• The Significance of the Dark Woods; it's where we lose our way, and that moment of realization when we know it, but don't know the way out, The Mount is a place of Joy, where everything is clear. It gives hope, and Dante tries to get out of the woods, but Dante tries to go right for it and fails; the right path must be found.

• The obstacles are the beasts, symbolic of kinds of sins. I think the She-Wolf (1.47-51, p. 29 & 1.85-95, pp. 30-31) is indeed incontinence (see the note on p. 32;--you're supposed to interpret). What is incontinence? A failure to contain oneself, but it manifests as hunger, as self-defense, as need.
• 1.94 (p. 31) Shift to political allegory, which I can explain only very generally.

• Dante's "cowardice"
• The real Beatrice.

• Born 1266 (a year younger than Dante)
• Dante first saw her when she was 8 & he 9 at a party at her father's house
• "Dante's courtly love for Beatrice continued for nine years, before the pair finally met again. This meeting occurred in a street of Florence, which she walked along dressed in white and accompanied by two older women. She turned and greeted him, her salutation filling him with such joy that he retreated to his room to think about her. In doing so, he fell asleep, and had a dream which would become the subject of the first sonnet in La Vita Nuova."
• Dante married Gemma Donati in 1285.
• Beatrice married a banker in 1287.
• Beatrice died in 1290, age 24.
• Beatrice: First sight, the greeting. The dream.

  ...And betaking me to the loneliness of mine own room, I fell to thinking of this most courteous lady, thinking of whom I was overtaken by a pleasant slumber, wherein a marvelous vision was presented to me: for there appeared to be in my room a mist of the colour of fire, within the which I discerned the figure of a Lord of terrible aspect to such as should gaze upon him, but who seemed there-withal to rejoice inwardly that it was a marvel to see. Speaking he said many things, among the which I could understand but few; and of these, this: "I am thy Lord". In his arms it seemed to me that a person was sleeping, covered only with a crimson cloth; upon whom looking very attentively, I knew that it was the Lady of the Salutation, who had deigned the day before to salute me. And he who held her held also in his hand a thing that was burning in flames, and he said to me "Behold thy heart". But when he had remained with me a little while, I thought that he set himself to awaken her that slept; after the which he made her to eat that thing which flamed in his hand; and she ate as one fearing.

  She is the conduit of God's love, of blessedness.
• Her place in the allegory of God's providence, and the solution of the problem of "cowardice."

• "PRIMORDIAL LOVE" as one of the forces which makes Hell. --Explain free will.
• "souls who have lost the good of the intellect" (18, p. 42) --Look at 99 (p. 45), see what's missing? --The note says that they are not permitted to repent, but that's not quite it.
• Dante's skill with similes is well-known. Look at the two from 109-114.
• leaves falling
• flock of birds streaming away

• "untormented sadness" (28, p. 50) -- "untormented" is significant, but there's still a problem, which leads to the next point
• "has any . . ." (49, p. 51) -- The harrowing of hell. It's an ancient tradition with slender support in scripture; see the Wikipedia entry.

  The Apostle's Creed (Lutheran):
  I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
  maker of heaven and earth.
  

  And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
  who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
  and born of the virgin Mary,
  suffered under Pontius Pilate,
  was crucified, died and was buried.
  He descended into hell.
  On the third day He rose again from the dead.
  He ascended into heaven
  and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
  From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
  

  I believe in the Holy Spirit,
  the holy Christian church,
  the communion of saints,
  the forgiveness of sins,
  the resurrection of the body,
  and the life everlasting. Amen.

• Most of those in Limbo are masters of knowledge, but "the Saladin" is there too.

• The sweet, sad Story of Paolo and Francesca
• 
• "What sweetest thoughts" (110, p. 61) incontinence is the beginning of sin. Paolo and Francesca were incontinent, we might think for good reason, though Dante does not.

• She is a she. This is traditional, but it also indicates that she, like any woman, cannot be trusted.
• She has wings, indicating that she may fly away at any moment.
• She spins a wheel of fortune, indicating that no one can be blessed by fortune forever.
• Kings and Bishops are on the wheel, but Dame Fortune also wears a crown, indicating that she has dominion over both the secular and religious domains.
• There's a monk at the side, whose meaning I'm not sure of, but perhaps the monk is the person who, because he is dedicated to a life of poverty, doesn't ride on the wheel of fortune, and so is exempt from the pains of the ride.

