1. DISCUSSIONMap of Hell by Botticelli  map of Hell--Botticelli

     

     Canto 3: The inscription on the Gates of Hell claims that the Gates were raised by "Primordial Love." But what has love got to do with punishments such as those we find in The Inferno? How does Beatrice fit in?

    Canto 4: The Virtuous Pagans: If these people are "virtuous," why are they in Hell? What is the quality of their existence there? What does their experience in Hell suggest about Dante's attitudes toward classical culture? How would Plato feel about being in the same place with Homer? How does this image of the afterlife compare with the underworld episodes we have read so far in the course? How does Virgil relate to this episode?

     Canto 5: The Carnal: In what context does Dante encounter Paolo and Francesca, the "focus" sinners of this canto? What is the nature of their sin and of its punishment? All in all, is their fate really that bad? How does Francesca present their story? (What does she say, what does she omit, and what do you make of this?) Why is Paolo silent? These are the first sinners to whom Dante the Pilgrim (the character in the story, as distinct from Dante the Poet, its author) speaks; what do you make of this detail? How does Dante the Pilgrim react to Francesca? If Dante the Pilgrim is sympathetic to Francesca, why does Dante the Poet condemn her to Hell? How does this recognition affect your own reaction to these lovers?

    Finally, Dante likes to tease his readers and to give us intellectual games and puzzles to figure out.  Dante, for example, has his own character in the poem participate symbolically in all the sins that are being punished in hell.  As Dante and Virgil pass through the circles of hell, Dante symbolically commits the sin punished in each circle in some way.  Dante expects us as his readers to try to figure out in each circle how the character Dante is participating in the sin.  So, watch for the subtle clues of Dante's participation in each sin.  As you watch Dante interact with the sinners in each circle, is he in some way committing the same kind of sinful act as the damned souls in that circle?

    1. Consider Virgil's behavior and his psychological / emotional state in Limbo, in particular the effects on Virgil of the Harrowing of Hell (4.52-63). What does this canto tell us about Dante's attitude toward Virgil?

 

  1. What are the implications of Dante's self-identification as "sixth" among the great poets (4.102)?

 

 

  1.  What is the logical relationship between the vice of lust and its punishment in Dante's hell?

 

 

  1. Why is Dante moved to tears after Francesca's description of love (5.100-7) and why does he finally fall "as a dead body falls" after her personal account of her intimate relationship with Paolo (5.127-38)?

 

 

  1. The episode of Francesca and Paolo, the first in which Dante encounters someone punished in hell for their sins, presents a challenge: Dante-character is overcome by compassion for the lovers even as Dante-poet has damned them to hell in the first place. What are possible consequences of this apparent gap between the perspectives of the character and the poet who are both "Dante"?

 

 

  1. From Dante's presentation of Francesca and Paolo, we are encouraged to consider the place of moral responsibility in depictions of love, sex, and violence in our own day. We can certainly discuss music, television, movies, and advertising (as well as literature) in these terms. Who is more (or less) responsible and therefore accountable for unacceptable attitudes and behavior in society: the creators and vehicles of such messages or the consumers and audiences?

 

 

  1. Describe the contrapasso--the relationship between the vice and its punishment--for gluttony. Look at lines 57, 76, and 90. How might Dante figuratively participate in the vice of gluttony?