Canto Guide III

La Divina Comedia: Inferno
Canto III

Summary: Virgil leads Dante to the gate of hell. Above the gate reads the inscription “ABANDON EVERY HOPE, YOU WHO ENTER.” (9, 55, Inferno). Dante is confused by this and Virgil replies that “We have come to the place where I told you you will see the grieving peoples who have lost the good of the intellect.” As they enter, Dante hears terrible cries and sounds. Dante asks Virgil what he is hearing, to which Virgil replies “This wretched measure is kept by the miserable souls who lived without infamy and without praise.” Virgil and Dante are in Limbo, not really Hell and not heaven. Both places have rejected the acceptance of those who neither accepted God nor committed true evil. Additionally, the Angles who did not choose sides in the war in heaven reside here. The souls that reside here are tormented by flies, wasps, and worms that attack their bodies. Virgil takes Dante to the shore of Acheron, a river way, where they are met by the demon Charon. Charon is the transporter of the damned to deeper levels in Hell. Initially, he denies transport to Virgil and Dante however, Virgil tells Charon that their journey is “willed where what is willed can be done.” Thus since the journey is ordained Charon allows them on the ferry. Wretched souls cursing their lives and conception wail and scream as Charon hits them with his paddle to move them along. As they depart, the “dark landscaped trembled” as wind and light flash all over. Dante, overcome by this, faints.

Sin in This Canto: The sin of the neutrals is that they never chose God or evil during their lives. Because they never chose to accept the virtues of God nor the ways of evil they can’t be placed in Heaven nor in Hell. The sin of simply of not accepting God into your life is explored in this Canto, where those who chose not to do so reside without the things that did mean something to them during their lives. This sin is also explored with the Coward Angels who did not take sides in the War in Heaven. This sin is punished in the first level of hell because placing these sinners with others farther bellow would bring “no hope in death” for the neutrals.

Punishment: The souls in Limbo must reside as flies and wasps sting their bodies and disgusting worms gnaw at their bruised flesh. The neutrals have neither the preservation of their reputation or names. They have no leader and wail in Limbo.

Contrapasso: Because the neutrals never chose God or evil they are punished to having no leader and no reputation. This is Contrapasso because the neutrals never took a hard stance for either what is right or what is wrong and thus in Limbo have lost what they did have and value (their reputations) during their lives.

Important Characters:
The Neutrals
The Neutrals chose neither salvation nor evil
and thus reside with neither. In Limbo the
neutrals have nothing that mattered to them in
their lives yet aren’t as severely punished as
those in lower parts of Hell.
The Coward Angels
The Coward Angels are those who didn’t take
sides in the War in Heaven. Because they chose
neither God nor Lucifer they don’t belong in
Heaven or full Hell thus reside in Limbo.
Charon
Charon is a white-haired demon that
transports the damned into the deeper reaches
of Hell.

Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What is placed above the gate to Hell?
A)Abandon All Hope B) Abandon Every Hope C)
Abandon All Hope, You Who Enter D) Lose All
Hope, You Who Enter
2. How does Dante react to the inscription?
A) He doesn’t really understand it B) He asks
Virgil C) He is eager to enter Hell because of the
inscription D) Both A and B
3. What is Dante’s first impression of Hell?
A) Dark B) Full of strange sounds C) Grotesque
D) Tortuous
4. What section of Hell are they in?
A) Section 3 B) Section 0 C) Section 1 D) Section
9
5. Who resides here?
A) Traitors B) Neutrals C) Rapists D) Killers
6. Which river transports the damned?
A) Acheron B) Styx C) Rhine D) Rubicon
Cont.
7. How are those in the first level punished?
A) Loss of Name B) Wasps/Flies C) Worms D) All
of the Above
8. Who transports the damned?
A) Virgil B) the Devil C) Acheron D) Chiron
9. Who undertakes the river crossing?
A) Sinners B) Neutrals C) Divine D) Purgers
10. How does Dante react to all of this?
A) Passes out B) Is Fascinated C) Sullen D)
Wants to leave

Higher Order Thinking Questions:
1. What is the significance of the gate inscription to those entering Hell? How does it affect Dante?
2. Are those in Limbo truly sinners? Does their punishment line up with their crime? How does Dante react to this? Virgil?
3. What is the significance of having a river flow through Hell? Are there any parallels that you can think of?
4. What might Charon see and hear as he transports the damned? How is Dante’s image of entering Hell shaped by him? What role do you think he plays as the damned enter Hell?