Week 14 Reading Notes: Dante's Inferno, Part A
Here are my notes on Dante's Inferno.
1: Dante and Virgil
-Dante finds himself in a forest, wandering around; as he wanders he sees many different kinds of animals
-Dante runs into a man who introduces himself as the Roman poet Virgil; Dante tells Virgil that he doesn't know how to leave the forest because there's an animal blocking him every time he tries to leave (they call it the she-wolf); Virgil says he will lead Dante out of the forest
2: The Gate of Hell and Charon
-Virgil leads Dante to the gate into hell (the inferno) and they go inside; Dante starts hearing the screams and moans of the sinners then sees them waiting in a line; Dante recognizes some of the people standing in line; Dante sees more people standing at the bank of a river; Virgil leads him over to the river (called Acheron) and they talk to the ferryman who carries the dead across the river (Charon)
3: Limbo
-Dante and Virgil enter the first circle of hell- Limbo; the people who are in Limbo died before Christianity, so they don't know God; Virgil tells Dante that he is a part of this circle; Dante asks if anyone has come to know Christianity after entering the first circle and was able to leave; Virgil tells Dante that once Jesus came to Limbo and saved all of his followers and disciples that hadn't gotten to know Christianity before they died
4: Poets and Philosophers, Heroes and Heroines
-in Limbo, Dante and Virgil come across more famous poets and philosophers; among them, Dante sees Homer, Horace, Ovid, Lucan; they keep walking through Limbo and come across a group of famous heroes and heroines, like Hector, Aeneas, Caesar, Penthesilea, Brutus, etc; they keep walking and Dante sees more famous people like Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Hippocrates, Galen, etc; Dante and Virgil keep walking
5: Paolo and Francesca
-Dante and Virgil enter the second circle of hell, for sinners of lust; a man named Minos examines the crimes of everyone who enters and sends them to a place with a punishment that will fit them; the people are punished with horrible torment and pain, forced to relive their sins; Virgil points out some notable figures like Helen and Paris of Troy, Cleopatra, Achilles; two spirits talk to Dante and tell him their stories; they introduce themselves as Paolo and Francesca, who had an affair and were both killed by Francesca's husband (and Paolo's brother)
6: Cerberus and Plutus
-Dante and Virgil enter the third circle of hell, for gluttonous sinners; in this circle, cold rain, hail and sleet are always pouring; Cerberus watches over the sinners, torturing them
-Dante and Virgil enter the fourth circle of hell, for the extremely wealthy/greedy; they come across Plutus, the god of wealth, as they walk; the people there are tortured by carrying around heavy weights; Virgil points out Popes and Cardinals who were driven by greed
7: Fortune and Phlegyas
-Dante asks Virgil to tell him about Fortune (a great female figure of the middle ages); Virgil tells Dante that he can't hope to understand her; Dante and Virgil keep walking and come across another river, the Styx; Dante sees naked people in the river fighting and tearing each other apart; Virgil tells Dante that these sinners were consumed by anger; they keep walking until they come to a tower
-Dante and Virgil enter the fifth circle of hell, for wrathful sinners; they come across a man who dwells there, Phlegyas, but Virgil tells him to leave them alone; they get in Phlegyas's boat
8: The Fallen Angels
-Dante and Virgil approach a city called Dis that holds circles 6-9; the city gates are guarded by fallen angels and furies; Virgil goes off to talk to one of the fallen angels alone and leaves Dante by himself; the fallen angels deny Virgil entrance to the city; Virgil tells Dante not to worry, that someone will come let them in
9: The Furies and the Heretics
-Dante and Virgil are still standing outside Dis; Dante looks up and sees furies along the wall staring at them; the furies tell them that Medusa is coming and will turn them to stone; Virgil tells Dante to look away from them and close his eyes; a Heavenly messenger shows up eventually and lets Virgil and Dante into the city
-Dante and Virgil enter the sixth circle of hell, for the heretics; the sinners are stuck in vaults and burning
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Dante's Divine Comedy" translated by Tony Kline. Source: Untextbook.
