Here's an introductory episode for the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE. I'm Mark Scarbrough and this podcast is my passion project: To take on Dante's Comedy passage by passage. I've taught it many times. But I've always felt rushed. I wanted to take this masterpiece at my speed. So here I go. No, here we go.I'll use my own rough English translation of the medieval Florentine. You can find these translations at markscarbrough.com or walkingwithdante.com. There's a header there labeled "Walking With Dante." Click on that header.There are better translations than mine out there. If you'd like, get yourself one like Robert and Jean Hollander's or Stanley Lombardo's, translations that offer a facing-page text: the medieval Florentine on one side, the English on the other. These will be more scholarly than mine--although mine are surely a fine introduction to this magnificent poem, COMEDY.

Here's an introductory episode for the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE. I'm Mark Scarbrough and this podcast is my passion project: To take on Dante's Comedy passage by passage. I've taught it many times. But I've always felt rushed. I wanted to take this masterpiece at my speed. So here I go. No, here we go.I'll use my own rough English translation of the medieval Florentine. You can find these translations at <a href="markscarbrough.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">markscarbrough.com</a> or <a href="walkingwithdante.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">walkingwithdante.com</a>. There's a header there labeled "Walking With Dante." Click on that header.There are better translations than mine out there. If you'd like, get yourself one like Robert and Jean Hollander's or Stanley Lombardo's, translations that offer a facing-page text: the medieval Florentine on one side, the English on the other. These will be more scholarly than mine--although mine are surely a fine introduction to this magnificent poem, COMEDY.

A Quick Introduction To WALKING WITH DANTE

In this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE, we take the first steps with our pilgrim, Dante, as he wakes up in a dark wood and starts his walk . . . through hell? No way! Across the known universe.But before the stars, he first finds himself in a dark wood. He's in a mid-life crisis. Not his. Ours.He doesn't know how he got there. He just knows it's a bad place. So bad that it makes him quake even as he tries to write about it years later.Which means there are two Dantes in the poem: the pilgrim who's walking and the poet who's writing. At times, they compete for our attention.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, to discover the opening lines of Dante's masterwork COMEDY.If you want to see my rough English translation of this passage, head out to markscarbrough.com or walkingwithdante.com. Or just listen along in this episode.Here are the segments of this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:09]  Why would you want to walk with Dante? Four reasons.[03:39]  Who am I? This podcast has been brewing for years. I finally worked up the courage. Like Dante.[05:56]  Here are the opening lines of of Dante's COMEDY. Why are they so strange, even off-putting at first glance?[14:12]  Does Dante's poem open "in medias res"? That is, "in the middle of things" (as goes the Latin)? That's a phrase to signal the epic form. But Dante's not writing an epic. He's writing a comedy.[16:23]  Who's journey is this? It's a tougher question than you might think. Who is this "I"? And how can this "I" write this journey into the wilds of the universe itself?[21:57]  What's the point of Dante's COMEDY? How can I sum it up in just a few words.

In this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE, we take the first steps with our pilgrim, Dante, as he wakes up in a dark wood and starts his walk . . . through hell? No way! Across the known universe.But before the stars, he first finds himself in a dark wood. He's in a mid-life crisis. Not his. Ours.He doesn't know how he got there. He just knows it's a bad place. So bad that it makes him quake even as he tries to write about it years later.Which means there are two Dantes in the poem: the pilgrim who's walking and the poet who's writing. At times, they compete for our attention.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, to discover the opening lines of Dante's masterwork COMEDY.If you want to see my rough English translation of this passage, head out to <a href="https://my.captivate.fm/markscarbrough.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">markscarbrough.com</a> or <a href="https://my.captivate.fm/walkingwithdante.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">walkingwithdante.com</a>. Or just listen along in this episode.Here are the segments of this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:09] Why would you want to walk with Dante? Four reasons.[03:39] Who am I? This podcast has been brewing for years. I finally worked up the courage. Like Dante.[05:56] Here are the opening lines of of Dante's COMEDY. Why are they so strange, even off-putting at first glance?[14:12] Does Dante's poem open "in medias res"? That is, "in the middle of things" (as goes the Latin)? That's a phrase to signal the epic form. But Dante's not writing an epic. He's writing a comedy.[16:23] Who's journey is this? It's a tougher question than you might think. Who is this "I"? And how can this "I" write this journey into the wilds of the universe itself?[21:57] What's the point of Dante's COMEDY? How can I sum it up in just a few words.

