Canto XI-XII
Why do Dante and Virgil need to wait to descend into the 7th circle?
Because it smells!
What mythical creatures torment souls in the 7th circle, 2nd ring?
What group of people are punished by always walking in the burning sand?
Sodomites
What creature do the travelers meet between the 7th and 8th circle, and describe him
Geryon: Honest face, clawed and hairy arms, ornate back and sides, scorpion-like tail
Who is punished in the third ditch, and how are they punished?
Simonists - upside down in holes in the ground (baptismal fonts) and feet are burned
What mythical creature guards the way into the 7th circle?
Minotaur
Suicides and profligates - turn into trees that feel physical pain when branches are broken and the profligates run through that forest
Who does Dante meet when talking with the sodomites?
His teacher, Brunetto Latini
Who does Dante talk to as they wait for the mythical creature to ascend?
Usurers
Who is punished in the fourth ditch, and what is their punishment?
Soothsayers - walk with heads on backwards
What group is punished in the first ring of the 7th circle, and how are they punished?
Murderers/tyrants - stand in boiling blood commensurate with how much blood they spilled
Who are the three groups of people punished in the 3rd ring of the 7th circle?
Blasphemers, sodomites, and usurers
What does Virgil toss into the pit?
Cord wrapped around Dante's waist
Explain the contropasso for the flatterers
Who do they meet in the third ditch?
Pope Nicholas III
Why is sins of fraud worse than sins of fraud, according to Dante?
Misuse of reason/intellect which is unique to mankind - i.e. misuse of the capacity that is unique to mankind
Why did Piero commit suicide?
Envy inflamed the hearts of other courtiers who convinced the king that Piero was a bad guy. He is then thrown into prison and commits suicide there as he sees it better than the shame he has to live with
Dante meets a group of three Florentines in the 3rd ring. What are these men concerned about?
The state of Florence and/or worldly fame
Who is punished in the first ditch of the 8th circle, and how?
Pimps and seducers - walking while being whipped
What is the sin of simony?
Buying and selling of church offices and holding church offices fraudulently
Describe the layout of the lower hell (not including 9th circle)
7th - separated out into 3 rings - violent against others, selves, and God
8th - 10 ditches - committed fraud against others
Describe the Old Man of Crete and what role he plays in Dante's Inferno
Source of the rivers - head = gold; arms, hands, and chest = silver; abdomen = brass; legs = iron; right foot = terra cotta
What is the sin of sodomy fundamentally about, according to the Medieval mind?
Fruitlessness/sterility - not just a sexual sin, but a sin where nothing is produced though something ought to be
How does Geryon fit as a bridge between the 7th and 8th circles?
Fits in fraud by his honest face that draws you in and then stabs you with his scorpion-like tail. Fits in violence by him wanting to kill/destroy the travelers
Who first inhabited the site of Virgil's home city?
Manto