Post Reading Discussion

The Divine Comedy

Canto 1, 3, 5: Identifying FactsWhat is Dante’s state of mind at the

beginning of the poem?Afraid, desperate

How does Virgil offer to help Dante? Why is Virgil unable to take Dante directly to the Light of God?Leading him through Hell; he wasn’t baptized

What is the sin of the first group of condemned souls that Dante meets?Lived for themselves; expedient

Canto 1, 3, 5: Identifying FactsWho is Charon? According to Virgil, why does

Charon refuse to allow Dante to cross Acheron?Demon who ferries the damned soulsDante is still living

What is Minos’s role in the 2nd circle of Hell? How does he perform this duty?Judge who delivers each sinner’s sentence Coiling his tail around his body for each level

What types of sinners does Dante see in the 2nd circle? What is their eternal punishment?Guilty of sexual sinsFlung about like violent winds

Canto 1, 3, 5: Interpreting MeaningHow does Dante feel when he learns Virgil’s identity in

Canto 1? Why is Virgil important to Dante as a poet?Honored and blessedDante admires his work, Aeneid

In Canto 3, Virgil tells Dante that the fallen people are those “who have lost the good of intellect.” What does this mean? Intellect (reason) is a guide to virtuous living; it’s useless

after death In what ways does hopelessness torment the spirits of

the damned in Canto 3?Cannot hope to escape torment thru death In despair they curse God and everything God gave them

for their own good

Canto 1, 3, 5: Interpreting Meaning In Canto 5, why do you suppose Dante uses

such a sympathetic image (doves) for the lovers?Feels great compassion

By including details about Paola and Francesca’s reading, what attitude do you think Dante is expressing toward courtly love poetry? Considers it beautiful, yet dangerously

seductive

Canto 1, 3, 5 Written ResponseDo you think those who refuse to stand up for

principle, who act only for their own survival, deserve to suffer such a hideous fate?

How do you define faith and reason? Which is more valued in today’s world? Which do you think should be more highly valued? Explain your reasons.

The Divine Comedy

Canto 33, 34: Identifying FactsWhat souls are punished in the 9th circle? What sins have

they committed? Fraudulent, treacherous Betrayal

How does Ugolino’s grim story make Ugolino feel? What does he then do to express his feelings? Vengeful Resumes his gnawing

What sinners are punished in the lowest, last circle? How are they punished? Betrayed their masters Frozen wholly in ice

What does Satan look like? What is he doing? 3 different colored faces, 6 bat-wings, shaggy pelt Weeping and beating his wings as he chews on the sinners

Canto 33, 34: Interpreting MeaningDescribe Ugolino’s evil dream and explain how it parts “the

veil of the future” – that is, forcasts coming events.Ruggieri’s hunting dogs turn on his friends. He will turn on

Ugolino and his sonsWhy does Dante not keep his promise to Friar Alberigo?

His crime was so heinous that he was unworthy of Dante’s mercy

Why does Dante regard Judas, Brutus, and Cassius as the worst sinners of all? How does Judas’s sin differ from that of Brutus and Cassius?Betrayed their mastersChrist

In what way could Satan’s three faces be explained as symbols?Parody of the Trinity

Canto 33, 34: Written ResponsesAs horrible as Ugolino’s revenge is, do you

think it is justified, in view of Ruggieri’s crime against him? If so, does that mean that revenge is justifiable in princple?

Do you agree with Dante that being entirely frozen in solid ice would be the worst punishment of all? Can you think of a worse punishment?

The Divine Comedy

Reading CheckWho leads Dante out of the Dark Wood of Error?

VirgilWho is Charon and what is his function?

Brutal ferryman who conveys the damned to their eternal fate

How many levels are there in Hell?9

For what sins are Cleopatra, Achilles, and Tristan being punished?Sexual passion

What led Paola and Francesca to give in to their desire for each other?Reading the tale of Lancelot & Guinevere

Reading CheckWhat does Dante do after hearing the tale of Paolo

and Francesca?Faints

After having been starved to death, what grim food does Count Ugolino feed on in Hell?The head and neck of Ruggieri, his murderer

By whom is Friar Alberigo’s still living, physical body occupied?Demon

What causes the icy wind in Hell?Satan’s beating wings

Who does Satan chew on, and why?Judas, because he betrayed Christ

Writing AssignmentBy his placement of different sinners in Hell,

Dante ranks human sins from the least to the most serious. What sins do people today regard as the least serious? As the most serious? Why do you think so?