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Inferno Research Paper

The Use of Animal Imagery in Dante’s Inferno

At the beginning of the Inferno, Dante already experiences the symbolic nature of animals. He is blocked on his path by three beasts; the lion, the she-wolf, and the leopard. These three animals represent the primitive temptations that block our path to God through sin. Throughout the Inferno, Dante repeatedly eludes to primitivity. Primitivity is the act of a human who follows animal instinct or characteristics. Dante constantly proclaims the sinners, as well as the punishers, to be animals. Therefore, Dante uses animal imagery to describe the primitive desires we have to sin and to show how, if left uncontrolled, they turn our souls into damnation and turn us away from our path towards God.

The first, and most forgivable, type of sin is that of incontinence. Incontinence is the lack of self-control over ones actions. Dante describes incontinence as falling into primitive desires like animals often do. These sins of lust, hunger, and wrath are considered animalistic in nature because they display a failure by humans to use their God-given minds to judge their actions. For this reason Dante feels pity for the sinners but ultimately still places them in Hell for failing to use the strength God gave them.  

In Canto VI the punisher, as well as the punished, are described as dog-like. Cerberus who oversees this level of Hell is seen as a dog-like monster because of his voice. The Gluttons who also reside in this level are said to howl in pain like a dog. This is symbolic of the fact that these sinners and Cerberus, who both consumed excessively, resemble the characteristics of dogs and their restless craving for food.

Canto IX contains one of many references to frogs. As the messenger from Heaven comes to the gates of Dis the sinners and demons are said to scatter like frogs. This shows how compared to the holy and heavenly messenger, the sinners are like worthless frogs who live in fear of the great enemy. Dante continues with his frog metaphor in Canto XXII when he compares the Barterers to sluggish frogs. Dante calls the Barterers frogs because they live in a boiling pitch and constantly try to poke their heads out like the snouts of a frog in a pond. These barterers are also compared to dolphins and otters because they constantly dip in and out of the pitch like that of these animals. The demons who guide Dante and Virgil through this level of Hell are also compared to an animal, this time it’s a hawk. The demons hover like hawks over a pond waiting for the frogs, or sinners, to surface and tear them apart. Dante uses the imagery of the hawks and frogs to show that the demons hover over the sinners who are degraded to nothing more than prey for the enjoyment of the demons.

In conclusion we see that Dante understood what it meant to sin. His philosophy suggests that God gave us a brain to be superior to animals in making rational decisions and use our free will to become closer to him and salvation. By using the sinners as metaphor to animals, Dante is stating that if we ignore our logic and free will and succumb to our animalistic temptation, we are failing God and wasting the gifts that he gave us. Therefore, Dante argues that if we continue to be like animals and not use our gifts, we will become like the condemned souls of Hell and be forced to live an eternity of torture and separation from God.

Target Story

Excused from this project because I was absent

The Inferno Canto XXII Review Guide

Summary

            The envoy of Dante, Virgil, and the ten demons continue on their path through the Eighth Circle and Fifth Pouch. Dante tell of how the sinners arch their backs in the water, like dolphins, to warn others of the dangers of oncoming demons. Dante desperately searches the surface of the pitch for a soul that he can talk with. Virgil finally finds a soul for Dante and he asks the soul to identify itself. The soul only replies that he is from Navarre and that he accepted bribes when working for King Thibault. Thus the sinners in this level are known as the Barterers. The tusked demon, Ciriatto, ends the conversation by tearing the soul apart. The soul is believed to have the name Ciampolo. Virgil then ask if any people “of Latin land” lay under the pitch. Ciampolo promised to bring seven Italians back with him if the demons would lay off while he brought the souls up from the pitch. The demon Cagnazzo voices that the soul is up to no good and will not return. The soul dives down under the pitch and never returns. This angers the demons who try to dive down to catch him, but the pitch is too aweful. Meanwhile, Dante and Virgil decide to make a quick escape.

Sin/Sinners

The sinners in the Fifth Pouch of the Eighth Circle of Hell are the Barterers or Grafters. Those who exploited public office with corruption and bribery, aka “sticky fingers”

Punishment/Contrapasso

They must boil in pitch and be tortured by winged devils. The symbolism is that they had sticky fingers in life, and now they must be sticky all over from the pitch. They took bribes and manipulated and tormented other during their lives, so the demons manipulate and torment them.

Characters

Graffiacan, Ciriatto, Libicocco, Draghinazzo, Cagnazzo, Alichino- demon envoy given to Dante and Virgil by Malacoda, led by Cagnazzo.

Ciampolo- born in Navarre, France. Served under King Thibault, where he accepted bribes. Ciampolo is the soul that Dante and Virgil talk to and tricks the demons by escaping their torture.

King Thibault- Thibault I, King of Navarre. Died on June 8^th, 1233. Helped aid the Crusades but oppressed the rights and privileges of the Church.

Friar Gomita- intrusted by Nino de’ Visconti with the government of Gallura, Sardinia. Took a bribe from his master’s enemies and let them escape.

Questions

1. Dante often alludes to many animals in this canto. In what ways are the Barterers compared to animals? Why are they compared to animals?

2. Why are the devils fooled so easily? Are they too subject to torture and punishment?

3. What is significant about Ciampolo’s trickery?

The Inferno Canto VI Review Guide

Summary

Dante and Virgil are now in the third level of Hell. Cerberus is the tormentor of this level of Hell, and tries to attack Dante and Virgil, before Virgil feeds it Earth to calm it. Next, Dante is recognized by a shadow called Ciacco, claiming to have known Dante before he died. He foretells of the Florentine government issues and Judgment Day before returning to his torture. Finally Virgil and Dante discuss the Second Coming and continue on to the next level of Hell but instead see Plutus first.

SIN/ SINNERS

The sinners in this level are called the Gluttonous. They indulged in the overconsumption of food and drink in their previous lives.

PUNISHMENT/ CONTRAPASSO

The punishment of these people is lie on the ground as sewage rain and murky water fall on them. 

               “In the third circle I arrive, of showers

        Ceaseless, accursed, heavy and cold, unchanged

        For ever, both in kind and in degree.

        Large hail, discolor'd water, sleety flaw”

 It is symbolic of the fact that they must lay around in the literal and figurative waste that they sought after in their lives.

CHARACTERS/ PEOPLE

1. The guardian and tormentor at the beginning of this level is Cerberus. Similar to the mythological Greek Cerberus in the Aeneid, but described by Dante as having three gullets not three heads.

2. Eventually a sinner, Ciacco, arises as a shadow and remembers Dante. The name Ciacco may actually be a nickname or derogatory name for hog. Ciacco “predicts” the demise and fighting between the Florentine government officials. This canto marks the first section in which Dante the Pilgrim “predicts” the failures of the Florentine government and the clash between them. Ciacco alludes to the fighting that would later occur between the White and Black Guelphs.

3. The canto ends with the guardian at the end of the third level of hell, Plutus. Plutus is the god of wealth and the envy of power and the craving for material goods (fame & power) showing gluttony. The canto abruptly ends after Plutus is introduced.

QUESTIONS

1.      Why does Dante focus on the gullets of Cerberus, instead of the heads? How does this relate to the sinners in this section?

2.      Dante-pilgrim asks what will happen to these dead folks after the Last Judgement as a theological question; does Vergil give him a theological answer? How reliable do you suppose Vergil's information is?

3.      Why does Dante the poet continue to introduce mythological/ pagan images and creatures into his journey through Hell?