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?