Discussion Questions on Dante's Inferno
Canto 1
1. How does line 1 suggest the time of this story? Psalm 90:10 tells us a person’s span is 70 years; halfway would be 35—the year 1300 for Dante.
2. What are the dark woods? (line 2)
Life lived apart from Christ
3. How did Dante end up in the dark woods? (lines 7-9)
He doesn’t know—he blundered in when sleeping
4. What is the planet in line 14? The sun
5. What is significance of left foot always being lower on the hill? (line 24)
Eccl. 10:2
6. What three animals did Dante meet and what do they represent? Lines 26-49)
Leopard (lust; lust of the flesh), lion (pride; boastful pride of life), she-wolf
(cravings; avarice; lust of the eyes)—1 John 2:15
Cf. Jer. 5:6
7. Who is the beast with festive skin? (line 34) Time of day & season suggests to me it is Jesus.
8. Who appears to Dante in line 47? Virgil
9. Who is the Hound fed by wisdom, goodness, and love in line 78? Jesus? (footnote says
perhaps a member of the clergy or a benefactor of Dante during his exile)
10. Who are the men mentioned in line 82-83? Characters from Aeneid: 1st & 3rd = Aeneas’ comrades; 2nd & 4th = his enemies
11. In lines 90-102 where does Virgil propose that Dante go and who will be his guide? inferno (Virgil) purgatory ( Virgil); heaven (someone more worthy than Virgil)
12. What is Dante doing at the end of Canto 1? Following where Virgil leads
Canto 2
13. In lines 10-30 to whom does Dante compare himself and find himself wanting?
Aeneas who founded Rome and therefore the place for the papacy and Paul.
14. What did he say they had in common? Both had gone to hell (according to footnote, but really just to immortal world—Aeneas to hell and Paul to heaven) while still alive
15. When? Aeneas in chapter VI of Aeneid; Paul in Acts 9:15 = that Chosen Vessel; 3rd heaven in 2 Cor. 12:2-4
16. What happens in lines 31-33? Dante decides he really doesn’t want to follow Virgil
17. How does Virgil respond? Says cowardice is the problem and then says he’ll ease his fear by telling him why he came to Dante in the first place
18. What was that reason? (lines 43-60) Beatrice left heaven and came to limbo to ask Virgil to rescue Dante
19. Why was Beatrice not afraid to go to limbo? (lines 72-75) She couldn’t be harmed by it.
20. Who is Lady in line 75? The virgin Mary
21. Who is Lucy? According to footnote she is a martyred virgin of 3rd century who is patron saint of sight and illumination. Some authors say Dante may have credited her for healing an eye affliction.
22. Who sent Beatrice to limbo? (lines 81-87) Lucy
23. How does Dante respond when he hears these words from Virgil? His courage renews and he’s ready to follow Virgil (97-105)
Canto 3
24. What is contrapasso? (footnote on lines 45-48)
25. What are the two groups of people Dante sees in this canto? (1) those rejected by both heaven & hell (lines 30-57); left in fore-hell (2) those waiting at Acheron’s shore to cross over to hell.
26. Explain the whirling banner (line 45) footnote says it’s a meaningless banner; I don’t know where this comes from
27. Who is the Great Refusal (line 50) It seems line 42 tells us we can’t know who this is.
Canto 4
28. What was visited in this canto?
29. Did anyone sent to limbo ever make it to the land of the blessed (40-52)
30. Does any of this canto remind you of scripture, either supported or disproved by it?
31. Do you think that Dante believes that the heroes from Greek mythology are as real as the historical figures from ancient Greece and Rome and as the Biblical characters? If not why does he treat them in this canto and the rest of the Divine Comedy as though they are?
32. Who were the four great poets who accompanied Virgil and Dante through Limbo? (lines 73-75)
33. What is the significance of the noble castle circled 7x by a barrier and with 7 gateways which Dante and the poets passed through? (lines 90-95)
34. What was “life” like in limbo? (line 22)
35. What two groups of people were there? (lines 25-30)
Canto 5
36. Where are Virgil and Dante in this canto?
37. Who do they see here and what is his job? (line 3)
38. Who are punished in the 2nd circle of hell? (lines 34-36)
39. What is the punishment? How is it contrapasso?
40. In line 88 what is Po?
41. Tell me the story of Paolo (Paola) and Francesco (line 103). How did they fall in love? How did they die? What do you think is Dante’s reason for selecting these 2 lovers to focus on?
