Mange-Dog has pulled a political grifter up onto the shore of the boiling pitch and the demons are about to let him have it. But not before Virgil, prompted by our pilgrim Dante, asks him a few questions.
Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore this incredibly violent passage from the fifth of the malebolge, the evil pouches, that make up the eighth circle of fraud in INFERNO. Things are about to get dire and horrific. But what do you expect when you take up with a pack of demons?
Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:
[01:45] My English translation of INFERNO, Canto XXII, lines 40 - 75. If you'd like to read along, you can find this passage on my website, markscarbrough.com.
[04:45] Dante-the-pilgrim's place in this passage of escalating violence. Curiosity should be greater than fear. That's the writerly stance.
[09:22] Virgil's place in this passage: a largely ineffectual guide.
[12:02] The sinner pulled out of the boiling pitch--aka, the nameless barrator in this passage. Maybe it's important that he remain nameless.
[20:31] The demons in this passage. Their names are an act of translation even for medieval Florentine readers.
[23:41] Virgil's use of the word "Latino"--that is, "Italian." He's talking about a geographical marker, not a political one. Or is he?
[26:25] How can we explain the escalating violence in this passage? I offer four answers without coming to any conclusions.