SDANTE'S INFERNO STUDY GUIDE
COMPLETE DETAILED CASE STUDY
Section 1- Canto Summaries - Edit Password- STH mascot (plural)
Canto 1 - SUMMARY - Dante describes an undefined forest, then a hill lighted by the spring sunshine. So
Dante tries to climb the hill, but three beast stop him. Finally the shade of Virgil appears to tell him to
overcome the beasts, Dante must travel through hell. The entire description is presented through images
resembling the logic of a dream.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil, Wolf, Leopard, Lion
SYMBOLISM
Wolf= Avarice or greed
Leopard= Fraudulence
Lion= Pride
Canto 2 - SUMMARY- After the invocation to the Muses, Dante begins the narrative. But, first he has to
clear his doubts about the validity of this journey, for he fears that he may be heading for failure. Virgil
assures him that the journey is favored by three heavenly Ladies, the Virgin Mary, St. Lucia, and Beatrice.
The latter summoned Virgil to go out of Limbo and rescue Dante from the three beasts.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil
Canto 3 - SUMMARY- Dante enters the Gates of Hell. He finds himself in a vestibule, an area reserved for
the souls of those who never made any decisions, the Neutrals. These people are best described as
cowards and are not good enough to be in heaven, but not bad enough to be in hell. Dante then reaches
the shore of the first infernal river, Acheron. Here Charon picks up the damned who keep falling down to
ferry them to other side, to Hell.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil, Charon
Important Note- When Dante and Virgil enter the gates of hell, they see an inscription that says
"Abandon hope all ye who enter here"
,Canto 4 - SUMMARY- First circle of Hell: Limbo. This is the place for the souls of those who were good
people, but did not know Christ, because they came before him. Here Dante encounters the ancient
philosophers. The most important episode is when Dante and Virgil are joined by four ancient poets:
Homer, Horace, Ovid, Lucan. Together they talk about poetry.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil, Homer, Horace, Ovid, Lucan
SIN- The unbaptized and pre-christians (they didn't really sin)
CONTRAPASSO- An eternal life with a constant and unfulfilled longing for God.
Canto 5 - SUMMARY- Second circle of Hell: Lustful. This is one of the most popular cantos of the
Commedia. It has captured the attention of many scholars since Dante's times, mainly because Dante
finds here among the lustful: Francesca da Rimini. Among other sinners, Dido, queen of Cartage. Minos is
the guardian of the circle.
THEME: Courtly Love.
CHARACTERS- Dante, Virgil, Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Achilles
SIN- Committed sins of the flesh (they had lots of sex)
CONTRAPASSO- Because, these people couldn't control their physical urges a storm controls their whole
life (They're blown around in a raging storm)
Canto 6 - SUMMARY- Third circle of Hell: The Gluttonous: The setting of the third circle is again visual and
graphical: heavy, steady rain, hail and snow. It is monotonous, never ending, and weakens the souls to
the extent that they lay down because they have no strength to rise. This monotony becomes an
obsession. Dante talks to Ciacco, a Florentine, who predicts Dante's upcoming exile. Cerberus, a three-
headed dog, is the guardian of the circle.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil, Ciacco
SIN- Excessively pursuing pleasure in overabundance
, CONTRAPASSO- Get rained on by sewage while Cerberus attacks them.
Canto 7 - SUMMARY- Fourth circle: The Avaricious and Prodigal The two poets descend into the fifth
circle, the Wrathful and the Sullen, who are in the river Styx. These sinners push huge rocks in opposite
direction. Dante notices that most of them are clerics, but he does recognize any of them. The demon
Plutus stands as the guardian of the circle. The second part of the canto describes the descent into a
marshland, the river Stix, where the wrathful are visible, and the sullen are submerged by the water.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil, Plutus, Fortuna
SIN- Being Imprudent with money or material goods
CONTRAPASSO- These sinners must push rocks in opposite directions until they meet, and then the
process repeats
NOTE**- The fifth circle begins in this canto
Canto 8 - SUMMARY- Fifth circle and the City of Dis. This canto has two sections: the conclusion of the
representation of the Wrathful and the Sullen, which includes the poet's encounter with Filippo Argenti;
the second part of the canto describes the presentation of the city of Dis. This city is modeled after
medieval cities, surrounded by walls, with the gates to allow people in and out.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil
SIN- Those who are aggressive or idle
CONTRAPASSO- The wrathful fight on the muddy bank and the idle gargle and choke on black mud
(Water source: Stygian Marsh)
Canto 9 - SUMMARY- The City of Dis - Entrance into Lower Hell. The major characteristic of this canto is
the confrontation between Dante and the forces of evil. They are represented by the three Erinyes:
Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. Eventually they invoke Medusa whose evil power is so powerful that
anyone who look at her is changed into stone. When everything seems lost, a Messenger form Heaven
comes, and orders the devils to open the gate of Dis. Dante and Virgil enter the city and find themselves
into a huge cemetery (circle 6).