Waking Up Lost: INFERNO, Canto I, Lines 1 - 9

Who was Dante?Actually, that's two questions in one. First, how did this hard-working if not formerly brilliant poet and would-be politician from a rather lackluster family end up writing COMEDY, arguably the greatest work of Western literature?Second, when was Dante? What was his historical moment like?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I tell you a bit about the the poet's upbringing, his troubles, and the times he lived in, reaching back to the early 1200s to bring his story up to and just beyond his death in 1321.Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[00:52]  Dante is a nickname![01:56]   Some information about Dante's birth[04:10]	Some historical context for the poem[07:44]	Medieval clan warfare on the Italian peninsula[13:39]	Dante's upbringing[14:45]	Beatrice[17:59]	Dante's "teacher" (maybe): Brunetto Latini[19:47]	Dante's political career[22:16]	Dante on the run[26:15]	The Avignon papacy[27:33]	Dante's patronages and later life

Who was Dante?Actually, that's two questions in one. First, how did this hard-working if not formerly brilliant poet and would-be politician from a rather lackluster family end up writing COMEDY, arguably the greatest work of Western literature?Second, when was Dante? What was his historical moment like?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I tell you a bit about the the poet's upbringing, his troubles, and the times he lived in, reaching back to the early 1200s to bring his story up to and just beyond his death in 1321.Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[00:52] Dante is a nickname![01:56] Some information about Dante's birth[04:10]	Some historical context for the poem[07:44]	Medieval clan warfare on the Italian peninsula[13:39]	Dante's upbringing[14:45]	Beatrice[17:59]	Dante's "teacher" (maybe): Brunetto Latini[19:47]	Dante's political career[22:16]	Dante on the run[26:15]	The Avignon papacy[27:33]	Dante's patronages and later life

Who was Dante?

In INFERNO, Canto I, Dante comes awake in a dark wood. So now what? He knows he has to walk out. But where? And how?This fourth episode of WALKING WITH DANTE is actually is the second passage we cover from INFERNO itself. Intriguingly, this is one of the few moments in the poem in which our pilgrim, Dante, is all by himself.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I start the first steps of the journey with the pilgrim. In this passage, we'll discover some of the lush poetry that has made COMEDY endure for over 700 years.The first steps in a lot of journeys are rarely in the right direction. Particularly when you don't have a map.Here's a breakdown of the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:13]	My English translation of this passage: INFERNO, Canto 1, Lines 10 - 27. If you'd like to read along, print it off, make notes, or drop a comment, please go to my website: markscarbrough.com.[02:48]	The balance between the two central characters of the COMEDY: the poet who is writing the work and the pilgrim who is walking the journey.[06:40]	Is this a dream poem?[08:49]	The hill ahead--both for the pilgrim, as he starts his journey; and for us, as we start the poem.[11:19]		The lake of the heart: the start of the gorgeous language of Dante's poem.[13:56]	The poem's first simile: shipwreck.[16:32]	More about that hill just ahead.

In INFERNO, Canto I, Dante comes awake in a dark wood. So now what? He knows he has to walk out. But where? And how?This fourth episode of WALKING WITH DANTE is actually is the second passage we cover from INFERNO itself. Intriguingly, this is one of the few moments in the poem in which our pilgrim, Dante, is all by himself.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I start the first steps of the journey with the pilgrim. In this passage, we'll discover some of the lush poetry that has made COMEDY endure for over 700 years.The first steps in a lot of journeys are rarely in the right direction. Particularly when you don't have a map.Here's a breakdown of the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:13]	My English translation of this passage: INFERNO, Canto 1, Lines 10 - 27. If you'd like to read along, print it off, make notes, or drop a comment, please go to my website: <a href="markscarbrough.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">markscarbrough.com</a>.[02:48]	The balance between the two central characters of the COMEDY: the poet who is writing the work and the pilgrim who is walking the journey.[06:40]	Is this a dream poem?[08:49]	The hill ahead--both for the pilgrim, as he starts his journey; and for us, as we start the poem.[11:19]		The lake of the heart: the start of the gorgeous language of Dante's poem.[13:56]	The poem's first simile: shipwreck.[16:32]	More about that hill just ahead.

Turbulence In The Lake Of The Heart: INFERNO, Canto I, Lines 10 - 27

Dante's journey across the universe is underway--except it's not. It stops almost the moment it begins in COMEDY.What happens when you set off in a new direction but have no clue where you're going? Apparently, you get blocked by the beasts of your imagination.Or maybe by more than beasts. By symbols. Even allegories. Personal, political, and/or social.This is a tough passage that has eaten gallons of scholarly ink over the centuries. I'll give you different ideas for these animals "mean." But the answers must ultimately be your own.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for the first steps of the journey with our pilgrim: up a hill that seems so promising, then back down again.Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[00:28]	My English translatoin of this passage: INFERNO, Canto 1, Lines 28 - 66. If you'd like to read along, print it off, make notes, or drop a comment, please go to my website: markscarbrough.com.[03:12]	Our first glimpse of the poem's incredible complexity--that is, a bit about the pilgrim's feet, all sieved through St. Augustine and a commentary written by Dante's own son, plus lots more.[09:19]	Three beasts! Here they come, the terrors on the slope. I'll offer lots of interpretations for them. They've generated 700 years of answers![20:50]	And so it goes: The pilgrim slips back down the mountain, almost lost, until a figure appears out of the mist. Sure, a ghost is surprising. Even more so, what the pilgrim says to this shade.[24:29]	A final bit about a clue in the passage that helps us date the poem--not in terms of when it was written but rather when it's taking place. It seems to be Easter weekend in 1300. Seems to be March 25. Problem is, March 25 didn't fall on Easter weekend in the year 1300.

