Collective Notes for Dante's Inferno

I did not take full summary notes, it is best to check the back of each Canto for the meaning of things or Sparknotes. 

THINGS MENTIONED IN CLASS:

-There are 3 Dantes... the characters, the future narrator and the writer. The character Dante tends to be more sympathetic/wishy washy. [Mentioned in Cantos XIII]

[XIV]:

"The left leg of the statue, made of iron, can be seen to represent the Roman Empire, strong and willfully led, while the right leg, made of clay, could be the Catholic Church—cracked by its corruption."

-Sparknotes 

[XX]: Passion is a human emotion, God is not supposed to be "human"

[XXIII]:
-Alchemy [using lead as gold]
-counterfeit - golden cloaks [beauty outside, but weighed down on the inside]

[XXIV]:
Beginning:
-Snow's sister
Aquarius= January

[XXXIII]:
-Dante does not fulfill promise in scarping the ice off for the sinner. [fraud?]

[XXXIV]:
Satan has three heads= alludes to the Holy Trinity


-after reaching the center of gravity- it seems as though they're going back down when flying up [they must go "down" in order to go up]

-Dante is either is more prophetic than he thinks, or he's super confident [thinks he can make it amongst the best poets]
  -TRUE: Two best ones are: Homer and Dante

[DI] Canto XXXII: The Ninth Circle

Canto XXXII: The Ninth Circle

[1-15]: Dante mentions how his words cannot describe the treachery of this circle. Describing this part in hell will be difficult since he is still an “infant”- he is still “immature”: his language is childish and inadequate to fully grasp the horrors of the last circle. Dante calls upon the Muses to make his words accurate descriptions of this place.

:  Dante and Virgil are currently under the foot of The Giant Antaeus. Dante hears a voice that warns them to be careful, or they’d step on people’s heads.

[22-39]: Describes the general scenery on what Dante sees in Circle 7. Under Dante’s feet he sees a frozen lake [The River of Cocytus]. It is ice is so thick, that if a mountain were to drop on it, it would not crack, not even at the edge.

[Mountains: Tambernic and Pietrapana]

Dante describes the people as frogs- the sinners are trapped in the ice, with only their heads out.

[73-111]: Dante kicks a head by accident—the person yelps out and speaks of revenge for Montaperti. Since Dante is alive, he asks the person to give him his name so he can give him fame in the living world. However the sinner only wishes to be left alone. Dante becomes aggressive; he grabs the person’s neck and demands him to give his name. Dante twists the hair and even pulls out a few tufts.

Bocca- betrays his own party at the Battle of Montaperti. [fought by Florence with the Guelphs—Ghibelline at heart]- he cut off the flag-carrier’s [standard-bearer] hand, which caused panic and eventual loss in the battle. The flag carrier is very important because the soldiers had no uniforms so they looked to the flag so see where their army and leader is, if the flag falls, it indicates that the troop leader is no longer safe and in command.

Another sinner cries out to tell Bocca, to quiet down, so Dante learns of his name. Since he was not cooperative, Dante says he’ll only bring the truth of the sinner [slander his reputation] to the living world. The sinner does not mind, he only wants the other traitors to be named as well.

[124-139]: Dante leaves Bocca behind and finds two souls frozen in a single hole. One was on top [which is described as the other’s hat] and was eating out the second’s head, brains and all.

Dante asks why the sinner is eating the other person and that he’d bring the story to the living world as long as he has a good justification for it. [offers Ugolino a deal]

Alludes to:[Tydeus gnawed at Melanippus]

[DI] Canto XII: Circle 7

52-60:

[Circle 7] First ring or the three rings for Violence = Violence to others

Describes the place they are approaching. [A place circled by a river of blood ]– centaurs armed with arrows stood on the edge

Precipice = A very steep rock face or cliff [edge of abyss]

 [Centaurs see Dante + Virgil and stopped]

-Three Centaurs departed from troop – readying their weapons [The Three are Chiron, Nessus and Pholus(?)]

Centaurs are half men half horse = They are known as violent and uncouth creatures

73-75:

They shoot anyone that tries to swim up beyond their level of depth they are submerged in.

The river of boiling blood has varying depths, the deeper someone is submerged, the greater their sin.

[103: Murderous tyrants - eyebrows] [116: Murders -throats] [121: plunderers- waists] [125: unspecified-feet]

97-132:

Virgil requests that a centaur take Dante to cross over the river of blood on their back.

Chiron tells Nessus to guide them past the river of blood.

Dante and Virgil are toured around the ring of Violence—Nessus points out the sinners being punished here.

Alexander and Dionysius submerged to the eyebrows by their sin [of tyranny perhaps. Both Dionysius and Ezzelino are known for the tyranny. Alexander might be Alexander the Great—Obizzo’Este – unsure]

[People mentioned: Alexander [the Great?], Dinoysius, Ezzelino, Obizzo d’Este]

When they finally reach the shallow end the river [Dante notices that some people has their heads of out the water, some even had their chests out. Eventually people were only cooked to their feet], Nessus leaves Dante and Virgil who continue on to the second ring.

Dante's Inferno [Intro]

INTRODUCTION

TERMS TO REMEMBER/REVIEW

Allegory

Courtly love

Terz rima

Contrapasso

OTHER

Virgil= reason [?]

                                -Dante at times question Virgil, so can he be considered as “reason”

Jerusalem: [historical/symbolic] – “New” Jerusalemà what people want after world ends.