1. { The Inferno Dante Alighieri

2. 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”

3.  “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

4.  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

5.  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

6.  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

7.  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

8.  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

9.  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

10.  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

11.  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