Dante's journey across the universe is underway--except it's not. It stops almost the moment it begins in COMEDY.What happens when you set off in a new direction but have no clue where you're going? Apparently, you get blocked by the beasts of your imagination.Or maybe by more than beasts. By symbols. Even allegories. Personal, political, and/or social.This is a tough passage that has eaten gallons of scholarly ink over the centuries. I'll give you different ideas for these animals "mean." But the answers must ultimately be your own.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for the first steps of the journey with our pilgrim: up a hill that seems so promising, then back down again.Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[00:28]	My English translatoin of this passage: INFERNO, Canto 1, Lines 28 - 66. If you'd like to read along, print it off, make notes, or drop a comment, please go to my website: <a href="markscarbrough.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">markscarbrough.com</a>.[03:12]	Our first glimpse of the poem's incredible complexity--that is, a bit about the pilgrim's feet, all sieved through St. Augustine and a commentary written by Dante's own son, plus lots more.[09:19]	Three beasts! Here they come, the terrors on the slope. I'll offer lots of interpretations for them. They've generated 700 years of answers![20:50]	And so it goes: The pilgrim slips back down the mountain, almost lost, until a figure appears out of the mist. Sure, a ghost is surprising. Even more so, what the pilgrim says to this shade.[24:29]	A final bit about a clue in the passage that helps us date the poem--not in terms of when it was written but rather when it's taking place. It seems to be Easter weekend in 1300. Seems to be March 25. Problem is, March 25 didn't fall on Easter weekend in the year 1300.

A Bestiary Of Leopards, Lions, And Wolves: INFERNO, Canto I, Lines 28 - 66

In this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE, we meet Dante-the-pilgrim's first and great guide, the Roman poet Virgil. (Bonus stuff not in the episode: long down the poem, we'll discover that Virgil may well be Dante-the-PILGRIM's guide but may not be Dante-the-POET's guide. But that's a complicated bit and far ahead of us at this point.)For now, Virgil is Dante's master, his "author." Except he's also Virgil, a guy who has a limited understanding of the universe.What happens when you meet your hero and he's not what you imagined? What happens when he's as fallible as you are?Easy. You set off across the universe together. How else do humans do it?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we start Dante-the-pilgrim's journey again, a do-over, all in the first canto, this time with a guide and not under the pilgrim's (or maybe the poet's) own steam. Here are the segments of this episode:[01:12]	The passage for this episode: INFERNO, Canto I, Lines 67 - 96[03:45]	Virgil! That apparition from the last episode is the great Roman poet. Fun fact for English speakers: When you talk about the character in Dante's poem, you spell his name "Virgil"; when you talk about the historical figure, you spell his name "Vergil." [05:59]	The first shot at a much longer discussion (in future episodes) of an important tool in Dante-the-poet's kit: periphrasis, a rhetorical strategy whereby a writer walks around something without ever naming it.[07:58]	Virgil offers Dante-the-pilgrim his résumé. It's not all it seems. Or perhaps it's less than he tries to make it.[15:11]	Virgil makes a big mistake, a theological mistake, which may tell us more about what Dante-the-poet thinks of Virgil than Virgil intends to give away at this moment.[19:43]	Even so, Dante-the-pilgrim offers Virgil a little hero-worship. Does this set up an implicit tension between the pilgrim and the poet in the poem? Maybe. I don't address that in this episode, but we'll need to face this important point in future episodes.[21:07]	A final bit about the internal landscape of this poem. There's a lot of talk about how medieval poetry shows no "interiority," no inner life of its characters. But there may be a clue in this passage that COMEDY is very interested in the pilgrim's internal landscape, his interiority.

In this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE, we meet Dante-the-pilgrim's first and great guide, the Roman poet Virgil. (Bonus stuff not in the episode: long down the poem, we'll discover that Virgil may well be Dante-the-PILGRIM's guide but may not be Dante-the-POET's guide. But that's a complicated bit and far ahead of us at this point.)For now, Virgil is Dante's master, his "author." Except he's also Virgil, a guy who has a limited understanding of the universe.What happens when you meet your hero and he's not what you imagined? What happens when he's as fallible as you are?Easy. You set off across the universe together. How else do humans do it?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we start Dante-the-pilgrim's journey again, a do-over, all in the first canto, this time with a guide and not under the pilgrim's (or maybe the poet's) own steam. Here are the segments of this episode:[01:12]	The passage for this episode: INFERNO, Canto I, Lines 67 - 96[03:45]	Virgil! That apparition from the last episode is the great Roman poet. Fun fact for English speakers: When you talk about the character in Dante's poem, you spell his name "Virgil"; when you talk about the historical figure, you spell his name "Vergil." [05:59]	The first shot at a much longer discussion (in future episodes) of an important tool in Dante-the-poet's kit: periphrasis, a rhetorical strategy whereby a writer walks around something without ever naming it.[07:58]	Virgil offers Dante-the-pilgrim his résumé. It's not all it seems. Or perhaps it's less than he tries to make it.[15:11]	Virgil makes a big mistake, a theological mistake, which may tell us more about what Dante-the-poet thinks of Virgil than Virgil intends to give away at this moment.[19:43]	Even so, Dante-the-pilgrim offers Virgil a little hero-worship. Does this set up an implicit tension between the pilgrim and the poet in the poem? Maybe. I don't address that in this episode, but we'll need to face this important point in future episodes.[21:07]	A final bit about the internal landscape of this poem. There's a lot of talk about how medieval poetry shows no "interiority," no inner life of its characters. But there may be a clue in this passage that COMEDY is very interested in the pilgrim's internal landscape, his interiority.

