LIT101: Inferno Canto 21 Analysis

Analysis of Canto XXI

Originally submitted to Medieval Literature (LIT103) on October 2, 2012 

Canto XXI takes place in the fifth pouch of Malebolge, where Barrators or Grafters are punished in a boiling pitch. Malebranche demons watch the sinners closely so as to grapple and prick anyone who surfaces the pitch. When Dante and Virgil journey through the fifth pouch, they see a demon that plunges a new sinner into the pitch. Once the sinner resurfaces, other demons pierce him with hundreds of prongs. Then Virgil warns Dante to hide himself from the demons behind a large rock. Virgil then speaks with Malacoda, the leader of the demons, to allow them passage because their journey is according to the will of God. Malacoda recedes and offers ten demons to escort them in an alternative ridge.

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At the beginning of the canto, Dante introduces his readers to the nature of the Barrators’ punishment by means of a simile. On the surface, the simile looks as if Dante simply wants to lengthen the canto, but that’s not Dante. Even its length (12 lines) subtly beckons the readers to pay attention to the lines.

As in the arsenal of the Venetians,

all winter long a stew of sticky pitch

boils up to patch their sick and tattered ships

that cannot sail (instead of voyaging,

some build new keels, some tow and tar the ribs

of hulls worn out by too much journeying;

some hammer at the prow, some at the stern,

and some make oars, and some braid ropes and cords;

one mends the jib, another, the mainsail);

so, not by fire but by the art of God,

below there boiled a thick and tarry mass

that covered all the banks with clamminess. (21.7-18)

Dante compares the pitch where sinners are submerged with the tar used in the Venetian Arsenal. If the lines are studied closely, one can see the irony that is underneath the simile. Lines 7-15 explain how tar is used to repair and restore tattered ships. Dante likened the sinners’ pitch with tar. It is also dark, sticky, and boiling, but that’s where the similarities end. Unlike the tar used in the Venetian Arsenal, the pitch where the sinners are submerged does not repair broken souls. The fact that they are in hell implies that the pitch can never repair or restore them.

            In fact, they even suffer because the pitch is boiling and the demons are waiting to prick them once they resurface.

The sinner plunged, then surfaced, black with pitch;

But now the demons, from beneath the bridge,

Shouted: “The Sacred Face has no place here;

Here we swim differently than in the Serchio;

If you don’t want to feel our grappling hooks,

Don’t try to lift yourself above that ditch.”

They pricked him with a hundred prongs and more,

Then taunted: “Here one dances under cover,

So try to grab your secret graft below.” (21. 46.54)

Dante’s use of “The Sacred Face” is interesting because even the demons acknowledge that man is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). But the truth irates the demons that’s why they don’t want to see the sinners resurfacing the pitch. In case they do, the demons will prick them with prongs to plunge them in the pitch.

            Another excerpt that is noteworthy to discuss is the mention of the death of Christ (21.106-108; 112-114). Why would Dante bring it up in the same canto as the barrators? As previously mentioned, the sinners are in a pitch that does not restore nor repair; rather, they even suffer more. Christ suffered and died on the Cross, but His suffering and death led to man’s redemption. His death could repair broken souls and broken lives, but the suffering of the barrators is meaningless because it would lead to nothing.

So that's my simple "Classics" notes for you guys! :D I hope you find it interesting. ;) I just want to you remind you though that Dante's Inferno is fictional, but the message it conveys is meaningful.  We must learn how to read the message behind the lines. Let's not take Dante's writing as it is because the meaning lies beneath the story. Okay, that's it! 'Til next time! :D God bless you! <3

laurice with love <3

LIT101: Notes on Canto IV (Inferno)

Do you still remember our Inferno Discussion? I'll now post the thoughts and notes I have regarding Canto IV from Dante Alighieri's Inferno. Please Click Here to refer you to the first thread of this discussion. :)

"For these defects, and for no other evil, we now are lost and punished just with this: we have no hope and yet we live in longing." IV, 40-42

Are these people to be blamed if they lived in a society that believes in a heaven that is made up of earthly glory? 

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Canto IV*
31-42

The kindly master said: "Do you not ask

who are these spirits whom you see before you?

I'd have you know, before you go ahead,

they did not sin; and yet, though they have merits,

that's not enough, because they lacked baptism,

the portal of the faith that you embrace.

And if they lived before Christianity,

they did not worship God in fitting ways;

and of such spirits I myself am one.

For these defects, and for no other evil,

we now are lost and punished just with this:

we have no hope and yet we live in longing."

*This version of the text is taken from Allen Mandelbaum's translation (2004) of Dante Alighieri's Inferno.

MY THOUGHTS AND NOTES

These spirits in Limbo did not sin. They even received great honor and merits when they were alive, yet their achievements on earth are not enough. Because of that, they are now being punished in hell with no hope and with longing. You may ask:

• How could they be in hell if they didn't sin? 
• Could they be faulted for the culture they had--a pagan culture? (Remember: these spirits were born before Christianity) 
• And what did Dante mean by "we have no hope and yet we live in longing?" 
• Is that even a punishment?