The figures in the picture are all symbolical; they represent classes of people (such as kings or bishops), or kinds of people (such as the ambitious or materialistic).

This is a simple, traditional type of allegory which conveys a moral lesson, such as "you can trust only in God, not in Fortune."

Dante's kind of allegory:

• He uses real people as symbols. For example . . .
• He conveys not only moral lessons, but the living experience.

The headnotes generally focus on the moral lesson, as in the following from p. 65:
These are the GLUTTONS. In life they made no higher use of the gifts of God than to wallow in food and drink, producers of nothing but garbage and offal. Here they lie through all eternity, themselves like garbage.
This is a valid interpretation, but there is more to be said: The punishment of the sin also conveys the sinner's experience of the sin is as the sinner is committing it.

• "turning and turning from it as if they thought one naked side could keep the other warm" (p. 66, line 20) This is the key line for the first discussion question for this canto, "How is the punishment of the sin an allegory for the experience of the sin here on earth?"
• Another Question: Is gluttony a sin in essence? That is, do you personally believe that gluttony is a sin only because God says so, or are there other reasons?
• Answering these two questions may help you to answer the third discussion question: "What is your definition of sin?"

• "what of these agonies? Will they be the same, or more, or less, after the final sentence?" (p. 68, line 101) The "science" is Aristotle, the perfection will come when the souls reunite with bodies.

• The discussion question: why "enormous weights" (27, p. 73)? Why the mutual antagonism? What are modern examples of these sins?

• Dame Fortune: --the relationship to the sins in this canto --her reputation --Dante's reversal of the usual idea of Fortune.
• The Sullen: Modern examples? From a purely human perspective, do you agree that Sulleness is a sin?

• Why is this woman angry?
  
• Intro: Phlegyas, the boatman, "like a cheat deceived." (line 63, p. 80)
• Filippo Argenti is a cogonym.
• The discussion question: What is the allegorical significance of "I am one who weeps" (36, p. 81)?
• "'Indignant spirit, I kiss you as you frown'" (42, p. 81)

• The symbolism of fire and iron (64 ff., p. 82)
• "He is one who needs no guide, / And at his touch all gates must spring aside." (last two lines, p. 84)

• "weigh with good understanding what lies hidden/ behind the veil of my strange allegory" (59-60, p.90 -- see also the long note on p. 92)
• the punishment of the heretics (105 ff., see long note on p. 94)

• The portrait of Farinata is the first of three extended portraits of figures which do little or nothing to deepend understanding of the sins for which they are condemned. The other two are Brunetto Latino and Ulysses.
• Farinata was an arrogant enemy, but also a patriot.
• The example of Farinata reminds us that sinfulness is not only a matter of justice, but also a matter of pity, since even those damned to hell had some good qualities and did good.

• The meaning of the geography of lower hell -- the two grand divisions are violence and fraud, while fraud has one large subdivision, the lowest down, which is betrayal of those who you have a special obligation to protect.
• Key quotation:"fraud / is the vice of which man alone is capable, / God loathes it most" (24-26, p. 104) -- the general standard is the violation of the humanity given by God. Malice & violence happen among the beasts, and that's why the combination can be called bestiality, but human beings can be, should be, better than that. Fraud is something that can be done only by creatures with big brains and small hearts -- human beings.
• Also see the Wikipedia article on murder

• The running title is "The Violent Against Neighbors," but note that the definition of "neighbors" is all other humans.
• 37-45 (p.116): another reference to the harrowing of hell

• The wood: On earth a wood is green and growing, but this wood is lifeless.
• The harpies are, like the Minotaur and the Centaurs, a combo of the human and the beast; the Harpies are an especially ugly combo, a violation of womanly beauty.
• The discussion question: How is the psychology of suicide represented? especially in "Why do you tear me? / Is there no pity left in any soul? and in the fact that the souls speak only through a wound.
• Pier delle Vigne's story shows how remorseless Dante's morality is, but notice that Dante the pilgrim says, "compassion chokes my heart" (84, p.121). Pier delle Vigne had every reason to commit suicide, but because he did, he's in hell. Do the students agree with Dante's morality? The State of Washington (and Oregon) has a law which contradicts Dante's morality.
• "That harlot, Envy . . ." (64 ff., p.121): Envy is, in the psycho-spiritual realm, the equivalent of destroying goods. It's the schadenfruede thing.
• The final fate of the bodies of the suicides (103, p.122) is grotesque. Note that all the "bodies" we see are actually shades; the actual bodies are still on earth, in graves.
• The destroyers of goods (109 ff., pp. 122-123) are not the same as the hoarders and wasters we saw above in the circles of incontinence; those were careless or obsessive. The note for line 117 ff. (p. 125), says "This fad of violent wasting . . . is hard to imagine today." True? Do we have any parallels?

