Canto I: The Dark Wood. Good Friday .

1. Canto I: The Dark Wood. Good Friday. Dante’s Inferno“In the middle of the journey of our life, I came to myself in a dark wood, for the straight way was lost” (27).

2. 3Beasts of Worldliness Important: Note the use of 3 (Motif throughout the Inferno)Each represents 1/3 of Inferno (see diagram)

3. Leopard of: Malice & fraud “And behold, almost at the beginning of the steep, a leopard,…it did not depart from before my face but rather impeded my way that I was at several turns to go back” (29).

4. Lion of Violence “He appeared to be coming against me with his head high and with raging hunger, so that the air appeared to tremble at him” (29).

5. The she-wolf frightens Dante the most—it is in her that he recognizes his own sins. “…she put on me so much heaviness with fear…I lost hope of reaching the heights” (29). She Wolf of: Incontinence “…she has a nature so evil and cruel that her greedy desire is never satisfied, and after feeding she is hungrier than before” (31).

6. Virgil • Virgil appears as the philosopher and light of reason sent to guide Dante through the depths of hell. • Dante’s sin = veering from the true and righteous path in life. “When I was falling down into a low place, before my eyes one had suffered himself to me who through long silence seemed hoarse” (29).

7. Virgil Arrives to guide Dante through Hell (and Purgatory) A L L U S I O N • Dante recognizes Virgil as the famed poet and philosopher who had the misfortune of living before Christ. He is relieved for the guidance of Virgil, because heconsiders Virgil a very logical, wise man. • Virgil

8. Why Virgil? • To Dante, the author, Virgil personifies human reason. • Virgil’s most noted work is the Aeneid—the story of Aeneas’ escape from the sacking of Troy and his subsequent journey to Italy. * • See more on Aeneas & Dido in Canto 5. • Aeneas must travel through the Underworld on his trip to Italy, and Dante’s Inferno has much in common with Virgil’s Aeneid. • Both Aeneas and Dante are on a journey of self • Both must experience “hell” before progressing in life • Both are epic poems

9. Virgil con’t.d…. • But Virgil also represents poetic dominance in Dante’s mind. Both are poets, and The Aeneid was a major work of literature that undoubtedly influenced Dante and his contemporaries. • Dante found inspiration in Virgil’s writing • “You are my master and my author, you alone are he from whom I have taken the pleasing style that has won me honor” (31).

10. Retribution: Just? • Dante is forced to journey through hell in order to recognize his sins –or- the sins of all those who have wandered from the good, true path in life. • This journey will test and terrify the pilgrim, but is it a just punishment for his wily ways? • Yes—in order to seek forgiveness, one must fully recognize and own one’s sins. An eternity in heaven isn’t a walk in the park, people. Own your actions!

11. Contemporary Connection The Infamous Mid-life Crisis. “Midway in the journey of our lives” (Dante Canto 1). The mid-life crisis is accredited to the feeling humans, face that “half-way through my life, what do I have to show for my time on earth?” “ What follows: Rash decisions, reckless antics, and poor choices. And, perhaps the acquisition of a red, sports car convertible.

12. Gibson is also tormented by the temptation of the she-wolf of Incontinence. Sinner: Mel Gibson Gibson is sentenced to a journey through his personal fall. He must witness firsthand the hurt and damage he has caused his family, friends, and image. Guide: His character, Benjamin Martin, from The Patriot. Martin represents a true, loyal, hard working family man who fights for his family and freedom.