Dante's Inferno Canti 1-6

1. Canto 1: How does Dante 'set up' the journey here? What themes / ideas does he bring forth to accomplish this? What kind of journey is this? What is the pilgrim's state of mind at this time? Why?

Dante’s journey is set up when his life loses direction and he gets lost in a dark forest. Dante says that he “cannot well repeat how I entered, so full was I of slumber at the moment in which I had abandoned the way” (1. 10-12). He the “planet’s rays” shining above the mountain and attempted to climb to it, but is stopped by three beasts. The Virgil appears to help guide him to heaven, but first having to go through hell to get there. While passing through the first three circles of hell he recognized some famous people. He learned what sent them to hell in the first place and the type of suffering they must endure. The different levels of hell signify the severity of one’s sins. Dante continues to become overwhelmed with pity and faints after going through the first and second circle of hell, but he will soon realize that a person’s sins corresponds with the punishment they receive. After the Last Judgment, however, all of creation will be perfected.
2. In the other canti that you read for this day, choose one canto which particularly strikes / interests you. What reading / interpretation of this canto can you bring to the discussion on Tuesday?

Canto IV seemed to be most interesting for the fact that the people were in Limbo because they were born before Christianity or they were never baptized, not because they did not lead virtuous lives. People may get the opportunity to leave Limbo like Noah and Moses did, but only upon Christ’s wish can they do so. It was ironic to see all of these influential and successful people there such as Homer, Horace, Aristotle, and Plato to name a few. These people all made a huge impact on earth through either poetry or philosophy, but they could not make it to heaven in the after life.