Canto 32

Canto 32

Summary:

         In the bottom of the well Dante and Virgil find themselves on a huge frozen lake. They are in the first ring of the ninth circle. It is call Caina. In the circle, Dante hears the soul cry out to him; telling him to watch were he is walking or else he might step on their heads. The ice is so thick and frozen that the water no longer feels like water but glass. The sinners are in the ice and the ice reaches up to their chin. Their teeth chatter from the cold. Dante compares the sinners to frogs. Dante says that the sinners keep their head down as they complain about the cold. Dante notices two sinners with their heads against one another. Dante asks who they are, and in order to look at Dante they bend their necks back and look up to him. Dante realizes that their mouths are frozen shut and all they do is bang their heads against one another. A sinner speaks up and identifies the twins as Bisenzio brothers. The brothers killed each other over politics. He also names a few other sinners who are there for killing a family relative. Some names are Mordred(betrayed his father, King Arthur), Foccaccia (killed his cousin), and Sassol Mascheroni (also killed a relative). After naming a few sinners, he tells Dante who he is and he says that he is Camcion de Pazzi. He murdered a kinsman for political power. As Dante moves on to the second circle, Antenora, he accidently kicks a sinner right in the face. The sinner immediately curses at him and says, "Why’d you kick me so hard? Are you here to revenge Montaperti?" Dante, in a rude manner, asks the cursing sinner who he is. The sinner in returned ask Dante who does he think he is going around kicking sinners thinking that he is alive? Dante says that he actually is alive and can give him worldwide fame in the real world. The sinner surprisingly says that he doesn’t want fame; he just wants to be left alone. Dante loses it and grabs he sinner’s neck threatening him to identify himself. Dante says he will pull off every single hair off his head until he identifies himself. The sinner is not intimidated by Dante threat, so Dante actually follows through the threat and starts pulling his hair out. As the poor sinner is screaming in pain, another sinner says Bocca shut up! Finally Dante knows his name and Dante tells Bocca that he will ruin his reputation in the real world. Bocca does not care; he just wants “the shame of his fellow sinners to be remembered, Buoso da Duera, Beccheria, Gianni dei Soldanieri, Ganelon, and Tebaldello as traitors to their country or party.” When Dante leaves Bocca he comes across a Ugolino head chewing on Ruggieri’s head.  Dante tells them that he will bring their story back to the real world, as long as they tell him about it. That’s the end of this chapter.

Sin:

The sinners in the first circle are those who are treachery to there family. That’s why it is called Caina, because it pertains to the bible story to where Cain killed his brother Abel. In the second circle, Antenora are those who are traitors of their country- named after Antenor, who helped defeat Troy (even though he was Trojan).

Punishment:

The sinner’s bodies were stuck under the ice, with only their head above the ice.

Contrapasso:

I guess it is because the sinners are so cold blooded and heartless in the real world that they have to spend their whole eternity being stuck in a frozen lake.

 

Characters:

Bisenzio brothers- they were the sinners that killed each other over politics. Their mouths were frozen shut.

Mordred- betrayed his father, King Arthur

Foccaccia- killed his cousin

Sassol Mascheroni -also killed a relative

Camcion de Pazzi -He murdered a kinsman for political power.

Bocca- he was the sinner that Dante argued with. He was a traitor against his country

Discussion Questions

1.   For being in the deepest part of hell, do you think that the punishment is harsh enough for the sinners?

2.   Why was Dante so rude to the sinner?

3.   Do you think Dante would go to hell if he died right now? If so, what level?

Multiple choice:

1.   Where are Virgil and Dante?

a.    First ring of the 7^th circle

b.   First ring of the 9^th circle

c.    First pit of the 8^th circle

2.   What does Dante see first?

a.    Satan

b.   Two human heads

c.    Minos

3.   Can the first people Dante see speak?

a.    yes

b.   no

4.   What is the punishment of this level?

a.    Stuck a lake of fire

b.   Stuck a lake of water

c.    Stuck in a frozen lake

5.  What sinner does Dante speak to first?

a. Benzio brothers

b. Camcion de Pazzi

c. Bocca