After five months, he and his crew came in view of a great mountain. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the sparknotes inferno study guide has everything you need to ace quizzes. Inferno opens on the evening of good friday in the year 0. In dante alighieris inferno, the poet and pilgrim dante embarks on a spiritual journey. See a complete list of the characters in inferno and indepth analyses of dante alighieri and virgil. Summary at the opening of canto ix, dante, waiting outside of the gate to the city of dis, is afraid. The soul is dantes florentine enemy, filippo argenti, one of the wrathful in the marsh. Why every person in the world should read dante s commedia professor bill cook duration. Italian for hell is the first part of italian writer dante alighieris 14thcentury epic poem divine comedy. They lead dante to a great castle with seven walls, wherein he sees the souls of other great figures. Sparknotes motto is smarter, better, faster because. Virgil approves of dantes sentiments and helps dante up over the ridge to the fourth pouch. The group passes through the castles gate and walks along a green meadow.
Written by harvard students for students, since its inception sparknotes has developed a loyal community of dedicated users and become a major education brand. The sun shines down on a mountain above him, and he attempts to climb up to it but finds his way blocked by three beastsa leopard, a lion, and a shewolf. Dante, now accompanied by these five ancient poets, comes upon a great castle, surrounded by walls. Virgil cryptically advises him to snap a twig off of one of the trees. Here he encounters the ghost of virgil, the great roman poet, who has come to guide dante back to his path.
The divine comedy is a long italian narrative poem by dante alighieri, begun c. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The inferno follows the wanderings of the poet dante as he strays off the rightful and straight path of moral truth and gets lost in a dark wood. For jorge luis borges the divine comedy was the best book literature has achieved. A summary of cantos xxivxxvi in dante alighieris inferno. Inferno is an epic poem by dante alighieri that was first published in 21. Guided by the soul of the roman poet virgil, dante travels down through the nine circles of hell and witnesses the punishments eternally suffered by the souls of deceased sinners.
Written in the first person, the poem tells of dantes journey through the three realms of the dead, lasting from the night before good friday to. A summary of cantos iii in dante alighieris inferno. Summary the poets are approaching the great tower when two flames shoot from its top, and immediately, another flame. The inferno tells the journey of dante through hell, guided by the ancient roman poet virgil.
In the second ring of the seventh circle of hell, virgil and dante enter a strange wood filled with black and gnarled trees. A summary of cantos xviiixx in dante alighieris inferno. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of inferno and what it means. In the poem, hell is depicted as nine concentric circles of torment located within the earth. Heres where youll find analysis of the poem as a whole, from themes and symbols to key facts.