thus receives a more lenient punishment, outside of the city of Dis.
Canto 12
The path to the first subdivision of the seventh circle takes the pair through a ravine of broken rock. At the edge, the pair are threatened by a Minotaur, and they slip past him while he rages. As they descend, Virgil notices that this rock hadn’t fallen that last time he journeyed into the depths of Hell. As they enter the first subdivision they come across a river of blood, here the souls of the violent, specifically those who were violent against their neighbours boil. These souls are guarded by a group of Centaurs who stand on the banks armed with their bow and arrows and are led by Chiron. Their job is to shoot at any soul who tries to raise themselves out of the river to a height too pleasant for the magnitude of their sin.
Chiron is the first to notice that Dante moves like one of the living and commands Virgil to stand back and surprisingly he obeys. This is because the rocks make this ring dangerous to navigate but Virgil asks Chiron to assign them a guide to take them around the boiling blood river and Chiron provides Nessus who carries Dante on his back. As he guides them Nessus names some of the notable souls being punished her including Alexander who we assume is Alexander the Great and Dionysius. Those who lived as tyrants, and thus perpetrated violence on whole populations, lie in the deepest parts of the river. After passing the river at a shallow stretch, Nessus leaves the pair, who continue on into the Second Ring.
Canto 13
The second ring of the seventh circle was by far for me the most interesting so far to visit. The pair enter an unusual wood filled with strange trees and hears Dante is meet with cries of suffering but cannot see the souls. Virgil tells Dante to snap a branch off one of the trees and when he does the tree cries out in pain much to Dante’s amazement. The souls in this ring are those who were violent towards themselves (suicides) or their possession (squanderers) have been transformed into tree for the Harpies to feed off causing them endless pain.
Virgil asks the tree to tell Dante its story so that he may relay it back on Earth. The tree tells Dante that in life he was Pier della Vigna, an advisor to Emperor Frederick, and that he was a moral man, but when an envious group of scheming courtiers blackened his name with lies, he felt such shame that he took his own life. Dante asks how they came to be trees and Pier explains that when Minos cast them here they took root and began to grow as saplings, where they were wounded by the Harpies and when a tree-soul’s branch is broken, it causes the soul the same pain as dismemberment. He also explains when the time comes from the souls to retrieve their bodies, these souls cannot reunite with theirs because they discarded them willingly. Instead, the returned bodies will be hung on the soul-trees’ branches, forcing each soul to see and feel constantly the human form that it rejected in life.
Canto 14
Dante in a moment of guilt gathers the bush’s scattered leaves and gives them back to the bush. He and Virgil then move through the forest to the edge of the third ring of the seventh circle. Here they find a desert of red-hot sand where fire rains down continuously. As Virgil explained previously this ring is reserved for those who were violent against God, is divided into three zones. The First Zone is for the Blasphemers, who lie on a bank of sand. The rain of fire keeps the sand constantly hot ensuring the souls burn from above and below. In the sand, Dante sees a giant who Virgil explains is Capaneus, one of the kings who besieged Thebes. Capaneus rages relentlessly, insisting that the tortures of Hell shall never break his defiance as he refuses to accept God.
The pair reach yet another river and Virgil explains the source of Hell’s waters, underneath a mountain on the island of Crete there is an Old Man who tears flow gathering at his feet, as they stream away, they form the Acheron, the Styx, the Phlegethon, and finally Cocytus, the pool at the bottom of Hell.
Canto 15
The pair cross the stream to enter the Second Zone of the Seventh Circle’s Third Ring, where the Sodomites or those who are violent against nature much walk through the rain of fire. One of these souls, Brunetto Latini, recognizes Dante and asks him to walk near the sand for a while so they can talk, it is here that Latini tells Dante he will be rewarded for his heroic political actions. Dante dismisses this prediction and says that Fortune will do as she pleases which Virgil approves of and they move on as Latini returns to his appointed path.