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil,
COMPLETE DETAILED CASE STUDY
Section 1- Canto Summaries - Edit Password- STH mascot (plural)
Canto 1 - SUMMARY - Dante describes an undefined forest, then a hill lighted by the spring sunshine. So
Dante tries to climb the hill, but three beast stop him. Finally the shade of Virgil appears to tell him to
overcome the beasts, Dante must travel through hell. The entire description is presented through images
resembling the logic of a dream.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil, Wolf, Leopard, Lion
SYMBOLISM
Wolf= Avarice or greed
Leopard= Fraudulence
Lion= Pride
Canto 2 - SUMMARY- After the invocation to the Muses, Dante begins the narrative. But, first he has to
clear his doubts about the validity of this journey, for he fears that he may be heading for failure. Virgil
assures him that the journey is favored by three heavenly Ladies, the Virgin Mary, St. Lucia, and Beatrice.
The latter summoned Virgil to go out of Limbo and rescue Dante from the three beasts.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil
Canto 3 - SUMMARY- Dante enters the Gates of Hell. He finds himself in a vestibule, an area reserved for
the souls of those who never made any decisions, the Neutrals. These people are best described as
cowards and are not good enough to be in heaven, but not bad enough to be in hell. Dante then reaches
the shore of the first infernal river, Acheron. Here Charon picks up the damned who keep falling down to
ferry them to other side, to Hell.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil, Charon
Important Note- When Dante and Virgil enter the gates of hell, they see an inscription that says
"Abandon hope all ye who enter here"
,Canto 4 - SUMMARY- First circle of Hell: Limbo. This is the place for the souls of those who were good
people, but did not know Christ, because they came before him. Here Dante encounters the ancient
philosophers. The most important episode is when Dante and Virgil are joined by four ancient poets:
Homer, Horace, Ovid, Lucan. Together they talk about poetry.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil, Homer, Horace, Ovid, Lucan
SIN- The unbaptized and pre-christians (they didn't really sin)
CONTRAPASSO- An eternal life with a constant and unfulfilled longing for God.
Canto 5 - SUMMARY- Second circle of Hell: Lustful. This is one of the most popular cantos of the
Commedia. It has captured the attention of many scholars since Dante's times, mainly because Dante
finds here among the lustful: Francesca da Rimini. Among other sinners, Dido, queen of Cartage. Minos is
the guardian of the circle.
THEME: Courtly Love.
CHARACTERS- Dante, Virgil, Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Achilles
SIN- Committed sins of the flesh (they had lots of sex)
CONTRAPASSO- Because, these people couldn't control their physical urges a storm controls their whole
life (They're blown around in a raging storm)
Canto 6 - SUMMARY- Third circle of Hell: The Gluttonous: The setting of the third circle is again visual and
graphical: heavy, steady rain, hail and snow. It is monotonous, never ending, and weakens the souls to
the extent that they lay down because they have no strength to rise. This monotony becomes an
obsession. Dante talks to Ciacco, a Florentine, who predicts Dante's upcoming exile. Cerberus, a three-
headed dog, is the guardian of the circle.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil, Ciacco
SIN- Excessively pursuing pleasure in overabundance
, CONTRAPASSO- Get rained on by sewage while Cerberus attacks them.
Canto 7 - SUMMARY- Fourth circle: The Avaricious and Prodigal The two poets descend into the fifth
circle, the Wrathful and the Sullen, who are in the river Styx. These sinners push huge rocks in opposite
direction. Dante notices that most of them are clerics, but he does recognize any of them. The demon
Plutus stands as the guardian of the circle. The second part of the canto describes the descent into a
marshland, the river Stix, where the wrathful are visible, and the sullen are submerged by the water.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil, Plutus, Fortuna
SIN- Being Imprudent with money or material goods
CONTRAPASSO- These sinners must push rocks in opposite directions until they meet, and then the
process repeats
NOTE**- The fifth circle begins in this canto
Canto 8 - SUMMARY- Fifth circle and the City of Dis. This canto has two sections: the conclusion of the
representation of the Wrathful and the Sullen, which includes the poet's encounter with Filippo Argenti;
the second part of the canto describes the presentation of the city of Dis. This city is modeled after
medieval cities, surrounded by walls, with the gates to allow people in and out.
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil
SIN- Those who are aggressive or idle
CONTRAPASSO- The wrathful fight on the muddy bank and the idle gargle and choke on black mud
(Water source: Stygian Marsh)
Canto 9 - SUMMARY- The City of Dis - Entrance into Lower Hell. The major characteristic of this canto is
the confrontation between Dante and the forces of evil. They are represented by the three Erinyes:
Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. Eventually they invoke Medusa whose evil power is so powerful that
anyone who look at her is changed into stone. When everything seems lost, a Messenger form Heaven
comes, and orders the devils to open the gate of Dis. Dante and Virgil enter the city and find themselves
into a huge cemetery (circle 6).
CHARACTERS- Dante Alighieri, Virgil,