42. What is a Galeotto (line 122)?
43. What is Caina (line 96)
Canto 6
44. Where are Virgil and Dante in this canto?
45. Who is punished here? (line 48)
46. What is the punishment? How is it contrapasso?
47. How did Virgil quiet Cerebeus? (lines 23-29)
48. Souls in Dante’s hell are able to foresee the future. (58-66). Is there any Biblical basis for this? Is there any basis for it in Roman Catholic theology or pagan literature? Does it serve a literary purpose?
49. What question does Dante ask Ciacco (name means hog)?
50. Are lines 84-90 Biblical?
51. Who is the hostile power in line 87
52. What was Dante’s last question to Virgil in the 3rd circle along with Dante’s answer? Do torments of hell increase, decrease, or say the same after final judgment?
53. What is the perfection talked about in 97-99?
Canto 7
54. Who is Plutus?
55. What did Plutus say in line 1?
56. Do you think name, “accursed wolf” in line 7 is related to wolf in canto 1?
57. What 2 questions are asked in lines 17-19? Is an answer given?
58. To what does Dante compare the people in the 4th circle? Lines20-26
59. Who is in the 4th circle and what is their punishment?
60. In lines 50-51 how are the two groups in the 4th described?
61. Why does Virgil find the sinners in this circle ludicrous? Lines 56-89
62. What time reference is given in 87-89.
63. In line 96 Dante is gazing down into the 5th circle of hell. Who is he told lives there?
64. What is the tower in line 115.
Canto 8:
65. What is the significance of the two flames and the returned signal in 5-8?
66. Who rose from the dead channel to address Dante (8:49-50;58)
67. Did Dante or Virgil have any sympathy for him? (8:38-60)
68. What was his punishment?
69. What is the name of the city they approached in the boat? (8:65)
70. Describe their approach to it and the city itself.
71.What obstacle did they meet at the gate? (8:84-115)
72. What was Virgil’s response? (8:116-124)
Canto 9:
1. Who is “she” in line 8?
2. Why does Virgil tell Dante of his earlier trip down to the lower circles of hell? (18-30)
3. Note: Erichtho is a witch in a story by Lucan. This story of her calling Virgil to hell is probably original to Dante.
4. What did Virgil say was the only way to enter the city of woe? (line 31)
5. Do you think the tower in 9:34 is the same as the one in 7:115 and 8:2?
6. What do you know about the Erinyes? (9:39)
7. Who is the queen in 9:40? What else do you now about her?
8. What do you know about Medusa? (9:46)
9. What do you know about Theseus? (9:48)
10. Why did Virgil want Dante to cover his eyes and turn his back? (and then Virgil also covered Dante’s eyes with his own hands) (9:49-54)
11. Who is it that appears and speaks in verses 57-87?
12. What do you know about Cerberus? (9:88)
13. What is the result of the person in question 11’s speech? (9:95)
14. What did they see after they walked through the gate into Dis? (9:99-110)
15. Who was in these sepulchers?
16. What is the significance of Virgil turning to the right in 9:120? (cf 17:27)
17. ***9:55-56 says “Understand well the lesson that underlies The veil of these strange verses I have written.” What do you think these words mean? Check out the footnote.
Canto 10:
1. Where is Jehoshaphat? (10:9) (see also Joel 3:2,12) Is what is said about it Biblically correct?
2. Who is Epicurus? (10:11)
3. Who begins speaking in 10:19? Farinata (10:29)
4. Were Epicurus and Farinata in the same tomb?
5. Does the footnote on 48-66 seem to be without understanding to you?
6. Who is the “one who guides me through here” in 10:57-58.
7. What did Dante say about Farinata in 6:70-75? scorned
8. Who was Farinata?
9. Who appears in 9:48?
10. Why does Dante say Guido is not with him? (10:57-59)
11. What is the art Farinata said his kin was not good at learning? (10:71-72)
12. Who is the Lady in 10:74? What is meant when her face has kindled less than 50 times.
13. What question did Dante ask and how did Farinata answer in 88-99? Is there any Biblical basis for this answer?
14. Who else do we know is in the tomb with Farinata?
15. What does Virgil say will happen when Dante meets Beatrice. (10:122-124)
16. What does the punishment of the heretics have to do with the sin of heresy?
Canto 11
1 .Why did Dante and Virgil pause in Dis before descending further? (11:3-6)
2. What is the difference between Dis in 11:64 and Dis in 8:65?
3. Canto 11 is somewhat difficult to understand I think. Can you summarize it?
1. How does line 1 suggest the time of this story? Psalm 90:10 tells us a person’s span is 70 years; halfway would be 35—the year 1300 for Dante.