Okay guys, let's go through this together! :) Let's take it little by little :)

Have you ever experienced feeling empty? That there's something within you that longs for something, though you don't what it is? I bet you know I what I mean. That was the same experience the spirits had when they still alive. They felt there was no contentment; that there was something missing in their lives. If you have that kind of longing and you are faced before a breathtaking beauty, what would you do? I guess you'll grab that beautiful object before you and marvel at it for who knows until when. Let me give a concrete example. Let's say you are sitting on the most expensive couch and then you realize that you are not happy. You begin to reflect that you are not satisfied. Can you believe that? You are sitting on the most expensive couch in the world and you are not satisfied? It's true. It happens. Then your friend invites you to a party. You go to the party and have the time of your life! After dancing from night till morning, you are exhausted. Then all the excitement and adrenaline begin to subside and you're left unsatisfied once again. Have you had the same experience? I believe all of us had. That constant feeling of being unsatisfied is what we can call "Sehnsucht." It's a German term that doesn't have an English counterpart, but it's near "constant longing, ardent yearning, or intense craving." These English terms do not, however, grasp the true meaning of Sehnsucht. But it's close. That's what we and the spirits experience. Whatever beauty, achievement, or honor we get, there's always a feeling of dissatisfaction. There's always a desire to want more because what we have in our hands don't satisfy us. That's what Dante meant by "we live in longing."

But what did he mean by "we have no hope?"

The spirits in hell at Canto IV experienced the same Sehnsucht that we all are experiencing now, but they lost hope. They settled for what they had and believed that their longing could never be satisfied. If we'll look into their culture before Christianity, honor is everything they desired. They believed that it could give them a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. That's why they captured cities, collected booties, and overthrew kingdoms. But in every victory and honor they got, they knew they weren't still fulfilled. However, they chose to get rid of whatever hope they had and simply settled to the kind of living that they knew won't ever satisfy their longings. That's what Dante meant by "we have no hope."

Is it a punishment?

Oh yes. Try believing that there's nothing that could ever give you peace, fulfillment, and satisfaction. I'm sure it'll torment you because Sehnsucht will never leave you until it is satisfied. Dante is trying to tell his readers that human beings are capable of desiring more, but he also makes a point that earthly glory nor material things can fulfill this intense desire. 

Don't settle for these things. Don't do the same mistakes that the spirits in hell did. Don't settle for the things that the world gives. Nourish your spiritual life.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments! :D

laurice-with-love <3

LIT 101: Inferno

Below is a short excerpt from Canto IV (lines 25-42) to give you an overview of where we are, but I just want you to focus on the lines in bold. 

In this excerpt, Dante and Virgil (the master) are in the First Circle of Hell, Limbo. As said in the text, Limbo  is the place where virtuous souls that pre-existed Christianity and baptism are settled. It is also mentioned in lines 28-30 that there is an incomprehensible grief in Limbo that is manifested through the sighs of souls that echo through the depths of Limbo. If these souls, as mentioned in the text, had done nothing wrong in their earthly life and had even earned honor in their earthly existence, why are they in Limbo? What does these lines mean? 

"For these defects, and for no other evil,we now are lost and punished just with this:we have no hope and yet we live in longing." IV, 40-42

Are these people to be blamed if they lived in a society that believes in a heaven that is made up of earthly glory? What do you think guys? I'll just leave this post hanging for a while. Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions. If you want to clarify something, feel free to ask. :)

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Canto IV*

25-42

So he set out, and so he had me enter

on that first circle girdling the abyss.

Here, for as much as hearing could discover,

there was no outcry louder than the sighs

that caused the everlasting air to tremble.

The sighs arose from sorrow without torments,

out of the crowds--the many multitudes--

of the infants and of women and of men.

The kindly master said: "Do you not ask

who are these spirits whom you see before you?

I'd have you know, before you go ahead,

they did not sin; and yet, though they have merits,

that's not enough, because they lacked baptism,

the portal of the faith that you embrace.

And if they lived before Christianity,

they did not worship God in fitting ways;

and of such spirits I myself am one.

For these defects, and for no other evil,

we now are lost and punished just with this:

we have no hope and yet we live in longing."

*This version of the text is taken from Allen Mandelbaum's translation (2004) of Dante Alighieri's Inferno.

Who's up for some Book Challenge?

Hi guys! It's a rainy Tuesday here in our place, which means CLASSES ARE CANCELLED! Yey! =)) Please don't get me wrong. I'm still praying for those who are affected by the flood. Kindly pray for them as well! :) Thanks!

Let's Discuss Books! :)

(Click the Photos to link you to Goodreads)

   

       

Anyway, here's what I did on my way home. I wanted to improve my blog and make it useful and meaningful for you guys. :) So I was wondering if you would be interested if I share my Literature lessons with you! ;) At school, I'm supposed to take up 12 units of Literature (from Classical, Renaissance, Medieval, to Modern Literature) and I'm now on my 9th unit, which is Medieval Literature. Sweet. <3 One more to go! =) I love my Literature classes! Here we are taught how to read based on the text and its context. By understanding the context and words that the author chose, we try to unravel the meaning beneath the lines. It's an overwhelming experience! Cool, isn't it? ;) Plus my professor is amazing! :) He wants us to experience the same beauty that he sees along the lines of the text and believe me, it is life-changing! I would like to share the same experience with you! :) 

I was thinking if I'll start with Iliad (Classical Literature) and Macbeth (Renaissance Literature) since I finished taking them up before, but I'm up for a little challenge and adventure! :) Who's up for a little book adventure? I know I have the coolest followers, so I trust you guys! :) I'm taking up Medieval Literature this semester and we're discussing Inferno by Dante Alighieri. We just recently started, so I'm inviting you to jump in my journey with Dante and his Divine Comedy! :)

From time to time, I'll be posting excerpts of Inferno and other books. I'll be posting books that are open for discussion under "LIT 101" titles. I'll then add the notes I get from our lecture. Then, please let me know what you think! :) Just comment back and let's discuss the book together! :)


PS.
Btw, if you want to discuss other books, feel free to suggest! ;) Thanks! Enjoy reading! :) God bless us all! :)

laurice-with-love <3