Virgil To The Rescue: Inferno, Canto I, Lines 67 - 96

In a previous episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE, I talked a lot about how Dante defines Virgil as a poet, not a philosopher, and why that was important in Dante's medieval context.But there's more to Virgil than just poetry. There's prophecy. Because the most important part of being a poet is being a prophet, too.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we now find out why and how being a prophet is so crucial to a poet's role in this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE.We'll hear Virgil predict not only Dante's immediate future but the future of Italy itself (which means, for Dante-the-poet, the future of Rome, his real concern).This is a tough passage, made especially tough because of centuries of commentary on it. I'll lead you through four standard interpretations, then offer my own, a fifth possibility, that basically doesn't try to clear up the passage but claims it's opaque on purpose.Here are the episode segments:[01:24]	The passage in English for this episode from INFERNO: Canto 1, Lines 97 - 136[03:46]	Virgil's got a new role. He's not only a poet. He's a prophet. What is a prophet in the Biblical tradition? And what exactly does Virgil say will happen in the future?[09:55]	Virgil and his greyhound--what can we make of this strange, opaque prophecy? I'll offer you five readings, four from the commentary tradition and one (the last) under my own steam. Maybe the difficulty of this passage is its point. It's not hard to understand the words. It's hard to know what they mean. And maybe we should just sit with that concept for a bit.[18:34]	Virgil simplifies things by telling Dante-the-pilgrim's future (that is, not the future for the Italian peninsula but just the road ahead for the pilgrim). But does he really? In telling Dante-the-pilgrim about the journey ahead, Virgil reveals his misunderstanding (or maybe his limited understanding) about what's ahead. And Dante's reply is even more curious, because Dante seems to forget where the journey's headed: heaven. Canto 1 ends in a knotty mess--until the last sentence, which seems so simple but is in fact so very profound.

In a previous episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE, I talked a lot about how Dante defines Virgil as a poet, not a philosopher, and why that was important in Dante's medieval context.But there's more to Virgil than just poetry. There's prophecy. Because the most important part of being a poet is being a prophet, too.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we now find out why and how being a prophet is so crucial to a poet's role in this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE.We'll hear Virgil predict not only Dante's immediate future but the future of Italy itself (which means, for Dante-the-poet, the future of Rome, his real concern).This is a tough passage, made especially tough because of centuries of commentary on it. I'll lead you through four standard interpretations, then offer my own, a fifth possibility, that basically doesn't try to clear up the passage but claims it's opaque on purpose.Here are the episode segments:[01:24]	The passage in English for this episode from INFERNO: Canto 1, Lines 97 - 136[03:46]	Virgil's got a new role. He's not only a poet. He's a prophet. What is a prophet in the Biblical tradition? And what exactly does Virgil say will happen in the future?[09:55]	Virgil and his greyhound--what can we make of this strange, opaque prophecy? I'll offer you five readings, four from the commentary tradition and one (the last) under my own steam. Maybe the difficulty of this passage is its point. It's not hard to understand the words. It's hard to know what they mean. And maybe we should just sit with that concept for a bit.[18:34]	Virgil simplifies things by telling Dante-the-pilgrim's future (that is, not the future for the Italian peninsula but just the road ahead for the pilgrim). But does he really? In telling Dante-the-pilgrim about the journey ahead, Virgil reveals his misunderstanding (or maybe his limited understanding) about what's ahead. And Dante's reply is even more curious, because Dante seems to forget where the journey's headed: heaven. Canto 1 ends in a knotty mess--until the last sentence, which seems so simple but is in fact so very profound.

