Gentle Readers: Dante's "Inferno" is the most ambitious project we've undertaken, which is why I decided to break it up into two parts. The cross section of Hell portrayed on page 124 is quite helpful. It shows you where the different categories of sinners and the various landmarks of Dante's hell are situated. On the 23d we'll work our way through some of these questions. Bring a favorite passage to share.
An excellent online resource about the Commedia is http://www.worldofdante.org. You can find extensive notes on the historical, religious, and literary background of the poem.
--Tom
Interpretive Questions
Why does Dante need Virgil as his guide?
What sin did Dante commit in the "dark wood" (p. 113) that necessitated his "pilgrimage"?
How does Beatrice's speech (p. 120 to 122) affect Dante?
Why are the rings of hell circular?
What differentiates Upper Hell from Lower Hell?
What do they do in the city of Dis? (Cantos VIII and IX)
Why are the Epicurean heretics placed lower in hell than the arch heretics (Canto X)
Why are suicides portrayed as trees? Why are they able to speak only when their limbs are broken and bleeding? (Canto XIII)
Why is Lucifer portrayed as a weeping demon frozen in the center of the Earth?
Why must Virgil and Dante ascend through the other side of the earth at the end of the story?
Evaluative Questions
What was Dante's intended audience?
What are Dante's views on Jews and Muslims (cf. cantos IV, XXIII, XXVIII)
Has Dante constructed a reasonable hierarchy of sins?
How well does Dante juggle his roles as pilgrim, judge, narrator, and poet?
For Textual Analysis
I. Canto V, pages 138 to 41 : tale of Francesca and Paolo, beginning, "After I heard my teacher call the names .. " to the end of the canto.
II. Canto XI, pages 165 to 170 : The Punishments of Hell
III. Canto XV, pages 183 to 186 : The Pilgrim and Ser Brunetto.
IV. Canto XXV, pages 214 to 217 : A Thief's Metamorphosis
V. Canto XXVI, pages 220 to 223 : the Fate of Ulysses, beginning "So when the flame had reached us, and my guide ... " to the end of the Canto.
VI. Canto XXXIII, pages 255 to 260, Tale of Ugolino and Ruggieri.
