Dante's Inferno Test
Summary of video notes:
- midway in journey is everyone's life- spiritual awakening - wander through dessert to find life - Virgil, function as spiritual guide- important theme; need a guide on our spiritual journeys - Virgil tells him a way out, go through hell first. Theme: go down, to go up. - 3 beasts represent Dante's own disfunction -get colder as you go down- symbol as we move away from God, things get colder and colder - Dante realized consequences from own sin - Virgil tells him; a journey of vision - have to turn your to higher power- Dante - devil at bottom of heaven- own sin is on display it isolate those around you - see the source of all suffering and evil - see your sin, walk or purify your life. Dante sees work of those in purgatory - act against what they are doing
How old is Dante?
35
gerneralization
A broad conclusion drawn from explicit, or obvious, examples in the text.
What is the last stanza of the poem called?
A cuplet. Only 2 lines. "And we walked out once more beneath the Stars."
What river do they cross?
Acheron.
The lion of
Ambition and violence
How are Charons eyes described?
As burning coals. They covey the power and rage that Charon has.
How can Dante's talk with Francesca be described?
As sentimental, vague. Readers learn that Francesca was married and the man that she committed adultery with was also married as well.
What do Dante and Virgil both agree on?
Both agree that the punishment is just.
Who were Francesca and Pablo?
Both were married to other people- committed adultery
Who personifies betrayal?
Cassius, Brutus and Judas.
What circle is canto 5?
Circle 2
Clambered
Climbed with difficulty
Who has more pity, Virgil or Dante?
Dante
Why does the old man on the ferry get mad?
Dante is living
What does the inscription emphasize?
Dantes reaction
What do the coils and recoils in the story emphasize?
Emphasize the motif of the circles of hell.
What is ironic in canto 34?
Every time Satan's wings flap he freezes himself into ice
Envious=
Eyes are shown shut
What causes Francesca to commit adultery?
Francesca was reading a book that caused them to commit the actions that they did. "Pause after pause that high old story drew our eyes together while we blushed and paled; but it was one soft passage overthrew our caution and our hearts. For when we read how her fond smile was kissed by such a lover, he who is one with me alive and dead breathed on my lips the tremor of his kiss."
Leopard of
Fraud and malice
Who did most of the art in the book?
Gustave Doré
Despicable
Hateful; abominable
What does Dante experience when he meets Francesca?
He feels desire for her to talk to him. He is trying to have a connection with her.
What is Dante describing in this quote: " How I came to it I cannot rightly say, so drugged and loose with sleep had I become when I first wandered there from the True Way?"
He is out of it, and unattentive to his spiritual life
Why is Virgil the proper guide?
He travled through the underworld
Why is Dante confused?
He wonders why there are so many knights in hell- thought they were of upstanding virtue.
What did Florence also talk about with Dante?
How she had political enemies and she says bad things about them.
What do the dark woods represent?
Human worldliness and separation from God.
What do Satan's wings symbolize?
Imagery of darkness and fear of hell
What does Dante imply in this quote? "Midway in our life's journey"
Implies his journey relates to everyone's
How is the poem composed?
In tercets - or 3 line stanzas. It uses a rhyme scheme called terza rima.
She Wolf of
Incontinence
"As leaves in autumn loosen and stream down until the branch stands bare above its tatters spread on the rustling ground, so one by one the evil seed of Adam in its Fall cast themselves, at his signal, from the shore and streamed away like birds who hear their call." What does this simile mean?
It appears that souls are eager to enter into hell - eager to commit commit the same sins. "Eager to cross as they seem to be in this infected light."
When the she-wolf pushed Dante back, what does it suggest?
It suggests that the sin of incontinence leads to larger sins
"Under each head two wings rose terribly, their span proportioned to so gross a bird:I never saw such sails upon the sea." What does this quote mean?
Means that Satan's wings are very large
Dexterously
Nimbly
In Dante's hell, how does each person receive punishment?
Punishment is directly related to the sins committed
How is passion symbolized?
Punishment is swept away in a whirlwind. Passion is symbolized by the wind that keeps souls in motion.
Reprimand
Rebuke;scolding
"Thus the holy hour and the sweet season of commemoration did much to arm my fear of that bright murderous beast with their good omen." What does this quote refer to?
Refers to Easter
What does the poem make use of?
Similes, alliteration, metaphors, personification, and imagery
What is the main theme of canto 1?
Sin is overcome by a long/hard path
Writhes
Squirms in agony; contorts the body
What does it mean when Dante calls them "world- offended lovers?"
Suggests that maybe the sins weren't their fault.
Dante's spiritual journey
Takes place over 3 days. Beginning in hell on Good Friday, and ending symbolically on Easter Sunday in paradise.
What does Francesca blame the sin on?
The book and the pander. "Pander" is the person who wrote it.
What type of people are found in Canto 3- the vestibule?
The indifferent or the people who go there own way. They change their goals to fit their own advantage.
What people are found in canto 5?
The lustful
"Master, what gnaws at them so hideously their lamentation stuns the very air? They have no hope of death," he answered me, and in their blind and unattaining state their miserable lives have sunk so low that they must envy every other fate. No word of them survives their living season. Mercy and Justice deny them even a name. Let us not speak of them: look, and pass on." What does this quote mean?
The opportunists and indifferent. Wouldn't take a stand.
Why is the number 3 important in the poem?
The relation it has to the Christian trinity. The 3 divine figures- Father, son and Holy Spirit
the vestibule is described as "dead cavern to that sunless tide." How does this contribute to the atmosphere of the vestibule?
The words contribute to the atmosphere of a dark/scary hell.
How are the indifferent punished?
They are condemned. Their punishment is to run eternally in a circle.
"before the Greyhound comes to hunt her down. He will not feed on lands nor loot, but honor and love and wisdom will make straight his way." What is this in example of?
This is an example of allegory; suggesting the hope of political change in Rome
What is the theme of canto 5?
Those who abandon reason for passion, will be punished.
What is the theme of canto 34?
Unrepented sinners bring upon their own damnation.
Who's wings did Satan's used to be?
Used to be an archangels wings
When does Dante feel relieved?
When he emerges.
Allegory
Work in which characters, settings and events stand for abstract or moral concepts.
What is the central idea of canto 3?
You cannot escape sin, there will be consequences for your sins.
