Canto 17

       

Canto 17

         In canto 17 Dante and Virgil enter the third zone of the third ring in the seventh circle. As soon as they enter the third ring, Virgil and Dante see a disgusting looking beast named Greyon that has his tail dipped in the riverbank. Dante compares the beast to beaver. Back then people thought beavers caught their fish by sticking their tail in the water and releasing an oily substance that kills fish. Greyon has a head of a human, a body of a serpent, and two paws. As Virgil goes to talk to the beast, he tells Dante to explore the third ring by himself. Dante sees that the sinners are buried in burning sand trying to brush the flicks of flames away. He does not recognize any of the sinners, but he notice that they are wearing a purse on their neck with a coat of arms on it. The crests represent Florentine families famous for practicing usurer. “There’s a blue lion on a gold field, a white goose on a red field, and a pregnant blue sow on a white field.” While Dante was leaving, a sinner that was in the sand being tortured was being rude and mean to Dante. He told Dante to leave because he is saving that spot for his friend, Vitaliano. He was waiting for Vitaliano to get to hell and wanted him to be next to him in hell. He compares the sinners to oxen. While Dante was observing around the third ring of the seventh circle, Virgil was convincing the scary looking demon to give them a ride down to the eighth circle. When Dante joined the conversation, Virgil told him to climb on to the beast and told him that he was going to give them a ride to the next circle. Fearing the beast he still climbed on to it because he trusts Virgil. “Dante compares his fear to that of Phaethon (who lost control of his father’s sun chariot).” It was a terrible and scary flight but they survived and now entered the 8^th circle.

http://www.shmoop.com/inferno/canto-xvii-summary.html

Sins

         The sinners that are in the third ring of the 3^rd zone commit sins of usurers and violence against nature and art.

Punishments

         They are buried within the sand. They are also forced to wear and stare at the purse on their neck, bearing their family’s crest on it.

Contrapasso

         The link to contrapasso is that the sinners stole money and now they are being forced to be ashamed by looking at their family crest and knowing that they are bringing shame upon their family. By all the money that the sinners have stolen and the sins of nature they committed their shame is being recognize by wearing their family emblem.

Characters

Virgil and Dante

Greyon- the beast who carries Dante and Virgil in to the 8^th circle.

Vitaliano- the only usurer sinner that is named.

Discussion Ques.

 1.What do you think Greyon resembles and why?

2. Do you think that the purse with the family emblem has more meaning to it? Explain?

3. Can you come up with any more punishments for the usurers that can link to a contrapasso? Explain?

Multiple choice

1.   What ring are they in?

a.   1

b.   2

c.   3

d.   4

2.   What circle are they in?

  a. 6

  b. 7

  c. 8

  d. 5

3. What is the demon’s named?

  a. Virgil

  b. plutos

  c. Filppo

  d. Greyon

4. What was on the sinner’s neck?

  a. Purse

  b. Necklace

  c. Both

5. Who is the last sinner waiting for?

   a. Vitaliano

   b. Virgil

   c. His girlfriend

6. What was Virgil doing?

    a. showing virgil the 3^rd zone

    b. taking virgil around the 3^rd zone

    c. talking to the beast

7. What type of tail did the monster have?

    a. a dog

    b. a scorpion

     c. dragon tail