Inferno Canto 5 Study Guide

 THE DIVINE COMEDY OF DANTE ALIGHIERI

INFERNO

Canto V

l  Summary

Dante goes to the second circle from the first circle with Virgil. The second circle is smaller and more painful than the first circle. We can hear screech everywhere. Minos is the person who checks the sin of ghost. All the ghosts need to confess their sins to Minos, and he is going to think about which circle they should go in the Hell. Minos will gird himself with his tail as many times as the levels that the soul will be sent down. At the meantime, Dante started hearing the sound of crying and screech; it makes him feel very sad. The ghosts down, up with the wind; they have no hope ever comforts them, and they are suffering. Virgil start introducing the ghosts in the second circle, including Semiramis, Cleopatra, and Helen. Francesca agrees to tell Dante what happen to her. Most of them pass away because of love.

l  Character

²  Minos

Ø  He is the temperamental, cynical Judge of the Damned, who resides in the circle of Limbo.

Ø  He is the second judge of the second circle.

²  Semiramis

Ø  She is Ninus’s wife.

Ø  She is a debauched person.

Ø  She makes the law according to her interest.

²  A woman (there has no name in the book)

Ø  She kills herself because of love.

Ø  She broke faith with the ashes of Sichaeus.

²  Helen

Ø  She brought such evil time.

Ø  Achilles battled against Love for her.

²  Francesca

Ø  She was the daughter of Guido da Polenta, lord of Ravenna. In an arranged marriage, she wed the deformed Giovanni Malatesta, whose father was ruled the city-state of Rimini, south of Ravenna. Because Guido knew Francesca would have refused Giovanni, the marriage was performed by proxy, with Giovanni's brother Paolo standing in for the groom. Francesca fell in love with Paolo, and they did something bad.

l  Sins in the second circle

Most of the ghosts pass away because of love. They are debauched, betrayal to their lover.

l  Punishment

In the second circle, the wind bellows as the sea does in a tempest. Sinners are blown around endlessly by the unforgiving winds of unquenchable desire as punishment for their transgressions. The infernal hurricane that never rests hurtles the spirits onward in its rapine, whirling them round, and smiting, it molests them.

l  10 Multiple-Choice Questions

1.        What does the second circle have more than the first circle?

A.    Happiness   B. Love   C. Suffering   D. Food

2.        Who is Minos?

A.    The judge of the second circle   B. The ghost  

C. Dante’s guide   D. The security guard of the second circle

3.        What can Minos determine?

A. The ghosts can leave the hell or not

B. Which circles the ghost will go

C. Which person is going to die

D. Who can go to the heaven

4.        How does Dante feel after hearing the crying in the second circle?

A.    Sad  B. Happy  C. Nothing  D. He wants to cry too

5.        Why did Semiramis need to stay in the second circle?

A.    Because she is the queen

B.     Because she fell in love with the King Ninus

C.     Because she is a debauched person; and she makes the law according to her interest

D.    Because she loves her people

6.        What does the mainly reason that makes most of ghosts pass away in the second circle?

A.    Crying  B. Happiness  C. Laughing  D. Love

7.        What did Francesca do when she is going to pass away?

A.    She was amour with Paolo

B.     She was sleeping

C.     She was kissing her husband

D.    She was drunk

8.        Why does Francesca agree to tell the story about her to Dante?

A.    Because Dante will help her leave the Hell

B.     Because she loves Dante

C.     Because Dante really wants to know about her story

D.    None of above

9.        How does Minos do in order to divide which circle each ghost is going?

A.    He will gird himself with his tail as many times as the levels that the soul will be sent down

B.     He will write down the number on the ghosts

C.     He will tell the ghosts, and the ghosts will go by themselves

D.    He will tell the security guards, and they will guide the ghosts

10.    What does Virgil do when Minos rules to Dante?

A.    Doing nothing 

B.     Arguing with him 

C.     Doing the same thing to Dante

D.    Killing Minos

l  Two Higher-Order Discussion Questions

ü  Why do the ghosts have the punishment which is blow not the fire or other punishment?

ü  Why does the couple tell about their story?

l  Work Cited

n  http://dantesinferno.wikia.com/wiki/King_Minos

n  http://myfavoritepoems2.blogspot.com/2010/04/inferno-canto-v-paolo-and-francesca.html

n  http://www.4degreez.com/misc/dante-inferno-information.html