1. Dante’s Inferno Part one of the Divine Comedy written by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)

2. The Divine Comedy: Structure Composed of three canticas-song or hymn Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), Paradiso (Heaven) Each has 33 cantos- verses. There is also one opening canto to the entire work which brings the number to an even 100. Significant because 3- symbols of holy trinity. 33 Age of Christ. Terza Rima – aba bcb cdc ded. Tercets – 3 lines of poetry that work together Hendecasyllable – 11 syllable lines

3. Opening Tercet: Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita A mi ritrovai per una selva oscura B ché la diritta via era smarrita. A Translation: MIDWAY upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, For the straightforward pathway had been lost.

4. Second Tercet Ahi quanto a dir qual era è cosa duraB esta selva selvaggia e aspra e forte C che nel pensier rinova la paura! B Translation: Ah me! how hard a thing it is to say What was this forest savage, rough, and stern, Which in the very thought renews the fear.

5. The Divine Comedy: History Political factions: Guelphs and Ghibellines, Black and White Guelphs. Several political factions fought against each other during this time in Italy. Dante was actually exiled from Florence for his political views. Many of the shades he meets in hell were his enemies.

6. Map of Italy

7. The Divine Comedy: Language Written in Italian (Tuscan) rather than Latin. At this time, most writing was done in Latin because languages changed so frequently. Latin did not. But, writing in Italian opened the reading to everyday people, not just the highly educated.

8. The Divine Comedy: Inferno Dante’s guide is Virgil, author of the Aeneid- story of Aeneis, a Trojan who traveled to Italy and founded Rome. He stands for human reason.. At the start of the work, (Good Friday 1300) Dante is 35. Half of the age allotted to man in the Bible.

9. Dante’s Love Beatrice – Beattitudes. Dante’s ideal woman who was a real Florentine girl whom he admired. She begs Virgil to help Dante, who is lost in a “moral wilderness.”

10. Inferno At the start of the work Dante is lost in a dark wood. (Moral wilderness of “A”) He is unable to find the straight way (To salvation) because the sun is hidden behind a mountain. He is falling into a deep place (basso loco) where the sun is hidden or silent (I sol tace). Synesthesia – “mixing of the senses” Symbolically, Dante has lost his faith.

11. Inferno Dante’s hell is a pit caused when Lucifer and his followers were thrown out of heaven by God. Satan is at the bottom. There are 9 levels.

12. Inferno: Images

13. Inferno: Justice Contrapasso – Let the punishment fit the crime. God’s justice is perfect. So is his punishment. The sinner is afflicted by their most horrible sin committed during life. (Those who commit suicide are turned into trees.) However, they justify their sin, and are not repentant. (That’s why they are in Hell, not purgatory.) Those in hell know of the past and future, but have no concept of the present. In the final judgment, time ends, so you can’t recollect fond memories.

14. Inferno: Nine levels of Hell Entrance to hell: Not really the first circle, but these souls suffer just the same. They are the uncommitted. Includes angels who took no side in the war in heaven. They forever chase a black banner with no insignia. They shed no blood or tears for any cause in life. Now they shed them constantly -- for nothing.

15. Inferno: First Circle Limbo : Similar to Elysian Fields. (Greek Heaven.) It has a castle. The weather is nice. Home to virtuous Pagans who do not suffer, but grieve due to separation from God. Sees Homer and other famous poets there. Virgil lives here also. Minos – Legendary king of Crete. Son of Zeus and Europa. Judge of the dead. Everyone from here down is a true sinner.

16. Inferno: Second Circle Lust – The destructive force of possessive sexual desire as opposed to love. Lancelot. Cerberus – Three-headed dog who guards the entrance to the classical underworld. Made an appearance in Harry Potter.

17. Inferno : 3 rd circle Gluttony: Second of the deadly sins. Closely related to Lust, because Eve “Eats” the apple. Dante considered it more than just excessive eating and drinking.

18. Inferno: 4 th Level Avarice and Prodigality : Greed or spending too freely. Presents this sin as common vice of monks and church leaders.

19. Inferno: 5 th Level Wrath and Sullenness : The basic sin here is uncontrolled anger. People express their anger in different ways. Some outwardly (wrath). Their punishment is to permanently tear each other apart. Some inwardly (sullenness) they quietly boil in a muddy swamp.

20. Inferno: 6 th Level Heresy : Dante limits his definition of heresy to the denial of an immortal soul. This sets up a beautiful example of contrapasso with their punishment: being forever tormented in a fiery tomb. Farinata was Dante’s political enemy.

21. Inferno: 7 th Circle Violence : Murderers – Drown in a river of blood Suicides – Frozen as trees to do no harm to themselves Blasphemers/offenders of God roam a desolate plain where it rains fiery snow.

22. Suicides and Squanderers

23. Inferno: 7 th Circle Minotaur : Guardian of the seventh circle. Bites himself upon the mention of his kille, Theseus. Conceived in sin. Pasiphae, wife of king Minos of Crete, lusted after a white bull. Minos allows her to have it. They mate and she gives birth to the Minotaur. Minos builds labrynth in Crete. Where every year 7 Athenian boys and 7 Athenian girls were sacrificed to it as punishment for Athens to Minos. Eventually, Theseus, an Athenian prince, kills the minotaur and retraces his way out with a ball of twine.