Virgil The Poet Becomes Virgil The Prophet: Inferno, Canto I, Lines 97 - 136

In this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE, we'll look back over Inferno, Canto I, the one we've just finished.I'll start by reading it again. I want you to see its scope, its arc. Then we'll explore this giant piece of architecture that is Dante's COMEDY.I'll go on for a bit about what makes Dante-the-poet so very unusual among us humans who like to fence our pastures.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I give Inferno's first canto a last glance before we continue to walk across the known universe, then pause to talk about how this whole poem is put together as a mind-bending structural edifice. Here's are the segments of this episode:[00:59]	The whole of INFERNO's canto 1, read right through. If you want to see this translation, you can look it up on my website under the "Walking With Dante" header: markscarbrough.com[07:51]	The overall structure of Dante's COMEDY. Here, I'll explain those words "canticle" and "canto" to give you an overview of the poem.[11:21]	The stanza structure of COMEDY. That is, the form of the poetry, this thing called "terza rima," a form that Dante-the-poet invented for COMEDY.[23:05]	Even deeper in, the structure of the very lines of COMEDY. As if the stanza architecture wasn't complicated enough, Dante crafted the very lines to have a set number of stresses.[26:54]	Finally, permit me to talk about one of the ways I find Dante so astounding. Everyone fences in the world. You have to. There's too much beyond you. We have to discover Dante's fence, his pasture. But our poet is so much more than that--because unlike most of us, he proves again and again in COMEDY that he's willing to move the very fences he's installed around his imaginative pasture.

In this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE, we'll look back over Inferno, Canto I, the one we've just finished.I'll start by reading it again. I want you to see its scope, its arc. Then we'll explore this giant piece of architecture that is Dante's COMEDY.I'll go on for a bit about what makes Dante-the-poet so very unusual among us humans who like to fence our pastures.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I give Inferno's first canto a last glance before we continue to walk across the known universe, then pause to talk about how this whole poem is put together as a mind-bending structural edifice. Here's are the segments of this episode:[00:59]	The whole of INFERNO's canto 1, read right through. If you want to see this translation, you can look it up on my website under the "Walking With Dante" header: <a href="markscarbrough.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">markscarbrough.com</a>[07:51]	The overall structure of Dante's COMEDY. Here, I'll explain those words "canticle" and "canto" to give you an overview of the poem.[11:21]	The stanza structure of COMEDY. That is, the form of the poetry, this thing called "terza rima," a form that Dante-the-poet invented for COMEDY.[23:05]	Even deeper in, the structure of the very lines of COMEDY. As if the stanza architecture wasn't complicated enough, Dante crafted the very lines to have a set number of stresses.[26:54]	Finally, permit me to talk about one of the ways I find Dante so astounding. Everyone fences in the world. You have to. There's too much beyond you. We have to discover Dante's fence, his pasture. But our poet is so much more than that--because unlike most of us, he proves again and again in COMEDY that he's willing to move the very fences he's installed around his imaginative pasture.

We've Finished Inferno, Canto I: Here's a Look Back And Look Around The Entire Poem

We were almost underway, but important things must happen before we can go any farther. On this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE, join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we start the Canto II of INFERNO and discover that the Dante-the-pilgrim is almost undone by his doubts.How does he get rid of them? He decides to play a rhetorical game with his poetic master, Virgil. As they say, if you want to get famous, punch up! And Virgil is definitely up from this poet who has written a book, a few lyric poems, and stopped in the middle of a treatise. That's all he's got to his name. So the best way the advance yourself is to challenge someone above you to a game you might be able to win.Here are the segments of this episode:[01:02]	My English translation of the passage for this episode: INFERNO, Canto II, Lines 1 - 42.[03:14]	A review of the plot so far--and an overview of what's ahead in Canto II of INFERNO.[05:08]	The opening lines of Canto II, with particular attention to the questions of temporality. Or to put it another way, Dante-the-pilgrim is out of sync with the world.[08:03]	The first invocation of COMEDY. It's a prayer. Not to God. To the classical muses. And particularly to memory. (Bonus material: thereby further asserting the "realism" of COMEDY, affirming that Dante-the-pilgrim REALLY went on this walk.)[10:30]	Dante-the-pilgrim's first big speech. It's to Virgil. It raises literary issues. Am I good enough as a poet to do this? And it raises religious issues. Who's good enough to see the afterlife?[16:38]	More about periphrasis. We walked about this in a previous episode: the technique of walking around something without exactly naming it. For lots of reasons. Including, well, flattery.[20:12]	Who permits it? The biggest question of COMEDY! Who permits Dante to do this? Or write this? What if he sets out on this walk (or starts writing this poem) and it all turns out to be mad folly. You gotta face your fears. And Dante does. But only by turning back to his mentor, not on his own two feet.

We were almost underway, but important things must happen before we can go any farther. On this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE, join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we start the Canto II of INFERNO and discover that the Dante-the-pilgrim is almost undone by his doubts.How does he get rid of them? He decides to play a rhetorical game with his poetic master, Virgil. As they say, if you want to get famous, punch up! And Virgil is definitely up from this poet who has written a book, a few lyric poems, and stopped in the middle of a treatise. That's all he's got to his name. So the best way the advance yourself is to challenge someone above you to a game you might be able to win.Here are the segments of this episode:[01:02]	My English translation of the passage for this episode: INFERNO, Canto II, Lines 1 - 42.[03:14]	A review of the plot so far--and an overview of what's ahead in Canto II of INFERNO.[05:08]	The opening lines of Canto II, with particular attention to the questions of temporality. Or to put it another way, Dante-the-pilgrim is out of sync with the world.[08:03]	The first invocation of COMEDY. It's a prayer. Not to God. To the classical muses. And particularly to memory. (Bonus material: thereby further asserting the "realism" of COMEDY, affirming that Dante-the-pilgrim REALLY went on this walk.)[10:30]	Dante-the-pilgrim's first big speech. It's to Virgil. It raises literary issues. Am I good enough as a poet to do this? And it raises religious issues. Who's good enough to see the afterlife?[16:38]	More about periphrasis. We walked about this in a previous episode: the technique of walking around something without exactly naming it. For lots of reasons. Including, well, flattery.[20:12]	Who permits it? The biggest question of COMEDY! Who permits Dante to do this? Or write this? What if he sets out on this walk (or starts writing this poem) and it all turns out to be mad folly. You gotta face your fears. And Dante does. But only by turning back to his mentor, not on his own two feet.