2. What are the dark woods? (line 2)
Life lived apart from Christ
3. How did Dante end up in the dark woods? (lines 7-9)
He doesn’t know—he blundered in when sleeping
4. What is the planet in line 14? The sun
5. What is significance of left foot always being lower on the hill? (line 24)
Eccl. 10:2
6. What three animals did Dante meet and what do they represent? Lines 26-49)
Leopard (lust; lust of the flesh), lion (pride; boastful pride of life), she-wolf
(cravings; avarice; lust of the eyes)—1 John 2:15
Cf. Jer. 5:6
7. Who is the beast with festive skin? (line 34) Time of day & season suggests to me it is Jesus.
8. Who appears to Dante in line 47? Virgil
9. Who is the Hound fed by wisdom, goodness, and love in line 78? Jesus? (footnote says
perhaps a member of the clergy or a benefactor of Dante during his exile)
10. Who are the men mentioned in line 82-83? Characters from Aeneid: 1st & 3rd = Aeneas’ comrades; 2nd & 4th = his enemies
11. In lines 90-102 where does Virgil propose that Dante go and who will be his guide? inferno (Virgil) purgatory ( Virgil); heaven (someone more worthy than Virgil)
12. What is Dante doing at the end of Canto 1? Following where Virgil leads
Canto 2
13. In lines 10-30 to whom does Dante compare himself and find himself wanting?
Aeneas who founded Rome and therefore the place for the papacy and Paul.
14. What did he say they had in common? Both had gone to hell (according to footnote, but really just to immortal world—Aeneas to hell and Paul to heaven) while still alive
15. When? Aeneas in chapter VI of Aeneid; Paul in Acts 9:15 = that Chosen Vessel; 3rd heaven in 2 Cor. 12:2-4
16. What happens in lines 31-33? Dante decides he really doesn’t want to follow Virgil
17. How does Virgil respond? Says cowardice is the problem and then says he’ll ease his fear by telling him why he came to Dante in the first place
18. What was that reason? (lines 43-60) Beatrice left heaven and came to limbo to ask Virgil to rescue Dante
19. Why was Beatrice not afraid to go to limbo? (lines 72-75) She couldn’t be harmed by it.
20. Who is Lady in line 75? The virgin Mary
21. Who is Lucy? According to footnote she is a martyred virgin of 3rd century who is patron saint of sight and illumination. Some authors say Dante may have credited her for healing an eye affliction.
22. Who sent Beatrice to limbo? (lines 81-87) Lucy
23. How does Dante respond when he hears these words from Virgil? His courage renews and he’s ready to follow Virgil (97-105)
Canto 3
24. What is contrapasso? (footnote on lines 45-48)
25. What are the two groups of people Dante sees in this canto? (1) those rejected by both heaven & hell (lines 30-57); left in fore-hell (2) those waiting at Acheron’s shore to cross over to hell.
26. Explain the whirling banner (line 45) footnote says it’s a meaningless banner; I don’t know where this comes from
27. Who is the Great Refusal (line 50) It seems line 42 tells us we can’t know who this is.
Canto 4
28. What was visited in this canto?
29. Did anyone sent to limbo ever make it to the land of the blessed (40-52)
30. Does any of this canto remind you of scripture, either supported or disproved by it?
31. Do you think that Dante believes that the heroes from Greek mythology are as real as the historical figures from ancient Greece and Rome and as the Biblical characters? If not why does he treat them in this canto and the rest of the Divine Comedy as though they are?
32. Who were the four great poets who accompanied Virgil and Dante through Limbo? (lines 73-75)
33. What is the significance of the noble castle circled 7x by a barrier and with 7 gateways which Dante and the poets passed through? (lines 90-95)
34. What was “life” like in limbo? (line 22)
35. What two groups of people were there? (lines 25-30)
Canto 5
36. Where are Virgil and Dante in this canto?
37. Who do they see here and what is his job? (line 3)
38. Who are punished in the 2nd circle of hell? (lines 34-36)
39. What is the punishment? How is it contrapasso?
40. In line 88 what is Po?
41. Tell me the story of Paolo (Paola) and Francesco (line 103). How did they fall in love? How did they die? What do you think is Dante’s reason for selecting these 2 lovers to focus on?