24. Inferno: 8 th Circle Fraud : Theft – Can’t even keep their own form. Contrapasso: shape is stolen from them. Vanni Fucci – Actually stole holy relics. Gave up an accomplice who was executed in his place. Tells Dante about treason in his political party just to make Dante mad. Then literally gives God the finger. Bitten by snake, incinerated then reborn to suffer again.

25. Inferno: 8 th Level Fraudulent Rhetoric – eloquence aimed at persuasion for evil purposes. Devisiveness – Sowers of scandal and discord. Mohammad and Ali, Muslim prophets. Falsification – alchemists, liars, counterfeiters, imposters. Ulysses and Diomedes- heroes from the Trojan war. In hell for creating the Trojan horse. Ulysses, powerful public speaker who convinces his men to follow him for years. Material gain? Sin to Dante. Ulysses represents a talented individual not afraid to challenge authority in the name of personal gain. Satan?

26. Dante, speaking to sinner in frozen river of Coctyus

27. Inferno: 9 th Level Treachery Traitors to family Traitors to political leaders – Bocca degli Abate. Ghibelline spy. Traitor in battle to Guelphs. Cut off the hand of a flag bearer. Caused demoralization and defeat. Dante kicks him in the face. Ugolino – Traiter to Pisa (tower of Pisa). Upon finding him guilty he and his two sons and grandsons were imprisoned in the tower until their punishment was decided. The door was nailed shut and they starved to death. Traitors to guests – die immediately. Souls go to hell and bodies are possessed by demons while still alive. Traitors to masters.

28. Inferno: 9 th level Giants – Nimrod Tower of babel. Displeased god scattered people and made their speech incomprehensible. Antaenus – Killed lions and farmers. Killed by Hercules. Lucifer – His three faces parody of holy trinity Chews Judas, traitor to Jesus. Brutus, and Cassius. Traitors to Julius Caesar. He is in the exact center of the earth, and Dane and Virgil must climb down/up his back to get out of Hell.

29. Inferno Each Circle has: – Definition of sin – Description of punishment – List of sinners – Conversation with a person or group who suffers

30. Inferno 7 deadly sins: Pride, envy, wrath, avarice, lust, gluttony, sloth. Upper hell: “sins of flesh” (sloth avarice, gluttony, lust) Lower hell: “sins of spirit” (wrath, envy, pride) To Dante, fraud is the worst sin because it is totally opposite to God’s gift to us – love.

31. Excerpt from Cary’s Translation "Through me you pass into the city of woe: Through me you pass into eternal pain: Through me among the people lost for aye. Justice the founder of my fabric moved: To rear me was the task of Power divine, Supremest Wisdom, and primeval Love. Before me things create were none, save things Eternal, and eternal I endure. All hope abandon, ye who enter here."

32. Such characters, in color dim, I mark'd Over a portal's lofty arch inscribed. Whereat I thus: "Master, these words import Hard meaning." He as one prepared replied: "Here thou must all distrust behind thee leave; Here be vile fear extinguish'd. We are come Where I have told thee we shall see the souls To misery doom'd, who intellectual good Have lost." And when his hand he had stretch'd forth To mine, with pleasant looks, whence I was cheer'd, Into that secret place he led me on.

33. Here sighs, with lamentations and loud moans, Resounded through the air pierced by no star, That e'en I wept at entering. Various tongues, Horrible languages, outcries of woe, Accents of anger, voices deep and hoarse, With hands together smote that swell'd the sounds, Made up a tumult, that forever whirls Round through that air with solid darkness stain'd, Like to the sand that in the whirlwind flies. I then, with horror yet encompast, cried: "O master! what is this I hear? what race Are these, who seem so overcome with woe?"

34. He thus to me: "This miserable fate Suffer the wretched souls of those, who lived Without or praise or blame, with that ill band Of angels mix'd, who nor rebellious proved, Nor yet were true to God, but for themselves Were only. From his bounds Heaven drove them forth Not to impair his lustre; nor the depth Of Hell receives them, lest the accursed tribe Should glory thence with exultation vain."

35. I then: "Master! what doth aggrieve them thus, That they lament so loud?" He straight replied: "That will I tell thee briefly. These of death No hope may entertain: and their blind life So meanly passes, that all other lots They envy. Fame of them the world hath none, Nor suffers; Mercy and Justice scorn them both. Speak not of them, but look, and pass them by." And I, who straightway look'd, beheld a flag, Which whirling ran around so rapidly, That it no pause obtain'd: and following came Such a long train of spirits, I should ne'er Have thought that death so many had despoil'd.

36. When some of these I recognized, I saw And knew the shade of him, who to base fear Yielding, abjured his high estate. Forthwith I understood, for certain, this the tribe Of those ill spirits both to God displeasing And to His foes. These wretches, who ne'er lived, Went on in nakedness, and sorely stung By wasps and hornets, which bedew'd their cheeks With blood, that, mix'd with tears, dropp'd to their feet, And by disgustful worms was gather'd there.