• Blasphemy: The difference between heresy (slightly above, personified by Farinata) and blasphemy: They both derive from pride, a conviction that the proud individual knows better than others, but heresy is a violation of orthodox belief, and so a sin against God only via people. But the blasphemer accepts orthodox belief but scorns God.
• The Old Man of Crete: His description is inserted as an explanation of the origin of all the rivers of Hell, and he's symbol of the decline of the human race from the Golden Age, but I don't see why the decline of man from the Golden Age is particularly appropriate to this circle of hell, which is about blasphemy (violence against God). In short, I really have nothing to say.

The drawing was done by Francesco Scaramuzza in the 19th Century.

• Brunetto Latino: Like the portrait of Farinata (above, among the heretics), this portrait adds nothing to our understanding of the sin. I believe that this portrait also reflects Dante's personal values. As Farinata is the ultimate patriot, one who stands up against his party to preserve the city of Florence, Brunetto is the ultimate mentor, who while alive took time from his life for Dante and who continues to encourage him in hell. Note the greeting (24); the curiosity (46); the encouragement (55); the political prophesy & warning; & Dante's reaction (79) -- gratitude and self-assurance, and the fond farewell (at the end of the Canto).

    See also the portrait of Ulysses.

• "'Do as they ask,' he said, / 'for these are souls to whom respect is due'" (14-15, p. 143). -- It seems to me that Dante, the author, doesn't seem particularly horrified at the sin of sodomy.

Artist is Gustave Doré

Artist is William Blake

• The usurer who speaks is spiteful. Apparently thinking only of money makes you, in human terms, a much worse person that being a sodomite.
• The flight of Geryon: Dante is also a good story-teller.

• "Just so the Romans . . ." (28, p. 159)-- First known example of official traffic control.
• Are you b-s-ing me? Why do we always make this connection between flattery & shit?
• Story of Thaïs, at the end of the Canto (p.162), indicates that those who invite flattery are just as bad as the flatterers.

• He was very learned in the Scriptures and of great natural parts, and a very prudent and able man, and of great knowledge and memory; he was very proud and haughty and cruel to his foes and adversaries, and of a high stomach, and greatly feared by all, and he greatly exalted and magnified the state and counsels of the Holy Church. . . . He was magnanimous and generous to those who pleased him, and to all valorous men; very avid of worldly pomps according to his degree, and very covetous, not looking closely nor keeping a strict conscience when it was a question of gain, in order to aggrandize the Church and his own family. . . . He was more worldly than befitted his dignity, and he did many things which were displeasing to God. --Villani (a 14th-cent. chronicler)

Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed 1300 a year of Jubilee (the first Holy Year) and granted plenary indulgences (the remission of temporal punishment in Purgatory) to the tens of thousands of pilgrims to Rome. It was at this time that he began to occasionally dress in imperial regalia and exclaim, "I am Caesar, I am the Emperor." He commissioned so many statues of himself that he was accused of encouraging idolatry.

On November 18, 1302, Pope Boniface VIII issued his most famous bull, Unam sanctam. He declared sole power over all spiritual and temporal matters, "...it is altogether necessary to the salvation for every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff."

--Cultural Catholic

• Ulysses' story begins (86, p.223).
• 
• 
• Ulysses' story of his final voyage, created by Dante, may be placed alongside the portraits of Farinata and Brunetto Latino as expressive of Dante's personal values. Farinata: patriotism. Brunetto Latino: mentoring, philosophical poetry. Ulysses: adventurous knowing.

• The definition of false counsel
• Boniface says "I hold the two great Keys" (101, p.230) --See the Wikipedia article on the Papal insignia.
• 'Perhaps / you hadn't heard that I was a logician' (119-121, p. 231)
• the moral of the story
Canto XXVIII --Nothing to add to the notes in the book. Canto XXIX & XXX
• who are he modern-day falsifiers?
• the back and forth between Master Adam and Sinon is a race to the bottom of the justification of sin -- "I'm not as bad as him!"
• "'Now keep on looking / a little longer and I quarrel with you'" (130 ff., p. 254).
Canto XXXI --Nothing to add to the notes in the book.