Dante’s Dante’s Divine ComedyDivine Comedy: : InfernoInferno

Canto 26: Thieves / Canto 26: Thieves / Fraudulent CounselorsFraudulent Counselors

Eighth Circle, Seventh/Eighth Eighth Circle, Seventh/Eighth BolgiaBolgia

• Dante’s invective against FlorenceDante’s invective against Florence

• View of the eighth BolgiaView of the eighth Bolgia

• Fraudulent Counselors are punished : Fraudulent Counselors are punished : clothed in flame that burns themclothed in flame that burns them

• Ulysses and Diomedes in one shared Ulysses and Diomedes in one shared flameflame

• Ulysses’ tale of his final voyageUlysses’ tale of his final voyage

• The Oakland University MottoThe Oakland University Motto

Dante on Florence, his Dante on Florence, his hometownhometown• ApostropheApostrophe: exclamatory rhetorical figure of : exclamatory rhetorical figure of

speech, when a speaker or writer breaks off speech, when a speaker or writer breaks off and directs speech in an abstract direction, to and directs speech in an abstract direction, to a person not present, or to a thing. (“O death, a person not present, or to a thing. (“O death, where is thy sting?”)where is thy sting?”)

• ““through every part of hell your name through every part of hell your name extends”extends”

• The day will come when Florentines will The day will come when Florentines will mourn: when even its friends (the citizens of mourn: when even its friends (the citizens of Prato?) will turn against you and crave your Prato?) will turn against you and crave your ruin.ruin.

““My guide climbed up again My guide climbed up again and drew me forward…”and drew me forward…”

“…“…as many as the fireflies… so many were as many as the fireflies… so many were the flames that glittered in the eighth the flames that glittered in the eighth abyss.”abyss.”

Ulysses and Diomedes Ulysses and Diomedes

• False CounselorsFalse Counselors

• Diomedes aided Diomedes aided Ulysses in stealing Ulysses in stealing the Palladium from the Palladium from Troy - removed the Troy - removed the talisman and made talisman and made Troy vulnerable to Troy vulnerable to the Greeks the Greeks

Palladium Palladium

• The theft of this The theft of this monument from monument from Troy by Ulysses and Troy by Ulysses and Diomedes helped Diomedes helped win the war, but win the war, but earned the pair an earned the pair an eternity of eternity of combustion in combustion in Dante’s Dante’s Inferno, Inferno, Canto 26Canto 26 Pallas Athena

Ulysses: the VoyagerUlysses: the Voyager

Ulysses wanted to sail beyond Ulysses wanted to sail beyond the Pillars of Hercules:the Pillars of Hercules:

Jebel Musa

Rock of Gibraltar

The Voyages:The Voyages:

Ulysses giving false counselUlysses giving false counsel

• Justification of the Justification of the voyage beyond the voyage beyond the Pillars of Hercules: Pillars of Hercules: to gain knowledgeto gain knowledge

• His men and his His men and his ship are swallowed ship are swallowed in a whirlpoolin a whirlpool

ln. 118-120ln. 118-120

• ‘‘Considerate la vostra semenza:Considerate la vostra semenza:

fatti non foste a viver come brutifatti non foste a viver come bruti

ma per ma per seguir virtute e canoscenzaseguir virtute e canoscenza’’

• Consider well the seed that gave you birth:Consider well the seed that gave you birth:

you were not made to live your lives as you were not made to live your lives as brutesbrutes

but to but to be followers of worth and knowledgebe followers of worth and knowledge