Canto 21

1
Canto 21

• Erica Ingram
• November 20, 2007

2
Summary

• Dante and Virgil are still in the eighth circle,
  but are now in the fifth pouch called the
  Malebolge
• He comes up on this pouch and sees tar in the
  bolgia and it has bubbles rising from it
• He then sees a black demon bringing a sinner from
  earth to be boiled in the tar

3
Summary continued

• He soon finds out that the sinners that are
  punished here are called Barrators
• The sinner they see here is Bonturo, an official
  in Lucca
• The demons use grappling hooks as any cook who
  has his urchins force the meat with hooks deep
  down into the pot, that it not float (line
  55-57)
• Virgil tells Dante to hide behind the rocks so
  the demons wont see him

4
More Summary

• Virgil, alone, crosses to the sixth bank and
  tells the demons of the nature of his and Dantes
  journey
• Dante joins Virgil and Malacoda, the demon in
  charge, tells them that the bridge crossing the
  sixth bolgia have been broken and you cant cross
  them
• Malacoda says, five hours from this hour
  yesterday, one thousand and two hundred sixty-six
  years passed since that roadway was shattered
  here. (lines 112-114) (1266 years have passed,
  making it 7 a.m. on April 9, 1300)

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End of Canto

• Malacoda tries to give the two poets some guides
  for their journey but Dante does not trust them
• The two poets finally agree to be accompanied by
  the ten demons, and leave the fifth pouch to
  continue their journey

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Characters

• Malacoda- head demon of pouch number 5
• Demons- Alichino, Calcabrina, Cagnazzo, Ciriatto,
  Barbariccia, Libicocco, Farfarello, Draghignazzo,
  Graffiacane, and Rubicante (they accompany Dante
  and Virgil to the sixth pouch)

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Scenery

• The Malebolge is a very dark and dreary place
• The Barrators who are punished here must be
  submerged in hot boiling tar and are kept there
  by demons holding grappling hooks
• below there boiled a thick and tarry mass that
  covered all the banks with clamminess. (lines 17
  and 18)
• There is a rocky edge where they are walking to
  keep out of the tar

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Map

• Bolgia 1 Panderers, Seducers Bolgia 2
  Flatterers Bolgia 3 Simoniacs Bolgia 4
  Fortunetellers Bolgia 5 Grafters (Barrators)
  Bolgia 6 Hypocrites Bolgia 7 Thieves Bolgia
  8 Evil Counselors Bolgia 9 Sowers of Discord
  Bolgia 10 Falsifiers
• -We are in Bolgia 8