1: Dante and Virgil
-Dante finds himself in a forest, wandering around; as he wanders he sees many different kinds of animals
-Dante runs into a man who introduces himself as the Roman poet Virgil; Dante tells Virgil that he doesn't know how to leave the forest because there's an animal blocking him every time he tries to leave (they call it the she-wolf); Virgil says he will lead Dante out of the forest
2: The Gate of Hell and Charon
-Virgil leads Dante to the gate into hell (the inferno) and they go inside; Dante starts hearing the screams and moans of the sinners then sees them waiting in a line; Dante recognizes some of the people standing in line; Dante sees more people standing at the bank of a river; Virgil leads him over to the river (called Acheron) and they talk to the ferryman who carries the dead across the river (Charon)
3: Limbo
-Dante and Virgil enter the first circle of hell- Limbo; the people who are in Limbo died before Christianity, so they don't know God; Virgil tells Dante that he is a part of this circle; Dante asks if anyone has come to know Christianity after entering the first circle and was able to leave; Virgil tells Dante that once Jesus came to Limbo and saved all of his followers and disciples that hadn't gotten to know Christianity before they died
4: Poets and Philosophers, Heroes and Heroines
-in Limbo, Dante and Virgil come across more famous poets and philosophers; among them, Dante sees Homer, Horace, Ovid, Lucan; they keep walking through Limbo and come across a group of famous heroes and heroines, like Hector, Aeneas, Caesar, Penthesilea, Brutus, etc; they keep walking and Dante sees more famous people like Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Hippocrates, Galen, etc; Dante and Virgil keep walking
5: Paolo and Francesca
-Dante and Virgil enter the second circle of hell, for sinners of lust; a man named Minos examines the crimes of everyone who enters and sends them to a place with a punishment that will fit them; the people are punished with horrible torment and pain, forced to relive their sins; Virgil points out some notable figures like Helen and Paris of Troy, Cleopatra, Achilles; two spirits talk to Dante and tell him their stories; they introduce themselves as Paolo and Francesca, who had an affair and were both killed by Francesca's husband (and Paolo's brother)
6: Cerberus and Plutus
-Dante and Virgil enter the third circle of hell, for gluttonous sinners; in this circle, cold rain, hail and sleet are always pouring; Cerberus watches over the sinners, torturing them
-Dante and Virgil enter the fourth circle of hell, for the extremely wealthy/greedy; they come across Plutus, the god of wealth, as they walk; the people there are tortured by carrying around heavy weights; Virgil points out Popes and Cardinals who were driven by greed
7: Fortune and Phlegyas
-Dante asks Virgil to tell him about Fortune (a great female figure of the middle ages); Virgil tells Dante that he can't hope to understand her; Dante and Virgil keep walking and come across another river, the Styx; Dante sees naked people in the river fighting and tearing each other apart; Virgil tells Dante that these sinners were consumed by anger; they keep walking until they come to a tower
-Dante and Virgil enter the fifth circle of hell, for wrathful sinners; they come across a man who dwells there, Phlegyas, but Virgil tells him to leave them alone; they get in Phlegyas's boat
8: The Fallen Angels
-Dante and Virgil approach a city called Dis that holds circles 6-9; the city gates are guarded by fallen angels and furies; Virgil goes off to talk to one of the fallen angels alone and leaves Dante by himself; the fallen angels deny Virgil entrance to the city; Virgil tells Dante not to worry, that someone will come let them in
9: The Furies and the Heretics
-Dante and Virgil are still standing outside Dis; Dante looks up and sees furies along the wall staring at them; the furies tell them that Medusa is coming and will turn them to stone; Virgil tells Dante to look away from them and close his eyes; a Heavenly messenger shows up eventually and lets Virgil and Dante into the city
-Dante and Virgil enter the sixth circle of hell, for the heretics; the sinners are stuck in vaults and burning
Cerberus. Source: Untextbook.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Dante's Divine Comedy" translated by Tony Kline. Source: Untextbook.
Comments
Post a Comment