In Dante Alighieri's Inferno, Canto III describes the punishment of the gluttonous in the first circle of Hell, Limbo. This circle is reserved for those who, although they were not wicked in life, still committed sins and therefore cannot enter the presence of God in Heaven.
As Dante and his guide, the ancient Roman poet Virgil, enter Limbo, they are greeted by a group of famous poets and philosophers from classical antiquity, including Homer, Ovid, and Aristotle. These figures, who were not able to attain salvation due to living before the time of Christ, reside in a peaceful and pleasant place within Limbo.
However, Dante and Virgil are also confronted with the punishment of the gluttonous, who are depicted as lying on the ground in a stupor, covered in mud and filth. These souls are tormented by a constant, driving rain that never stops, symbolizing the never-ending desire for more food and drink that consumed them in life.
Dante's portrayal of the gluttonous as being consumed by their own desires and unable to control their own appetites serves as a warning to the reader about the dangers of overindulgence and the importance of moderation in all aspects of life. It also serves as a reminder that even seemingly minor sins can have consequences in the afterlife.
Overall, Canto III of Inferno serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of gluttony and the importance of self-control. It also serves as a reminder of the timeless wisdom of the great classical philosophers and poets, who continue to inspire and instruct readers even today.
Dante's Inferno Canto 3 Summary and Analysis
When some among them I had recognized, I looked, and I beheld the shade of him Who made through cowardice the great refusal. Virgil obtains safe passage past the monster by filling its three mouths with mud. Dante sees these neutral souls, who committed neither to evil nor to good, chasing after a blank banner. Although Virgil assures Dante that Hell is divine justice at work, and even the damned souls wish to enter Hell because they long for that justice, Dante is horrified by the pain and chaos that he witnesses; the repeated insistence on hopelessness draws the reader's attention to the unsettling fact that there will never be any relief for this pain. Languages diverse, horrible dialects, Accents of anger, words of agony, And voices high and hoarse, with sound of hands, Made up a tumult that goes whirling on For ever in that air for ever black, Even as the sand doth, when the whirlwind breathes.
E io: «Maestro, che cosa è tanto fastidioso per loro, da farli lamentare così forte? New York: Oxford University Press. Punishment Aside from being constantly beaten and pelted by the rain and hail, the souls damned to the Third Circle of Hell are also tormented by Cerberus. The second comparison of the souls with the hawks being called by their master only emphasises this idea. Sayers, Hell Penguin 1975 p. Retrieved 7 March 2012. He still calls them back to get the punishment and the souls response. I cieli li cacciano per non perdere la loro bellezza, né l'Inferno li accoglie nelle sue profondità, poiché i dannati rei potrebbero ricevere alcuna gloria dalla loro presenza».
Lasciate ogni speranza, voi che entrate qui". The journey to hell is a conscious choice on the part of those who make the trip. E dopo che mi ebbe preso per mano, con volto sorridente che mi confortò, mi fece entrare in quel luogo separato dal mondo dei vivi all'Inferno. Il loro gran numero, come del resto quello degli ignavi, lascia intendere la diffusione del male e del peccato sulla Terra, come appare chiaro dal fatto che Caronte cerchi di stiparne il più possibile sulla sua barca colpendo col remo chiunque tenti di adagiarsi sul fondo, per occupare meno spazio e dal particolare che, prima che il traghettatore sia giunto sull'altra sponda, su quella opposta si è già formata una schiera altrettanto folta. Questi sciagurati, che non vissero mai veramente, erano nudi e punti continuamente da mosconi e vespe tutt'intorno.
Italian to English Translation of Dante Alighieri's Inferno: Canto III
Thus, Hell contains, in total, 24 divisions. In this mess, Dante meets a fellow Florentine who goes by Caicco, or pig, and who tells him there are many more Florentines suffering further down. Dante prosegue senza aggiungere altro e poco dopo vede giungere Caronte, il traghettatore dei dannati, che rema verso di loro a bordo di una barca: è un vecchio dalla barba bianca, che grida minaccioso alle anime di essere venuto a prenderle per portarle all'Inferno, tra le pene eterne. The idea of a fitting punishment is a crucial component of Dante's sense of divine justice, whereby punishment completes and perfects sin. Esse facevano sanguinare il loro volto, che cadeva a terra frammisto a lacrime ed era raccolto da vermi ripugnanti. Dante and Virgil speaking to Ciacco Ciacco turns away and returns to his torment while Virgil and Dante continue on their way. No matter where he turns, he sees their miserable forms on the ground.
