Connor Judson - Cantos V-VI

Dantes Inferno



Canto V

Circle: 2
Sin: The Carnal : Those who abandoned themselves to the tempest of their passions.
Punishment: The souls are swept around in a tempest (tornado) for all of eternity.
Retribution: The souls were swept away by love in life and controlled by lust, so in death, they are swept around and controlled by a enourmous tempest or tornado.
Key Plot Points:

• 1) Minos, who assigns souls to their punishments, is silenced by Virgil and they are allowed to pass.
• 2) Dante and Virgil pass through Circle 2 and see the many souls punished there.
• 3) Dante swoons after hearing the tale of Paolo and Francesca.
  

Key Sinners: Paolo and Francesca: These two lovers tell Dante of how they fell in love while reading the story of Lancelot and had an affair while they were still livng (which puts them in circle 2). They were then killed by the husband of Francesca, who was the brother of Paolo, when they were caught. Dante swoons after he is touched by their sorrowful tale.


Summary: Dante and Virgil enter circle two, as they see Minos, who is the judge of the dead, and the one who sends the dead souls to their correct punishment with his devil's tail. As Virgil did with Charon, he silences Minos, and the two pass by without any trouble. Dante then sees the punishment for those who reside in circle two, which is that they are whipped around in a never ending tornado/tempest. Virgil points out a few sinners who reside there, including Dido, Achilles, Helen, Cleopatra, Paris, and Tristan. This is when Dante spots the two souls who are swept away together and wishes to speak with them. Paolo and Francesca come down to where the two are, and they tell their tragic love story. At the end, Dante is so full of simpathy and sorrow that he swoons, which provides a transtiton into the next canto.

How did Paolo and Francesca end up in circle two?




Canto VI


Circle: 3
Sin: The Gluttons
Punishment: The sinners here must lie in a slush that is like a garbage dump, while the monster, Cerberus, rips and tears up those who reside here.
Retribution: These sinners did nothing in life with the gifts God gave them but eat and drink, and create garbage, so they are placed in garbage. Also, they drooled over their food in life, so in death, Cerberus drools over them.
Key Plot Points:

• 1) Dante wakes up from his swoon in circle 3, and sees the slush and freezing rain, which gives it the appearance of a garbage dump.
• 2) Dante sees Cerberus, the three-headed dog, ripping and tearing up the sinnners who reside in the circle.
• 3) After Virgil gets them past the monster, they are walking when a sinner sits up and begins to talk to Dante, who finds out it is Ciacco the Hog.
• 4) Ciacco gives Dante the first political prophecy about the future of Florence.
• 5) Dante and Virgil walk to the next circle, when they encounter Plutus.

Key Sinners: Ciacco: He was a resident of Florence that must have seen Dante sometime in life for Dante was alive when Ciacco died. He was nicknamed, "Ciacco the Hog" and his sin was gluttony. He tells Dante of what he sees in the future for politics in Florence.

Summary: This circle begins with Dante awakening from his swoon, and seeing circle three, with snow and freezing rain falling, creating a layer of slush. This represents a garbage dump, and all of these sinners are foced to lay in this layer. The poets approach Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog, who starts to howl, so Virgil picked up a handful of the slush and throws it down the throat of the dog, who silences and lets them pass.While they continue walking, a sinner sits up and asks Dante if he recognizes him. This is Ciacco, who was from Florence, and he was nicknamed, "Ciacco the Hog", by the Florentines. He gives the first political prophecy about Florence for Dante. The poets commence walking once again and reach the edge of the circle, where they encounter Plutus.

Why is Ciacco in the third circle?