Canto 16
Still, with the Sodomites, Dante is approached by another group of souls, this time three men who claim to recognise Dante as one of their countrymen. As their punishment has disfigured them they must tell Dante their names which he remembers from his time in Florence and he feels a lot of pity for these men. They ask if courtesy and valour still characterize their city, but Dante sadly replies that acts of excess and arrogance now reign. Before leaving this zone Virgil makes a strange request, he asks Dante for the cord he wears as a belt. After handing it over Virgil throws one end into a river filled with dark water and Dante watches as a horrible creatures rise before them.
Canto 17
Dante after getting over his initial shock realises that the creature has the face of man, the body of a snake and two huge paws. As the pair approaches the beast, they descend into the third zone of this circle’s third ring. Virgil converses with the creatures as Dante explores coming across those who were violent against art, these souls are called Usurers. Dante sees that these souls must sit beneath the rain of fire with purses around their necks; these bear the sinners’ respective family emblems. As they appear unwilling to talk, Dante returns to Virgil.
Canto 18
As they move into the eighth circle it gets more complicated as this circle is split into ten pouches also known as the Malebolge. This circle is designed with ten separate pits where ordinary fraud is punished. The first pouch contains the Panders and Seducers where they are focused to run the ridges before being forced back by their guards. Dante recognizes an Italian there and speaks to him; the soul informs Dante that he lived in Bologna and now dwells here because he sold his sister to a noble. This is a place for those who deceive women for their own gain, and here they meet Jason who abandoned Medea after she helped him find the Golden Fleece and abandoned another who was pregnant with his child.
The second pouch contains the Flatterers where a horrible stench lingers, and they hear mournful cries. This ditch is filled with human waste where the sinner has been lunged. It is from one of these souls that Dante learns this is the place where Flatterers are punished. They don’t stay long as Virgil says the don’t want to visit this foul sight anymore and they move towards the third pouch.
Canto 19
Dante already knows that the third pouch contains Simonist, who are those who bought or sold ecclesiastical pardons or offices. He also stated the evils of simony before he and Virgil even view this pouch. Here they see the sinners stuck with their heads in pits with only their feet remained visible, these souls are in extreme pain as their feet are on fire. Dante spots that one soul has flames burning brighter than the others and goes to speak with him. This soul is that of Pope Nicholas III, first mistakes Dante for Boniface. After Dante corrects him, he is told that this pope was guilty of simony and he mourns his positions but adds that people who than him still remain on Earth and will receive a far worse fate when they arrive here. Dante asserts that St. Peter did not pay Christ to receive the Keys of Heaven and Earth which symbolize the papacy. Dante shows Nicholas no pity as his punishment is befitting of his sins and he avidly speaks out against the corruption of churchmen and Virgil approves of Dante’s sentiments and helps Dante up over the ridge to the Fourth Pouch.
Canto 20
In this pouch Dante is greeted with the sight of souls walking along as if they are in a church procession, he doesn’t see any major punishment here apart from the endless walking until he looks closer and sees that all their heads are pointing the wrong way. Dante in the past has shown grief and pity for these punished souls but Virgil this time rebukes him for his compassion towards the damned. As they pass through the fourth pouch Virgil names several sinners who were astrologers, diviners, and magicians in life and explains the punishment on one sinner who tried to use his unholy powers to see the future and is now condemned to see backward all the time. The pair also see the sorceress Manto there and Virgil recounts the tale of the founding of Mantua where he lived in life as they continue towards the fifth pouch.
Canto 21
Upon entering the fifth pouch of the eighth circle of Hell Dante sees a great pit filled with boiling tar. As Dante tries to examine the tar closer but is warned by Virgil of a demon racing up the rock face before it grabs a new soul and tosses it into the darkness. As soon as the sinner comes up for breath it is dragged below by the Malabranche underneath the surface. Virgil once again hides Dante while he tries to barter their passage through this place. The Malabranche at first refuses, but once he tells them that their journey is the will of Heaven, they agree to let the two travellers pass. The demons even provide an escort as one of the bridges between the pouches has collapsed. Malacoda, the leader of the Malabranche, informs them of the exact moment that the bridge fell and tells them that a nearby ridge provides an alternate route.
