Factionalism run amuck! In this passage from INFERNO, our poet (and our pilgrim, Dante) comes face to face with the suffering he himself has caused. It takes a brave writer to face his fears head on. Can Dante?
Here's how it goes down: A shade rises up next to Farinata. This one's a Guelph, part of the faction that is Farinata's great enemy. This one's also Farinata's in-law, the man who married his son to Farinata's daughter. And the man whose son our poet Dante sent into exile. The son who died in exile. The guilt is palpable yet curiously understated.
Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore some of the most complicated bits of INFERNO that we've yet discovered, all about political and poetic rivalries, and the pain that humans inflict on each other with their blood-thirsty desire for tribalism.
This is a tough passage, full of interpretive knots, some of which have kept scholars busy for (quite literally) centuries. I can't possibly answer all the questions. My hope is that this episode starts you on a journey to figure out the passage (and others!) in COMEDY.
Here are the segments of this episode:
[00:51] My English translation of this passage from INFERNO: Canto X, lines 52 - 72. If you'd like to see this translation or start a conversation with me about any portion of COMEDY, join me on my website: markscarbrough.com.
[02:38] An overview of the rings of hell until now--and the way this sixth circle may differ from what's come before.
[06:00] The arrival of Cavalcante de' Cavalcanti, hauling himself up onto his knees in the tomb next to Farinata. Who is this? And why is he so important to Dante (both our poet and our pilgrim)?
[08:55] Cavalcante's rather caustic reply to the pilgrim--which may tell more of the truth than he means. Dante is truly moving by his "high genius," despite the apparent sneer from the old man. And more, too. Cavalcante reveals himself to be a doting father. This is an amazingly nuanced portrait of a figure in hell.
[11:56] Who is Guido Cavalcanti, Dante's poetic rival?
[15:53] The central point of the entire canto: Dante-the-pilgrim and indeed Dante-the-poet come face to face with their own complicity in the sufferings of Florence brought on by factionalism in all its forms.
[16:58] Surely, the most difficult line in all of COMEDY! Centuries of scholarship have not made it any clearer. But I have another answer, outside the traditional readings. What if it's garbled on purpose?
[22:23] Cavalcante misunderstands Dante-the-pilgrim. Misunderstanding may be the heart of Dante-the-poet's notion of heresy. But there may be more afoot here. What if the poet is showing us that the pilgrim is not ready to use language properly because he is still sunk down in Florentine factionalism?
[28:28] The first of two structuring devices that may at work in Canto X: Acts 17 and the moment St. Paul is questioned by the Stoics and Epicureans in Athens.
[29:44] The second structuring device that may be at work in Canto X: the way Boethius in THE CONSOLATION OF PHILOSOPHY weaves poetry and theology/philosophy together in one text.
[31:57] Finally, the Dante scholar Peter Took's fantastic notion that the poet Dante may be trying to offer busy people like you and me a hint of the contemplative life by writing poetry that needs to be puzzled out.
[34:54] One more time through the passage: INFERNO, Canto X, lines 52 - 72.