Dante's Inferno

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 sets up the journey by saying that he found himself in a dark wood and that the straight way was lost. This means that he is no longer on the path to salvation and it is only going to get worse from this point on. It is clear that he is full of fear and he states that he was tired when he abandoned the true way. He encountered three different beasts along the way that made him turn back. They were a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf. Dante writes that the she-wolf "little by little was driving me back to where the sun is silent." The notes to Canto 1 say that this means that knowledge is darkened and hope is gone. He was falling into a low place, a dark and scary place. Virgil arrives and saves him. Dante asks Virgil for help and tells him that the beast makes his veins and pulses tremble. Virgil tells Dante to follow him and that he will be his guide. Dante begs him to escape this evil so he can eventually ge to the gate of Saint Peter.

2) In the other canti that you read choose one canto that particularly strikes/interests you. What reading/interpretation of this canto can you bring to the discussion on Tuesday?

Canto 3 is very interesting because it is when Dante and Virgil enter the Hell Gate. There were words inscribed on the gate which were stated at the beginning of canto 3. The basic message of these words was that once anyone enters they will be making their way into eternal sorrow and they should abandon their every hope. They then come to a river called Acheron that is gloomy and is the boundary river of Hades, dividing the living from the dead. Charon is a demon that transports the newly deceased across the Acheron. Charon is described as having eyes like glowing coals, which means that they are as hot as flames of fire. Virgil tells Dante that only damned souls pass over the river into Hell. I think that the most important theme in this canto is the theme of sinning. Dante sees what the punishments are for sinning and what the rewards are for being truthful.