Canto 22
As the pair move forward in their journey Dante watches the pit for someone to talk to but he doesn’t have many opportunities as the sinners can’t stay out of the pit long enough before the demons drag them back. It is Virgil who manages to talk to one of the sinners who is being punished outside of the pit. This soul, a Navarrese, explains that he served in the household of King Thibault and was sent to the Fifth Pouch because he accepted bribes, so this pouch contains the Barterers. During the course of the conversation demons repeatedly attack the soul and when Virgil then asks the soul if any Italians boil in the pitch, the soul replies that it could summon seven if they wait for a moment. A demon suspects that the soul merely intends to escape the demons’ tortures and seek the relative relief of the pitch below. The other demons turn to listen and the soul races back to the pitch and dives in, not intending to return. Furious, two of the demons fly after the soul but become stuck in the pit themselves, as the other demons try to free them Dante and Virgil take this moment to make a quick escape.
Canto 23
As they continue on with their journey Dante begins to worry that they have provoked the demons too much and Virgil agrees. All of a sudden they hear wings and claws from behind and turn to see the demons chasing them down. Panicked it is left to Virgil to act fast who grabs Dante and begins running down the slope leading to the sixth pouch of the eighth circle. He manages to slid down with Dante in his arms stopping the demons who aren’t allowed to leave their assigned pouch. Without Virgil Dante would have been screwed but I love this man despite him being a soul trapped within one of Hell’s circles.
Now safely in the sixth pouch Virgil and Dante sees a group of souls walking in a circle and nothing seems strange until Dante realises their clothes are lined with lead making them very heavy. One of the shades recognizes Dante’s Tuscan speech and begs Dante to talk with him and his fellow sinners, as they include Italians in their ranks. He soon learns that these souls are the hypocrites and the sight of one of them stops Dante in his tracks and he lies crucified on the ground as others walk over him. It turns out that the crucified sinner is Caiphus, who served as a high priest under Pontius Pilate. Virgil meanwhile goes to ask for direction to the next part of Hell as he himself has never travelled this far down and finds that Malacoda lied to him about the alternative route.
Canto 24
The way to the seventh pouch is very dangerous as the bridge collapsed and they must navigate the treacherous rock face, a path on which Virgil has carefully selected before helping Dante along. The journey is hard on Dante, but Virgil urges him on telling him a long climb still await them and they can’t afford to linger too long in one place. When they finally descend into the seventh pouch they find it filled with serpents who chase naked sinners before binding them. Dante watches in astonished horror as a serpent catches one of the sinners to bite him between the shoulders, he sees the soul instantly catches fire and burns only to rise again from the ashes much like a phoenix. Virgil speaks to this remade soul who tells them he is a Tuscan, Vanni Fucci, whom Dante knew on Earth. Fucci tells them that he was put here for robbing a sacristy, so we safely assume that the Seventh Pouch holds Thieves. Fucci is furious that Dante is witnessing his punishment and foretells the defeat of Dante’s political party, the White Guelphs, at Pistoia.
Canto 25
Fucci goes on to curse God and flees the serpents coiling around him and now rather than feeling pity, Dante relishes the sight of Fucci’s punishment. Moving further through the pit, he and Virgil witness something incredible. Three souls are grouped just below them with giant serpents wrapped so tightly around one of them that their two forms begin to merge. As the other souls watch on in horror, still being bitten by the other serpents, the soul merging with the reptile stare at each other, transfixed, as the reptile slowly takes on the characteristics of the man and the man takes on those of the reptile and before they know it they have entirely reversed their forms.
Canto 26
Dante recognises these three thieves as Florentines, and he proceeds to sarcastically praises Florence for earning such widespread fame not only on Earth but also in Hell. Virgil moves him along the ridge of the eighth pouch, where they can see many flames flickering in the darkness. Virgil confirms that each of these flames contains a sinner, however, when they come across two souls contained together in one flame Dante asks Virgil why. Virgil identifies these men as
Virgil now leads him along the ridges to the Eighth Pouch, where they see numerous flames flickering in a deep, dark valley. Coming closer, Virgil informs Dante that each flame contains as Ulysses and Diomedes, both suffering for the same fraud committed in the Trojan War.
