Guide through Canto XIV

Summary :

            Dante gathers the leaves to the unknown suicide and places them around the tree. The two then go on and approach the third subcircle of the seventh circle of hell. However, Dante and Virgil stop right at the edge of the forest and do not step foot into the third subcircle.

            This part of hell is devoid of all life, as the ground is a scorching desert, and fire rains down from the sky. From the edge, Dante can see the sinners, as some lie on the ground, others huddled together, and the rest walking in circles; the blasphemers, usurers, and sodomites respectfully. Dante asks Virgil who these people are, but before he can answer, Capaneus comes up and interrupts.

            Capaneus begins going on a rant, talking about how he died, and how Jupiter was afraid of him. It wasn’t long before Virgil spoke harshly and sternly towards Caperneus, warding him off. Virgil explains that Capaneus was a king who tried to capture Thebes, and was a blasphemer. The two keep moving, making sure to stay close to the forest.

            They come across a red river that runs through the burning subcircle. Virgil says it will provide a safe path through the fiery plain, so the two follow it. Along the way, Virgil explains to Dante the story of the Old Man of Crete and how his tears are what make the rivers in hell. Virgil mentions the Phlegethon and the Lethe, two rivers that Dante has not seen yet. Virgil says that Dante has already seen Phlegethon, and that Lethe is at the top of the mountain of Purgatory. The two then follow a path along the side of the third subcircle and make their way through. This concludes Canto XIV.

Important Quotes :

“The floor was coarse, dry sand, not made differently from that once trodden by the feet of Cato.” (Inf. 14.13)	This is Dante’s description of the ground of the third subcircle of the seventh circle of hell. The historical reference here is to Cato the Younger, who crossed the Sahara desert with his army against Julius Caesar. According to Ovid, the Sahara desert that Cato crossed was caused by Phaethon losing control of his chariot, scorching the earth.
“As I was alive, so am I dead.” (Inf. 14.50)	Capaneus’s response to Dante’s question. It is a direct relation to the Stoic philosophy. The irony here is that was Capaneus’s Stoicism, which taught perfection, is what drafted him into hell.
“O Capaneus, since your pride is not extinguished…” (Inf. 14.62)	Virgil’s outburst towards Capaneus. Once again, we see Virgil defending himself and Dante from the people of hell. Virgil uses a little play on words here by using extinguished, which fits into the fiery subcircle they’re in.

The Sinners :

            There are three sinners in the third subcircle of the seventh circle of hell. They are the violent against God, the violent against nature, and the violent against art, otherwise known as the blasphemers, sodomites, and the usurers, respectfully. Note: violent against nature is not as obvious as it sounds. It refers to homosexual acts, because in Dante’s day, those were acts not intended by God, and therefore, unnatural.

Punishment for these sinners :

            The third subcircle of the seventh circle of hell is a fiery desert where fire rains down from the sky. The sandy ground is constantly burning, adding to their suffering. However, each sinner experiences their pain differently.

            Those violent against God must spread out on the ground, looking up into the sky, watching the fire rain down. The usurers are sitting, huddled together. Lastly, the ones who were violent against nature wander around the plain in circles. They are all punished together because they are all interpreted as acts against God, whether they are direct, or indirect.

Link to Contrapasso :

            The connection between the sins of the third subcircle of the seventh circle and their punishment is present, but not as obvious as other connections have been in past cantos. The blasphemers, the ones who were violent towards God in their words and actions, are forced to lie on the burning sand, facing the fiery rain. Where they did nothing but look to the skies and disrespect God in their life, they must look to the skies once more as God scorches them.

            The usurers, who spent their lives charging interest on loans, sit huddled up in circles while the fire rains down. The connection here is that as the violent against art would huddle together to formulate new ways to suck God’s cities dry of wealth, they are to huddle together while God rains his fire on them.

            Lastly, the sodomites committed acts of homosexuality, although they are not homosexuals. In hell, they are to walk around aimlessly in circles. They no longer are given God’s guidance, since they went against it during their lives.

Character Analysis :

Capaneus

-A sinner found in the third subcircle of the seventh circle of hell. -He is a blasphemer. -When Dante and Virgil encounter him, he is still bad mouthing God. - Somehow, he is able to endure the pain from hell, as Dante refers to him as “that great one.”

Discussion Questions :

1.      Canto XIV opens up with the act of love Dante commits, when he gathers the leaves of the unknown suicide and placed them by the tree. How is this act significant? Why would Dante (the hero) do this? Was it truly an act of love, or maybe of something else?

2.      After being interrupted by Capaneus, Virgil became very stern and forceful. Why do think this is? Is Virgil simply becoming weary of all the people in hell, or is hell starting to get to him? Remember, Virgil has never traveled this deep into hell before.

3.      While talking about the rivers in hell, Virgil does not tell Dante what Cocytus looks like. Virgil says he won’t tell because he wants Dante to see for himself, but that has not been his reasoning in the past. Why do you think Virgil is keeping Dante in the dark here?

4.      In the third subcircle of the seventh circle of hell there are three sinners. Did you find it strange that those three were grouped together? Why do you think Dante grouped them together?

Multiple Choice :

1.      The circle of hell in Canto XIV is _______.

a.       The seventh, subcircle 1

b.      The eighth, subcircle 3

c.       The seventh, subcircle 3

d.      The sixth, subcircle 4

2.      The subcircle’s floor is like what?

a.       Sand

b.      Steel

c.       Mud

d.      Blood

3.      The sinners here are the _________.

a.       Violent against their neighbors, themselves, and God

b.      Violent against God, nature, and art

c.       Violent against their people, their culture, and their family

d.      Violent against the future, progress, and technology

4.      What falls from the sky?

a.       Icy hail

b.      Frosty snow

c.       Fiery flakes

d.      Boiling blood

5.      Who is Capaneus?

a.       A former king

b.      A conqueror of Thebes

c.        A friend of Dante’s

d.      Both a and b

6.      How did Capaneus say he died?

a.       Struck by Jupiter’s thunderbolt

b.      Poisoned by his slaves

c.       Killed by a riot

d.      Stabbed at the battle of Phlegra

7.      Where is Ida?

a.       The ninth circle of hell

b.      The island of Crete

c.       Halfway between hell and purgatory

d.      Heaven, where it is the tallest mountain

8.      What do Dante and Virgil follow out of the subcircle?

a.       A brick path

b.      Wet sand

c.       A river

d.      Nothing, because Virgil knows the way.

9.      Which river has Dante not seen yet?

a.       The Archeron

b.      The Styx

c.       The Phlegethon

d.      The Lethe

10.  How does Virgil describe the Cocytus?

a.       He doesn’t

b.      A dark, deep red as it filled with the blood of demons

c.       Crystal clear, so the sinners may look into their souls

d.      Boiling and about to erupt like an active volcano

May Lupa flourish in the times to come.