| Early | Circles 2-5 | Circles 6-7 | Circle 8 and a miscellaneous question | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Despair/Depression/Being lost in life
What does the dark woods symbolize?
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She was married to Paolo's brother.
Why was Paolo and Francesca's relationship particularly disturbing?
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Fallen Angels guard the gate.
Why can't Dante and Virgil get into Dis?
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Fraud
What is the 3rd and worst category of Hell?
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Ruggieri starve Ugolino and his sons to death in a tower.
Why does Ugolino get to chew on Ruggieri?
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Beatrice comes down from heaven to ask him to help Dante.
How does Virgil know that Dante is lost in the woods?
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Sitting naked in slushy/rotten garbage.
What is the punishment for the gluttons?
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Evil can't be reasoned with.
What does Dante's and Virgil's inability to get into Dis at first show about evil?
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They stole in life, now they have to steal forever, but it is painful, and they are stealing the shape of a human which they know will soon be stolen.
How is the thieves' punishment symbolic?
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It is before their bodies die, and their bodies are inhabited by demons.
What is incredibly frightening about when some of the sinners in Ptolomea go to hell?
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Categories of sin or human flaws: fraud, violence, and incontinence.
What do the 3 beasts symbolize?
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To see one of the sinners ripped limb from limb.
What disturbing wish does Dante have as he travels over the river Styx?
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It knows that it is difficult for us to resist temptation even when we know something will harm us.
What does Virgil's behavior during the Medusa situation show us about Human Reason.
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He puts Popes in Hell.
How do we know that Dante does not blindly follow people of authority in the church?
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Starts on Good Friday, death, and ends on Easter Sunday, resurrection to new life.
Considering Dante's psychological state, what is symbolic about when on the calendar he takes this journey?
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They never chose a side in anything, so they can't belong to anything now.
Why aren't the opportunists allowed in Hell?
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They refused to see light or good in anything, now they suffocate in complete darkness.
Explain the symbolism of the sullen's punishment.
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They spilled others' blood, now they suffer in that blood.
How does the punishment for the violent against neighbors fit symbolically?
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Virgil picks up Dante and slides down the cliffside. Some evil is so strong that reason can't defeat it; it can only lead us away from it.
How do Dante and Virgil escape the demons in the circle of Grafters, and what does that mean symbolically?
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Putting sin and its ugliness under our feet, stomping it out, crawling over it to reach new heights and find hope (stars).
What might be symbolized by Dante and Virgil climbing over Satan to exit hell?
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Human Reason
What lights up Limbo?
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They can't win and understand how pointless their efforts are.
Explain the psychological punishment of the Hoarders and Wasters.
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They broke their bodies in the ultimate expression of pain. Now they can only express themselves through pain, but they don't get to do the breaking.
How does the punishment for the violent against themselves fit symbolically?
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Believe in Jesus as God and Savior.
According to Dante what is the way to get to Purgatory?
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He starts thinking it's not that bad, faces it, realizes its ugliness, and then confidently rejects it.
How does Dante's journey change his view on sin/ human flaws?
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