The Inferno Commentary

Jake Wythers
Ms Peifer
10 IB Hour 5
1/8/09

The Inferno Commentary

“Ever upon the pitch was my intent,
To see the whole condition of that Bolgia,
And of the people who therein were burned.
Even as the dolphins, when they make a sign
To mariners by arching of the back,
That they should counsel take to save their vessel,
Thus sometimes, to alleviate his pain,
One of the sinners would display his back,
And in less time conceal it than it lightens.
As on the brink of water in a ditch
The frogs stand only with their muzzles out,
So that they hide their feet and other bulk,
So upon every side the sinners stood;
But ever as Barbariccia near them came,
Thus underneath the boiling they withdrew.”

This is a significant and illustrative passage of The Inferno because it reinforces one of the most important themes in Dante's Divine Comedy. The Grafters in this circle of Hell face Divine Retribution for their sins, and their punishment is representative of their crime. Because the Grafters had “sticky” hands in life, stealing and embezzling money, they are condemned to spend eternity in sticky pitch. And just as their dealings were hidden from the world in life, their souls are now concealed in the dark pitch in death. In addition, as the Grafters took pleasure in taking advantage of their fellow man, they are now among demons who use every opportunity to take advantage of them. This symbolic retribution is a recurring theme in the Inferno and this passage exhibits it well.

This passage uses simile to describe the behavior of the Grafters boiling in the pitch. “As on the brink of water in a ditch/The frogs stand only with their muzzles out,/So that they hide their feet and other bulk,/So upon every side the sinners stood;” The sinners attempted to relieve their agony by exposing parts of their flesh above the pitch, and Dante likens them to dolphins and frogs in the water. Dante’s comparison shows that he perhaps feels empathy for the sinners being punished. The way Dante shows the sinners’ attitude toward the demons is also significant. “But ever as Barbariccia near them came,/Thus underneath the boiling they withdrew.” The sinners were so fearful of the demons that they were willing to submerge their whole bodies underneath the boiling pitch. “Withdrew” gives the image of cowering and submissiveness, and the line puts a strong image in the reader’s mind.

These lines from The Inferno were fun to read because of the easily identifiable symbolic retribution. Unlike other parts of Dante’s novel, which can be extremely difficult to analyze, the sins in this circle and their punishments could clearly be understood. The personal touch that Dante used to describe the sinners also made for an enthralling study.