Dante's Inferno Cantos I-V Vocabulary in Context

On pg. 6, Dante references Virgil as prolific? What line on this page could help the reader determine the meaning of prolific in context if they read carefully?

• “I was born in the last days of the reign of Julius” - spoken by Virgil

• “I was a poet, and I sang of that just son of Anchises, who came out from Troy” - spoken by Virgil

• “Who has spread a river of speech so broad and wide” - spoken by Dante

• “Of all the poets great and small, it was your works I studied most and loved best” - spoken by Dante

On pg. 9-10, Dante calls his Faith (Christianity) the beginning of salvation’s way when referencing Biblical Paul. Which definition of salvation best fits the connotation used in this context?

• rescue from a bad situation just in time

• preservation from physical or emotional harm

• redemption from sin and personal failings

• a source of useful but not needed help

On pg. 15, Virgil explains to Dante that the neutrals are “melancholy souls” that “lived without infamy or praise”. What does that phrase mean: “lived without infamy or praise”? This phrase is used to show:

• the people were not particularly sinful, but nor were they virtuous in life

• no one Dante will know is among the Neutrals so he shouldn’t bother with them

• how truly horrible the souls in this area are because they are well known for bad deeds

• the people in this area do not really deserve to be in Hell, as far as Virgil sees it

On pg. 19, Dante writes about entering Limbo: “We entered the first circle that surrounds the abyss / Down there, using only my ears to guide me / were not lamentations but only sighs / that filled the endless and everlasting air”. He has previously heard the Neutrals of hell lament loudly. What is the purpose of contrasting the words lamentations and sighs?

• To show the difference in Limbo from the rest of Hell

• To demonstrate the pain of the sinners grows

• To convey a sense of dread in Dante’s heart

• To elevate the diction over time

5. On pg. 25, Dante writes that Minos “judges the transgressions of each person who enters”. What text could help the reader determine the meaning of transgression in context if they read carefully?

• “But held greater suffering and louder wailing”

• “[each spirit] confesses everything to him”

• “Minos, grotesque and snarling”

• “many souls always standing before [Minos]”

On pg. 29, Francesca Di Rimini describes reading about Lancelot and “how Love enthralled him”. What other word could BEST replace enthralled without changing the connotation of the word?

• delight

• bewitch

• captivate

• absorb