The Divine Comedy

Be sure to distinguish between Dante the pilgrim and Dante the poet in your response; this distinction is crucial to understanding The Divine Comedy.

you will focus on Canto V, Circle 2

If you have been assigned circles 2 or 3, you will describe the following (3 paragraphs total):

Q 1. Each circle is presided over by a guardian, a mythological figure. Who is this guardian? How is he described? What role does he play in this canto?

Q 2. For each circle, a group of sinners is suffering from a contrapasso, a punishment that reflects the nature of the sin or opposes it. Describe the group of sinners punished in the circle you have been assigned. Identify the contrapasso by quoting from the canto (no more than 4 lines).

Q 3. In most circles, Dante has an encounter with a particular sinner. Describe the discourse of this sinner and its effect on Dante the pilgrim if you have been assigned circle 2 or 3. What tale does the sinner relate? What prophesies, if any, are made? How does Dante the pilgrim react?