Guide through Canto XXVIII

Summary :

            Dante and Virgil continue their way through the eighth circle of hell, and come across the ninth bolgia. Dante looks in, and says he has never seen so much blood before. He says that there was more blood and wounds there than in any previous conflict. Dante and Virgil look on to see a man who has been torn in half with his guts hanging out. The man reveals himself to be Mohammed and explains why he is sliced in such a way. He tells the poets that the ninth bolgia is where the sowers of discord are, and that there is a devil who cuts them in half. Mohammed goes on to explain that the sinners then walk in a circle, allowing their wounds to heal, only to be cut in half again.

            Then, once again, Virgil is questioned on why he is down this far and hell, and we see Virgil tell the sinner the same story he’s told everyone else. Upon hearing that Dante is still alive, Mohammed asks him to warn Dolcino to pack more food on his campaign back on Earth. With that, Mohammad walks off and Dante is approached by another man. This one claims to be Pier da Medicina, and he asks Dante to warn Guido and Angiolello of being drowned by the Cattolica. Dante asks to be shown another sinner, and is pointed in the direction of Curio, who has his tongue cut out. Mosca then shouts that Dante should remember him too, but is quickly silenced by Dante.

            Dante then sees a man who holds his own head out like a lantern. The man exclaims that he is Bertran de Born, the man who pinned Henry II against his son, the Young King Henry of England. Bertran then explains his own contrapasso, marking the end of Canto XXVIII.

Important Quotes :

“Every tongue would surely fail, because our language and our memory have little capacity to comprehend so much.” (Inf. 28.4)	Dante is pointing out here that the scene here in the ninth bolgia is so cruel and disgusting, that nobody could possibly describe it. It is physically impossible because of how little the human mind can comprehend.
“And all the other you see here were sowers scandal and schism while they were alive and therefore are they cloven in this way.” (Inf. 28.34)	Mohammed is explaining the punishment for the sowers of discord. He is also flat out explaining the contrapasso.
“I surely saw, and it seems I still see, a torso without a head walking like the others of the sorry flock…” (Inf. 28.118)	Dante’s account of Bertran de Born. Bertran is carrying his head like a lantern. This image of holding a head mirrors that of Perseus holding Medusa’s head.

The Sinners :

            Here in the ninth bolgia of the eighth circle of hell, the sinners are the sowers of discord. All that means is that the people there pinned two sides against each other, or split one group of people into two.

Punishment for these sinners :      

            The punishment in the ninth bolgia is one of the easier ones to explain. Here, the sowers of discord are first sliced by a devil with a sword, and then they must make their way around the circle. While they are making their round, their wounds heal allowing their bodies to come back together. Once they make it around the circle, the devil slices them again, and the process repeats.

Link to Contrapasso :

            The contrapasso in Canto XXVIII is very straight forward. Since all the sinners did on Earth was split people apart and pin them against each other, the same is done to their bodies in hell. Their bodies are literally cut in half, the same that their actions caused groups of people on Earth to do.

Character Analysis :

Mohammed	-He is the first to confront Dante in the ninth bolgia. -On Earth, he was the founder of Islam. -Because he drew many people away from Christianity, he is labeled as a sower of discord. -All he asked is that Dante warn Brother Dolcino to bring more food on his campaign.
Pier da Medicina	-He approaches Dante after learning that Dante is still alive. -He uses his slit throat as mouth, so that he may speak to Dante. -He asks Dante to warn Guido and Angiolello about being drowned.
Curio	-He has no tongue and cannot speak to Dante. -Dante is told that Curio is the one who told Caesar to cross the Rubicon River, starting the Roman Civil War.
Mosca	-He is one of the Florentines Dante mentions much earlier (Canto VI). -On Earth, he urged a Ghibelline family to take revenge on a Guelf family, dividing the city of Florence between the two political parties. -He asks Dante to remember him, but Dante rejects him.
Bertran de Born	-He walks around holding his head up like a lantern. -On Earth, he told the Young King Henry to rebel against his father, Henry II -He doesn’t seem to have any shame in who he is and what he did.

Discussion Questions :

1.      Dante really stresses the fact that there were more wounds here than in any other manmade conflict. Why do you think Dante the poet makes this bolgia so destructive and dyed with blood?

2.      Unlike in the previous bolgias, the sinners here perk up when they hear that Dante is still alive. We see again the pattern of the people in hell wanting recognition back on Earth. What caused them to do this? Why is there a group of people who want recognition this deep in hell?

3.      Not only to the people want recognition, but they also want Dante to warn some of their friends back on Earth. Why do you believe that these sinners want Dante to do this? Is it an attempt to help Dante, or are they only in it for themselves?

4.      Bertran de Born has no problems shouting out who he is and what he did. We have not seen this kind of publicity so far on Dante’s journey. What is the motivation behind Bertran doing this? Might it have something to do with him carrying his head?

Multiple Choice :

1.      What circle of hell are Dante and Virgil in?

a.       Fifth circle

b.      Eighth circle

c.       Twenty-first circle

d.      Seventh Circle

2.      Who is being punished in this Canto?

a.       The Sowers of Fraud

b.      The Violent Against Neighbors

c.       The Sowers of Discord

d.      The Wrathful

3.      How are they punished?

a.       They are sliced in half

b.      They boil in blood

c.       They are weighed down by the souls they betrayed

d.      Both c and b

4.      Who talks to Dante first?

a.       Virgil

b.      Curio

c.       Dolcino

d.      Mohammed

5.      Who approached Dante next?

a.       Pier da Medicina

b.      Mohammed

c.       Ali

d.      Curio

6.      What is his wish?

a.       That Dante spread his fame on Earth

b.      That Dante warn his friends from Fano

c.       That Dante tell Dolcino to bring more food

d.      Both a and b

7.      Who had his tongue sliced in half?

a.       Guido

b.      Curio

c.       Mosca

d.      Achitophel

8.      Why does he suffer this punishment?

a.       He betrayed Caesar

b.      He tried to escape

c.       He talked of rebelling against God

d.      He started the Roman Civil War

9.      Who carries his head around?

a.       Curio

b.      Mosca

c.       Bertran de Born

d.      The young king

10.  What does his head act as?

a.       A lantern

b.      A reminder of his sin

c.       A sign of rebellion

d.      All of the above

May Lupa flourish in the times to come.