"I Am Not Aeneas, I Am Not Saint Paul": False Modesty In Inferno, Canto II, Lines 1 - 42

After Dante confesses his unworthiness in the opening of Canto II of INFERNO, Virgil clarifies the matter. "You're not hesitant for modesty's sake. You're a coward."Then Virgil does what humans do. He tells a story. One that's almost too good to be true: the first time Virgil met Beatrice.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for more steps on the journey across the known universe on the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE.Here are the segments of this episode:[02:13]	My English translation of this passage from INFERNO: Canto II, 43 - 75[05:53]	Rhetoric. What is it? Why's it so important?[07:03]	Virgil's initial salvo at Dante: a sneer, followed by a redefinition of the problem.[11:53]	Then Virgil unexpectedly stumbles. He says something that's unintelligible to those who haven't read COMEDY. Why does he suddenly say something the pilgrim would never understand?[13:46]	In this war of words for who's up to telling this tale: Beatrice steps up to (the rhetorical) bat. First, a bit about what her speech is like: "gentle and soft." A crucial point for COMEDY.[16:10]	Beatrice's first speech (but, well, in Virgil's mouth). She opens with flattery, then lays it on really thick. So much so that she ends at a place that seems almost, well, irrational. Or at the very least impossible in this Christian context.

After Dante confesses his unworthiness in the opening of Canto II of INFERNO, Virgil clarifies the matter. "You're not hesitant for modesty's sake. You're a coward."Then Virgil does what humans do. He tells a story. One that's almost too good to be true: the first time Virgil met Beatrice.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for more steps on the journey across the known universe on the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE.Here are the segments of this episode:[02:13]	My English translation of this passage from INFERNO: Canto II, 43 - 75[05:53]	Rhetoric. What is it? Why's it so important?[07:03]	Virgil's initial salvo at Dante: a sneer, followed by a redefinition of the problem.[11:53]	Then Virgil unexpectedly stumbles. He says something that's unintelligible to those who haven't read COMEDY. Why does he suddenly say something the pilgrim would never understand?[13:46]	In this war of words for who's up to telling this tale: Beatrice steps up to (the rhetorical) bat. First, a bit about what her speech is like: "gentle and soft." A crucial point for COMEDY.[16:10]	Beatrice's first speech (but, well, in Virgil's mouth). She opens with flattery, then lays it on really thick. So much so that she ends at a place that seems almost, well, irrational. Or at the very least impossible in this Christian context.

Rhetorical Battles And The Quest To Tell The Tale In Inferno, Canto II, Lines 43 - 75

Ever wanted to read Dante's Divine Comedy? Come along with us! We're not lost in the scholarly weeds. (Mostly.) We're strolling through the greatest work (to date) of Western literature. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I take on this masterpiece passage by passage. I'll give you my rough English translation, show you some of the interpretive knots in the lines, let you in on the 700 years of commentary, and connect Dante's work to our modern world. The pilgrim comes awake in a dark wood, then walks across the known universe. New episodes every Sunday and Wednesday.

Where's Dante, our pilgrim? Not in this passage! He's fallen out of his own poem as Virgil and Beatrice engage in the salvos of their rhetorical battle.And where's hell, the promised inferno, the tortured sinners? Well, sort of here. I mean, Virgil's standing right there. Except we're headed to the very heights of heaven with Beatrice.And what ultimately wins the day? A story. Beatrice's story of her journey to hell to save Dante. To set him on the road to heaven? Maybe. But more importantly, to set him on the road to writing COMEDY.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we fly to the very heights of the Empyrean, of heaven, and then come right back to Virgil and Beatrice standing in hell on this episode from Canto II of Inferno on the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE.Here are the segments of this episode:[01:11]	The passage from INFERNO for this episode: Canto II, Lines 76 -114. I'll read it twice because it's a bit tough. If you want to see my English translation, check it out under the "walking with Dante" header at markscarbrough.com.[05:40]	A bit about dissonances in the poem--and to remember that we live in a more linear world than Dante the poet.[07:57]	Virgil's response to Beatrice. It involves flattery (maybe flattery that's too high, even blasphemous) and--curious!--it involve his doubting her. BONUS CONTENT: Virgil claims that Beatrice is the way we get to heaven. Which is NOT orthodox Christian theology. Except Virgil's right. Beatrice IS the way Dante-the-pilgrim (and maybe Dante-the-poet) will get to heaven.[13:41]	Beatrice's answers--which include a wide cast of characters: the Virgin Mary, St. Lucy, Rachel from Torah/The Old Testament. Beatrice takes us straight up to heaven. So was Virgil right in his seemingly blasphemous flattery?[21:20]	A few words about the incredibly complex structure of this passage.[22:45]	And some final thoughts about what it means to have left the "common crowd" or the "vulgar horde." How has Dante-the-pilgrim left these people behind? BONUS CONTENT: Is Beatrice talking about Dante-the-poet or about Dante-the-pilgrim? I seem to argue that she's ultimately talking about the poet and his embrace of the low, new style. But perhaps she's talking about the pilgrim, too. In which case waking up in a dark wood was a choice, not an accident? Does that make any sense?

