Inferno Canto Guide 7

La Divina Comedia: Inferno

Canto VII

By Allison Tucker

Summary:

As Dante and Virgil continued on their journey in hell on the fourth circle, they came upon a demon named Plutus. Virgil calms the demon and proceeded on. There was a ditch within the fourth circle. Within the ditch, there were two groups of tortured souls.  These souls were called the wasters and the hoarders. Both groups were forced to push weights around in a semi-circle until they rammed into each other. Then they turned the opposite way and started again. Virgil explained to Dante that these dead souls were condemned to hell for not following Fortune’s wishes. “For all the gold that is under the moon and that ever was could not give rest to even one of these weary souls” (Dante 115).

Dante was still thinking about Virgil’s explanation as they continued to the fifth circle. The muddy river Styx was the border between the fourth and fifth circle. There they witnessed people who were covered with mud, biting and hitting each other. “So we wound about a large arc of the filthy swamp, between the dry bank and the wetness, our eyes turned on those who swallowed mud” (Dante 119). These souls were called the Wrathful. Their punishment was being submerged in the mud for eternity.  They also came across the Sullen who were those who complained about everything.

Sins of this Canto:

The sins of this Canto are greed, wastefulness, self-pity and anger. All of these sins are thought to come from the Bible. Greed is “the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).

Punishment/Cantrapasso:

As we read in the book, the two groups of souls, the Wasteful and the Hoarders, had to continually push weights around in a semi-circle until they smashed into each other and then go the other way.  All of the sinners were people of God that were supposed to be pure but had fallen to selfishness.

For the fifth circle, the punishment was to live forever in the black mud and to be buried where no one can hear you. This was because you lived a cruel and hateful life.

Important Characters:

The Hoarders	Were mainly dishonest priests and religious men who didn’t share their goods with those less fortunate than they were.
The Wasters	Wasteful with their worldly goods.
“Fortune”	A person’s true nature: either giving or greedy.
The Wrathful	Were the souls of people who were filled with anger their entire life.
Sullen	Muttered, sulked, bad tempered. Choked on mud

Plutus

A demon that guarded the fourth circle of hell.

Important Quote:

-“A general minister and leader who would transfer to time to time the empty goods from one people to another, from one family to another, beyond any human wisdom’s power to prevent “(Dante 117). ß Fortune

Multiple Choice Questions:

1.     Who was the demon that Virgil and Dante came across?

a.     Pluto

b.     Plootes

c.     Plutus

2.     What did the dead souls push around?

a.     Rocks

b.     Weights

c.     Bodies

3.     Who were the dead souls mentioned in question two?

a.     Hoarders

b.     Wasters

c.     Prodigal

d.     Both b and c

4.     What did Dante see when he first entered circle four?

a.     A hill

b.     A ditch

c.     Satan

5.     What did the Wasters do to be in hell?

a.     They stole

b.     They were careless and spendthrift

c.     They hoarded

6.     What shape did the two souls make when they pushed the weights around?

a.     A square

b.     A circle

c.     A semi-circle

7.     What was the river called that bordered the fifth circle?

a.     Styx

b.     Sullen

c.     Strex

8.      In the fifth circle, what was their punishment?

a.     Being submerged in the mud

b.     Forced to eat mud

c.     Mud was being thrown at them

9.     What does Sullen mean?

a.     Dishonest

b.     Bad tempered

c.     Disloyal

10.  What is the fourth circle called?

a.     The gluttonous

b.     The wrathful

c.     The hoarders and the spendthrifts

Higher Order Thinking Questions:

1.    What is the significance of the Hoarders and the Wasters clashing into each other? Why do you think they were forced to do so?

2.    What is the significance of Fortune in the fourth circle? Why is Fortune related to both groups?

3.    Why do you think the souls in the fifth circle were punished with mud?

Take your notes here!

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Dante, Alighieri, Robert M. Durling, and Roland L. Martinez. The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri. New York: Oxford UP, 1996. Print.