We end the crowded ninth evil pouch of the schismatics with . . . a poet: Bertran de Born. A poet Dante had previously praised. A poet who wrote poetry that is a direct influence on Dante's earlier works. And a poet who has actually been with us throughout Inferno, Canto XXVIII, even if we didn't realize it.
Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the historical and meta-literary details in his complicated passage--and then turn to an exploration of Bertran's use of a word that has come to dominate Dante criticism: "contrapasso."
Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:
[02:40] My English translation of this passage: Inferno, Canto XXVIII, lines 112 - 142. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment on this episode, please go to my website, markscarbrough.com.
[06:09] Who was Bertran de Born?
[10:26] Who was "the young king" Bertran de Born speaks about?
[14:02] What was Bertran de Born's place in the English/French civil wars?
[15:55] The first Biblical citation in the passage: Ahitophel, Absalom, and David.
[17:36] The second Biblical citation in the passage: See if there is any sorrow like my sorrow.
[21:53] Dante has twice mentioned Bertran de Born in other works.
[23:11] Why does this passage begin with a veracity problem?
[25:43] Bertran de Born's poetry has been in Canto XXVIII all along.
[28:04] Why is Bertran de Born here?
[30:59] What is "contrapasso"? And what are the limits of its meaning?
[36:11] There may be two types of "contrapasso": actual and metaphorical.
[42:48] Muhammad may bookend Canto XXVIII.
[46:19] Rereading Inferno, Canto XXVIII, lines 112 - 142.