Where's Dante, our pilgrim? Not in this passage! He's fallen out of his own poem as Virgil and Beatrice engage in the salvos of their rhetorical battle.And where's hell, the promised inferno, the tortured sinners? Well, sort of here. I mean, Virgil's standing right there. Except we're headed to the very heights of heaven with Beatrice.And what ultimately wins the day? A story. Beatrice's story of her journey to hell to save Dante. To set him on the road to heaven? Maybe. But more importantly, to set him on the road to writing COMEDY.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we fly to the very heights of the Empyrean, of heaven, and then come right back to Virgil and Beatrice standing in hell on this episode from Canto II of Inferno on the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE.Here are the segments of this episode:[01:11]	The passage from INFERNO for this episode: Canto II, Lines 76 -114. I'll read it twice because it's a bit tough. If you want to see my English translation, check it out under the "walking with Dante" header at <a href="markscarbrough.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">markscarbrough.com.</a>[05:40]	A bit about dissonances in the poem--and to remember that we live in a more linear world than Dante the poet.[07:57]	Virgil's response to Beatrice. It involves flattery (maybe flattery that's too high, even blasphemous) and--curious!--it involve his doubting her. BONUS CONTENT: Virgil claims that Beatrice is the way we get to heaven. Which is NOT orthodox Christian theology. Except Virgil's right. Beatrice IS the way Dante-the-pilgrim (and maybe Dante-the-poet) will get to heaven.[13:41]	Beatrice's answers--which include a wide cast of characters: the Virgin Mary, St. Lucy, Rachel from Torah/The Old Testament. Beatrice takes us straight up to heaven. So was Virgil right in his seemingly blasphemous flattery?[21:20]	A few words about the incredibly complex structure of this passage.[22:45]	And some final thoughts about what it means to have left the "common crowd" or the "vulgar horde." How has Dante-the-pilgrim left these people behind? BONUS CONTENT: Is Beatrice talking about Dante-the-poet or about Dante-the-pilgrim? I seem to argue that she's ultimately talking about the poet and his embrace of the low, new style. But perhaps she's talking about the pilgrim, too. In which case waking up in a dark wood was a choice, not an accident? Does that make any sense?

The Way You Get Saved Is With A Story: Inferno, Canto II, Lines 76 - 114

Beatrice has bested Virgil. Virgil has bested Dante, our pilgrim.Virgil not only told the pilgrim about Beatrice, but he also diagnosed his main problem (cowardice). And he's offered him hope. So Dante can do nothing else except set off across the universe.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we finish Canto II of Inferno on the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE and get ready to descend into the mouth of hell (or at least Canto III of Inferno, the first true descent in COMEDY).Here are the segments to this episode:[02:14]	The passage for this episode in INFERNO: Canto II, Lines 115 - 141. If you want to see my translation, check it out on my website, markscarbrough.com.[05:49]	Why did we have to have this rhetorical battle?[07:20]	Beatrice's final salvo--and a bit of irony. She didn't ultimately win with words. She won with tears.[08:37]	Virgil confirms that the she-wolf was Dante's main antagonist. What does that mean? How does that clarify the allegory of the she-wolf?[09:58]	Virgil states his final case--and maybe overstates it, putting himself on a par with the blessed ladies in heaven. There's a lot here about the so-called anxiety of influence (à la Harold Bloom, the American provocateur/literary critic). I love the notion here that as an artist, you imagine your mentor would be, not thrilled, but irritated with you.[14:53]	A bit about Dante-the-pilgrim and desire (and maybe Dante-the-poet, too). Desire is the foundation of the universe in Dante's scheme.[16:09]	Dante speaks in a plain, straightforward way, indicating that he finally gets it, that he finally has what it takes to start the journey (both across the universe as a pilgrim and on the page as a poet).[17:54]	An backward glance at Canto II--and some points about its structure (to use the fancy word, the chiasmus of the canto). A canto highly concerned with rhetoric is itself rhetorically structured. It's more meta than we might first imagine!