42. What is a Galeotto (line 122)?
43. What is Caina (line 96)
Canto 6
44. Where are Virgil and Dante in this canto?
45. Who is punished here? (line 48)
46. What is the punishment? How is it contrapasso?
47. How did Virgil quiet Cerebeus? (lines 23-29)
48. Souls in Dante’s hell are able to foresee the future. (58-66). Is there any Biblical basis for this? Is there any basis for it in Roman Catholic theology or pagan literature? Does it serve a literary purpose?
49. What question does Dante ask Ciacco (name means hog)?
50. Are lines 84-90 Biblical?
51. Who is the hostile power in line 87
52. What was Dante’s last question to Virgil in the 3rd circle along with Dante’s answer? Do torments of hell increase, decrease, or say the same after final judgment?
53. What is the perfection talked about in 97-99?
Canto 7
54. Who is Plutus?
55. What did Plutus say in line 1?
56. Do you think name, “accursed wolf” in line 7 is related to wolf in canto 1?
57. What 2 questions are asked in lines 17-19? Is an answer given?
58. To what does Dante compare the people in the 4th circle? Lines20-26
59. Who is in the 4th circle and what is their punishment?
60. In lines 50-51 how are the two groups in the 4th described?
61. Why does Virgil find the sinners in this circle ludicrous? Lines 56-89
62. What time reference is given in 87-89.
63. In line 96 Dante is gazing down into the 5th circle of hell. Who is he told lives there?
64. What is the tower in line 115.
Canto 8:
65. What is the significance of the two flames and the returned signal in 5-8?
66. Who rose from the dead channel to address Dante (8:49-50;58)
67. Did Dante or Virgil have any sympathy for him? (8:38-60)
68. What was his punishment?
69. What is the name of the city they approached in the boat? (8:65)
70. Describe their approach to it and the city itself.
71.What obstacle did they meet at the gate? (8:84-115)
72. What was Virgil’s response? (8:116-124)
Canto 9:
1. Who is “she” in line 8?
2. Why does Virgil tell Dante of his earlier trip down to the lower circles of hell? (18-30)
3. Note: Erichtho is a witch in a story by Lucan. This story of her calling Virgil to hell is probably original to Dante.
4. What did Virgil say was the only way to enter the city of woe? (line 31)
5. Do you think the tower in 9:34 is the same as the one in 7:115 and 8:2?
6. What do you know about the Erinyes? (9:39)
7. Who is the queen in 9:40? What else do you now about her?
8. What do you know about Medusa? (9:46)
9. What do you know about Theseus? (9:48)
10. Why did Virgil want Dante to cover his eyes and turn his back? (and then Virgil also covered Dante’s eyes with his own hands) (9:49-54)
11. Who is it that appears and speaks in verses 57-87?
12. What do you know about Cerberus? (9:88)
13. What is the result of the person in question 11’s speech? (9:95)
14. What did they see after they walked through the gate into Dis? (9:99-110)
15. Who was in these sepulchers?
16. What is the significance of Virgil turning to the right in 9:120? (cf 17:27)
17. ***9:55-56 says “Understand well the lesson that underlies The veil of these strange verses I have written.” What do you think these words mean? Check out the footnote.
Canto 10:
1. Where is Jehoshaphat? (10:9) (see also Joel 3:2,12) Is what is said about it Biblically correct?
2. Who is Epicurus? (10:11)
3. Who begins speaking in 10:19? Farinata (10:29)
4. Were Epicurus and Farinata in the same tomb?
5. Does the footnote on 48-66 seem to be without understanding to you?
6. Who is the “one who guides me through here” in 10:57-58.
7. What did Dante say about Farinata in 6:70-75? scorned
8. Who was Farinata?
9. Who appears in 9:48?
10. Why does Dante say Guido is not with him? (10:57-59)
11. What is the art Farinata said his kin was not good at learning? (10:71-72)
12. Who is the Lady in 10:74? What is meant when her face has kindled less than 50 times.
13. What question did Dante ask and how did Farinata answer in 88-99? Is there any Biblical basis for this answer?
14. Who else do we know is in the tomb with Farinata?
15. What does Virgil say will happen when Dante meets Beatrice. (10:122-124)
16. What does the punishment of the heretics have to do with the sin of heresy?
Canto 11
1 .Why did Dante and Virgil pause in Dis before descending further? (11:3-6)
2. What is the difference between Dis in 11:64 and Dis in 8:65?
3. Canto 11 is somewhat difficult to understand I think. Can you summarize it?
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