Dante wishes to speak with these men but is advised not to be Virgil who believes that the Greeks might disdain Dante’s Italian, so he steps in an intermediary. Virgil succeeds in getting Ulysses to tell them about his death, it turns out he sought new challenges and sailed beyond the western edge of the Mediterranean which was believed at the time to be the rim of the Earth. He knew the legend that death awaited any sailor who ventured beyond that point but after five-month, he and his crew found a great mountain but before they could reach it, a huge storm sank their ship.
Canto 27
After Ulysses finishes his tale, the pair start on their journey again only to be stopped by another soul who heard Dante speak and begs for news of his homeland; Romagna. Dante replies that his homeland still suffers under tyranny but not outright war. In return, Dante asks for the soul’s name and the soul agrees to tell him believing that Dante will never leave the abyss and now be able to tell his tale. He introduces himself as Guido da Montefeltro and states that he was originally a member of the Ghibellines. Guido tells Dante that he underwent a religious conversion and joined a Franciscan monastery but was ultimately persuaded by Pope Boniface VIII to re-enter politics on the opposing side and at one point, Boniface asked him for advice on how to conquer Palestrina. While he resisted at first, Boniface promised him absolution in advance if his counsel proved wrong. When he died, St. Francis came for him, but a devil pulled him away, saying that a man could not receive absolution before sinning, for absolution cannot precede repentance and repentance cannot precede the sin. The devil took Minos, who deemed the sinner guilty of fraudulent counsel and assigned him to the Eighth Pouch of the Eighth Circle of Hell.
Canto 28
After this tale Virgil and Dante continue on the ninth pouch, where they see a line of souls continuously circling. Dante sees these souls bear injuries worse than those who suffered at the battles of Troy and Ceparano. A devil stands at one end with a sword, attacking every sinner who walks by. One sinner who speaks to Dante is Mohammed, the prophet of the Muslims. It is here that Dante realises these souls are the Sowers of Scandal and Schism, and for their sins of division they themselves are split apart. This is only made worse as their wounds heal only to be split open again on the next rotation. Many other souls focus on Dante once they realise he is still alive, and the Italians beg Dante to carry messages back to living men on Earth. They make predictions of a shipwreck and give a warning for Fra Dolcino, who is in danger of joining them when he dies. Finally, Dante sees a man carrying his own head in his hands: it is Bertran de Born, who advised a young king to rebel against his father.
Canto 29
Virgil tells Dante off for staying with the wounded souls so long reminding him their time here is limited but Dante is stubborn this time as he takes note of an ancestor of his that died unavenged. The pair finally leave following the ridge until they see the tenth pouch below them, this is the home of the Falsifiers and is subdivided into four zones. In the first zone, they find souls all huddled together covering in scabs that they scratch relentlessly, Dante manages to locate two Italians here and since his journey will take him back to the realm of the living offers to spread their stories with the others he has collected. The souls agree to tell him their stories, the first is Griffolino of Arezzo, who was burned at the stake for heresy but has landed here in the Tenth Pouch for his practice of alchemy. The other is a Florentine, Capocchio, who was also an alchemist burned at the stake and these souls explain that this first zone holds the Falsifiers of Metals (alchemists).
Canto 30
As the pair come to the second zone, Dante recalls some stories in which great suffering caused humans to turn on one another, but the viciousness he portrays in his stories is nothing compared to the suffering he has witnessed and continues to witness in Hell. The souls here tear at each other with their teeth and these are the Falsifiers of Others’ Persons. Here Dante encounters a woman named Myrrha who lusted after her own father and disguised herself in order to satisfy that lust. He also learns that some souls of the third zone mingle with these souls and those souls are the Falsifiers of Coins. Here Dante speaks with Master Adam, who counterfeited Florentine money and part of his punishment is to be racked with thirst. Adam points out to Dante two souls of the fourth zone, the wife Potiphar and Sinon. Both are Falsifiers of Words or liars. The wife of Potiphar falsely accused Joseph of trying to seduce her. Meanwhile, Sinon knows Adam and picks a fight with him, Dante stands be and listens to them for a while but Virgil reprimands him for listening to such a petty argument.