Beatrice has bested Virgil. Virgil has bested Dante, our pilgrim.Virgil not only told the pilgrim about Beatrice, but he also diagnosed his main problem (cowardice). And he's offered him hope. So Dante can do nothing else except set off across the universe.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we finish Canto II of Inferno on the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE and get ready to descend into the mouth of hell (or at least Canto III of Inferno, the first true descent in COMEDY).Here are the segments to this episode:[02:14]	The passage for this episode in INFERNO: Canto II, Lines 115 - 141. If you want to see my translation, check it out on my website, <a href="markscarbrough.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">markscarbrough.com</a>.[05:49]	Why did we have to have this rhetorical battle?[07:20]	Beatrice's final salvo--and a bit of irony. She didn't ultimately win with words. She won with tears.[08:37]	Virgil confirms that the she-wolf was Dante's main antagonist. What does that mean? How does that clarify the allegory of the she-wolf?[09:58]	Virgil states his final case--and maybe overstates it, putting himself on a par with the blessed ladies in heaven. There's a lot here about the so-called anxiety of influence (à la Harold Bloom, the American provocateur/literary critic). I love the notion here that as an artist, you imagine your mentor would be, not thrilled, but irritated with you.[14:53]	A bit about Dante-the-pilgrim and desire (and maybe Dante-the-poet, too). Desire is the foundation of the universe in Dante's scheme.[16:09]	Dante speaks in a plain, straightforward way, indicating that he finally gets it, that he finally has what it takes to start the journey (both across the universe as a pilgrim and on the page as a poet).[17:54]	An backward glance at Canto II--and some points about its structure (to use the fancy word, the chiasmus of the canto). A canto highly concerned with rhetoric is itself rhetorically structured. It's more meta than we might first imagine!

Bested By Beatrice, Bested By Virgil: Inferno, Canto II, Lines 115 - 141

Dante the pilgrim and his guide, Virgil, are taking their first steps into hell in INFERNO, Canto III. Let's pause with these two at the gate of hell with its famous inscription ("Abandon hope!").And let's note something strange: You enter hell through an act of reading. The words on the gate, yes. But also perhaps these words in the poet's text.And if we read the words right, we can get a most unusual thing: a cheerful look from Virgil.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I walk with Dante the pilgrim passage by passage across the known universe--or at least across INFERNO and into the larger DIVINE COMEDY.Here are the segments of this episode:[01:11]	The passage for this episode in my English translation: INFERNO, Canto III, lines 1 - 21. If you want to see my translation, head out to my website, markscarbrough.com and look for the subhead "walking with Dante."[02:23]	The words over the gate, perhaps one of the most famous passage all of COMEDY. But two things: 1) the gate speaks autobiographically (which seems to be the crux of Dante-the-poet's art, truth as "through me") and 2) we're about to enter a civil vision of the afterlife.[08:27]	A bit about justice and the definitely non-Thomistic (and non-Aristotelian) words written over the gate. Justice moved God? How is that possible?BONUS: Or is the gate engaged in a bit of self-aggrandizement? Should we take the words of the gate of hell ("through me") as straightforward? Is this a hellish take on judgment? Or perhaps a misunderstanding of God's nature by hell itself?[12:52]  Dante-the-pilgrim is a reader! He has to enter hell through an act of reading--reading the words over the gate, yes; but also reading Virgil's AENEID (which so colors this canto and so much of the early parts of INFERNO). Dante-the-pilgrim is the representative reader, maybe the reader that Dante-the-poet really wants for his own work. And Virgil is the perfect teacher, who recasts the read words into his pupil's personal space, thereby perhaps giving us a clue about how Dante-the-poet wants his poem read.

Dante the pilgrim and his guide, Virgil, are taking their first steps into hell in INFERNO, Canto III. Let's pause with these two at the gate of hell with its famous inscription ("Abandon hope!").And let's note something strange: You enter hell through an act of reading. The words on the gate, yes. But also perhaps these words in the poet's text.And if we read the words right, we can get a most unusual thing: a cheerful look from Virgil.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I walk with Dante the pilgrim passage by passage across the known universe--or at least across INFERNO and into the larger DIVINE COMEDY.Here are the segments of this episode:[01:11]	The passage for this episode in my English translation: INFERNO, Canto III, lines 1 - 21. If you want to see my translation, head out to my website, <a href="markscarbrough.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">markscarbrough.com</a> and look for the subhead "walking with Dante."[02:23]	The words over the gate, perhaps one of the most famous passage all of COMEDY. But two things: 1) the gate speaks autobiographically (which seems to be the crux of Dante-the-poet's art, truth as "through me") and 2) we're about to enter a civil vision of the afterlife.[08:27]	A bit about justice and the definitely non-Thomistic (and non-Aristotelian) words written over the gate. Justice moved God? How is that possible?BONUS: Or is the gate engaged in a bit of self-aggrandizement? Should we take the words of the gate of hell ("through me") as straightforward? Is this a hellish take on judgment? Or perhaps a misunderstanding of God's nature by hell itself?[12:52] