l+

Dante Alighieri, Inferno
(completed cir. 1321)
prose paraphrase for Microsoft Internet Explorer
TM by Dr. Goëtes
 

About Powers of Literature:

Powers Title Page

site map

readings & lessons

subject index

technical FAQ

instructor 

copyright notice

 

 

 

Contents

Note: the contents headings and footnotes are editorial additions,
in no way originally part of Dante's poem.

Canto 1:  Dante in the dark
Dante meets Virgil
Virgil becomes Dante's guide 

Canto 2: Dante doubts his fitness for the journey 
Virgil's mission from Beatrice
Lucia is sent to Beatrice
Dante is persuaded to go

Canto 3: The gate of hell
The neutral souls
Charon the ferryman  
souls by the shore of Acheron 
 

Canto 4: First Circle: Limbo: virtuous pagans 
princes of poetry 
lords and ladies on the green   

philosophers and scientists   

Canto 5: Second Circle: Minos: The Lustful  
Virgil names the lovers  
Paolo and Francesca  

Canto 6: Third Circle: Cerberus: The Gluttons;  
Ciacco 
Ciacco’s prophecy for Florence
Virgil speaks of Doomsday

Canto 7: Fourth Circle: Plutus: The Materialists
Misers versus prodigal churchmen 
Virgil talks about Fortune 
The River Styx

Canto 8: Fifth Circle: Phlegyas: The Angry 
Dante's anger toward Filippo Argenti
Gates of the City of Dis
Fallen Angels guard the gates

Canto 9: Dante asks about precedents
The Furies and Medusa
The Messenger from Heaven
Sixth Circle: Dis: The Heretics 

Canto 10: Epicurus and his followers
Farinata degli Uberti
Cavalcante Cavalcanti 
Farinata's prophecy
Prophetic power of the dead

Canto 11: Virgil describes circles #7-9
The contrasting circles #1-6 
Virgil explains banking

Canto 12: Seventh Circle: The Minotaur
First Ring: Centaurs: The Violent 
Tyrants, Murderers and Warriors 

Canto 13: Second Ring: Harpies: The Suicides
The Wood of Suicides: Pier delle Vigne
The fate of Suicides 
Lano & Jacomo 
The unknown Florentine 

Canto 14: Third Ring: The Violent against God
Capaneus
The Ancient Giant under Crete  
Rivers Phlegethon and Lethe

Canto 15: Brunetto Latini
Brunetto’s prophecy 
Dante accepts his fate 
Brunetto names some of his companions 

Canto 16: Rusticucci, Guido Guerra, Aldobrandi
 The condition of Florence
Virgil goes fishing

Canto 17: The fraud-beast Geryon
The Money Men
The descent on Geryon’s back

Canto 18: Eighth Circle: Malebolge
First Ditch: The Pimps and Seducers

The Panders: Venedico de’ Caccianemico
The Seducers: Jason
Second Ditch: The Flatterers

Canto 19: Third Ditch: The Sellers of Holy Things
Pope Nicholas III

Dante speaks against Simony

Canto 20: Fourth Ditch: The Prophets
 The Ancient Seers
Manto and the founding of Mantua
 Magicians and Witches

Canto 21: Fifth Ditch: The Corrupt Politicians
The bribe takers
Virgil confronts Bad Ass  
The Demon escort

Canto 22: More Fifth Ditch
Ciampolo
Ciampolo names other crooks
 Ciampolo escapes
 The Malebranche quarrel

Canto 23: Sixth Ditch: The Hypocrites
 The Hypocrites
 The Jolly Friars: Caiaphas
 Virgil's Anger

Canto 24 The Poets climb: Virgil preaches fame
 The Seventh Ditch: The Thieves
 Fucci and the serpent
 Fucci’s prophecy

Canto 25: More Seventh Ditch: Cacus
 Transformation of Agnello
 Buoso, Puccio, Francesco

Canto 26: Eighth Ditch: Valley of the Heroes
 Ulysses
Ulysses at Mount Purgatory

Canto 27: More Eighth Ditch: Guido Da Montefeltro
 Politics in Romagna
 Guido’s history

Canto 28: Ninth Ditch: The Sowers of Discord
Mohammed
  Pier della Medicina
Curio and Mosca
 Bertrand de Born

Canto 29: More Ninth Ditch: Geri del Bello
Tenth Ditch: The Falsifiers
 Griffolino and Capocchio
 Griffolino’s story
 Spendthrifts of Siena

Canto 30: More Tenth Ditch: Schicci and Myrrha
 Adam of Brescia
Sinon & Potiphar’s wife
Virgil reproves Dante for wasting time

Canto 31: The Giants guarding the central pit 
Nimrod
 Ephialtes
Antaeus

Canto 32: Ninth Circle: The frozen River Cocytus
Caina: Alessandro and Napoleone
 Antenora: Bocca degli Abbati
Ptolomaea: Ugolino and Ruggieri

Canto 33: Count Ugolino’s story
Friar Alberigo

Canto 34: Judecca: Lucifer
 Judas: Brutus: Cassius
 The return to the surface

 

Commentary on Dante:

Dante and the medieval invention of the self.

Hell: Dante goes deeper than you think!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virgil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hell gate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neutral souls 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acheron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circle 1.
Limbo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The poets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circle 2.
the Lustful

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circle 3.
Gluttons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circle 4.
The greedy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circle 5.
The enraged and withdrawn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filippo Argenti

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

City of Dis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Furies or Erinyes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circle 6.
The Heretics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Farinata and Cavalcanti

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circle 7.
The willfully violent

 

The Minotaur

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nessus and Centaurs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circle 7, ring 1.
the bloodbath

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circle 7, ring 2.
the suicides,
violent against self

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pier delle Vigne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lano and Jacomo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the unknown Florentine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circle 7, ring 3: the violent against God

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capaneus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the Ancient Giant of Crete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brunetto Latini