Canto 31
After swiftly moving on Virgil and Dante finally approach the centre of the eighth circle and Dante sees a tower in the mist. After getting closer he realises the objects he saw in the distance weren’t towers but giants standing in the pit. While their upper half is in the eighth circle their feet stand in the ninth circle at the very bottom of Hell. We learn that one of the giants; Nimrod, took part in the construction of the Tower of Babel and has brought a mixture of different languages to the world causing confusion. Virgil also names some of the other giants but the only one we need to concern ourselves with is Antaeus, the one who will help them down the pit. After listening to Virgil’s request, Antaeus takes the two travellers in one of his enormous hands and slowly sets them down by his feet, at the base of the enormous well. They are now in the Ninth Circle of Hell, the realm of Traitors.
Canto 32
Dante upon entering this circle experiences an extreme amount of grim terror at what he and Virgil see. Walking past the giant’s feet they come across a huge frozen lake called Cocytus. In this ice, souls stand frozen and much like the eighth circle it is split into different sections. The First Ring of the Ninth Circle of Hell is called Caina which is named after Cain, who killed his brother, Abel, where traitors to their kin receive their punishment. Virgil and Dante come across twins frozen face to face butting their heads in rage. While walking Dante accidentally kicks one of the souls and as he apologizes he recognises the face. It turns out to belong to Bocca degli Abati, an Italian traitor and in a rage, Dante threatens Bocca and tears out some of his hair before leaving him in the ice. Moving on Virgil and Dante progress to the Second Ring, Antenora, which contains those who betrayed their homeland or party. Dante witnesses more horror here as one soul is biting at another’s head from behind and when he asks what the sin was that warranted such cruelty as he wants to share the sinner’s name on Earth.
Canto 33
Both Virgil and Dante react with horror at the sight of the next two souls they come across in the third ring, these are the souls of Fra Alberigo and Branca d’Oria. These are the first two souls we come across that haven’t yet died on Earth, but their crimes were so great that their souls have already entered Hell and demons occupy their living bodies. After leaving these souls, Virgil and Dante approach the Fourth Ring of the Ninth Circle of Hell, the very bottom of the pit.
Canto 34
The pair continue their journey to the centre of the final circle of Hell and Dante becomes aware of a huge shape hidden by the fog. However, he is distracted but the souls of sinners completely covered in ice right under his feet. These souls constitute the most evil of all sinners; the Traitors to their Benefactors. Their part of Hell, the Fourth Ring of the Ninth Circle, is called Judecca named after Judas. As they approach the shape they see its true form and the sight greatly unnerves the poet as he doesn’t know if the being is dead or alive. This figure turns out to be Satan although he is known by many names. Dante is frightened beyond belief as the size of one of Satan’s arms is being that all of the giants he beheld in the eighth circle put together. Looking upon Satan’s face Dante realises he has three faces, one looking straight ahead and the others looking back over his shoulders. Beneath each head rises a set of wings, which wave back and forth, creating the icy winds that keep Cocytus frozen.
Each of Satan’s three mouths holds a souls who are the three greatest sinners of all human history. The centre mouth holds Judas Iscariot who betrayed Christ, in the left and right mouths hang Brutus and Cassius. These two men murdered Julius Caesar in the Roman Senate, they hand with their heads out while Judas is held headfirst. These mouths constantly chew their victims, tearing them apart but never killing them, at this sight, Virgil announced they have now seen all of Hell and must leave. Here Virgil lifts Dante onto his back and climbs down Satan’s body avoiding the wings protruding from near the heads. As they reach Satan’s waist Virgil turns around and begins climbing back up only for Dante to realise that the legs are now above them rather than below. Virgil explains that they have just passed the centre of the Earth, and this change in direction is caused by Satan’s fall from Heaven. According to Virgil when he fell he plunged headfirst into the Earth and his body became stuck at the centre. The resulting impact caused the land of the Southern Hemisphere to retreat to the North, leaving only the Mountain of Purgatory in the waters of the South.
Dante and Virgil climb a long path through this hemisphere until they finally emerge to see the stars again on the opposite end of the Earth from where they began. This is where the first part of the story; inferno ends but there is much more to come from these characters. Most people who read The Divine Comedy for school only read Inferno which is a third of the story. Having made myself familiar with Inferno and loving it, I am quite eager to jump into Purgatorio straight away and see where the rest of Virgil and Dante’s journey goes.
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