He tells Dante that this is not his path. Caronte si rivolge poi a Dante e lo invita ad andarsere, essendo ancora vivo; aggiunge anche che Dante dopo la morte non andrà lì, bensì in Purgatorio. Columbus: Ohio State University Press. Forthwith I comprehended, and was certain, That this the sect was of the caitiff wretches Hateful to God and to his enemies. Then an earthquake and a violent wind cause Dante to fall unconscious. La reazione del demone all'apparire di Dante è analoga a quella degli altri guardiani infernali che il poeta incontrerà più avanti, in quanto anche Caronte tenta di spaventarlo e di impedire il suo viaggio attraverso l'Inferno: queste figure simboleggiano gli impedimenta di natura peccaminosa che ostacolano il cammino di redenzione dell'anima umana, non a caso infatti è sempre Virgilio allegoria della ragione a zittirli e a consentire il passaggio di Dante.
The loss counts for nothing now; the lowly worms devour their blood. So they depart across the dusky wave, And ere upon the other side they land, Again on this side a new troop assembles. Come d'autunno cadono le foglie, una dopo l'altra, finché il ramo vede a terra tutte le sue vesti, allo stesso modo la cattiva discendenza di Adamo i dannati si getta da quella riva ad una ad una, rispondendo ai cenni di Caronte, come un uccello risponde al richiamo. As they enter hell, Dante hears shrieks, shouts, screams, and lamentations filling the air. The inscription says that this is the way to the city of desolation and eternal sorrow.
Sayers, Hell, notes on Canto I. Il poeta è sicuro che questi siano proprio gli ignavi, che spiacquero tanto a Dio quanto ai suoi nemici: essi sono punti e tormentati da vespe e mosconi, che gli fanno colare il sangue dal volto, il quale cade a terra mischiato alle loro lacrime e viene raccolto da vermi ripugnanti. Parten de la playa y entran una a una en la barca, como pájaro amaestrado que recibió la señal. Virgil informs him that this circle, which contains the souls of those who led virtuous lives but either were born before the advent of Christianity and thus could not properly honor God or were never baptized. Dante is amazed by the number of uncommitted; the sights and sounds of hell frighten him, and canto 3 ends as Dante swoons.
Dante and Virgil proceed through the crowds of the souls further from the gates of Hell until they see the new crowds, now standing still along the bank of the dark river Acheron. The souls of the uncommitted are joined in this torment by the neutral angels—those who sided with neither God nor Satan in the war in Heaven. He looks very humane: grumpy and conservative, Charon wants everything to go in proper order. Together with the angels who sided with neither God nor Satan in their war, they dwell here at the edge of hell, rejected by both heaven and hell. Dante watches a group of men approach and greet Virgil as a fellow poet. Virgil explains that these cries emanate from the souls of those who did not commit to either good or evil but who lived their lives without making conscious moral choices; therefore, both Heaven and Hell have denied them entry. È Virgilio a zittire il demone, ricordandogli che il viaggio di Danteè voluto da Dio; tanto basta a calmare Caronte.
The inscription reminds those who enter that they must give up all hope; they make the trip to hell as a choice and cannot return. These miscreants, who never were alive, Were naked, and were stung exceedingly By gadflies and by hornets that were there. But all those souls who weary were and naked Their colour changed and gnashed their teeth together, As soon as they had heard those cruel words. Sayers writes that "the surrender to sin which began with mutual indulgence leads by an imperceptible degradation to solitary self-indulgence". Dante asks if any souls have ever received permission to leave Limbo for Heaven, and Virgil names a number of Old Testament figures—Noah, Moses, and others.
Dante's Inferno Third Circle of Hell: Punishments & Description
So they depart across the dusky wave, And ere upon the other side they land, Again on this side a new troop assembles. Puccio Sciancato remains unchanged for the time being. The land of tears gave forth a blast of wind, And fulminated a vermilion light, Which overmastered in me every sense, And as a man whom sleep hath seized I fell. Electronic Bulletin of the Dante Society of America. The dyssonance of the voices becomes louder and louder, turning into a pure chaos of pleads, threats, complaints and senseless screams.
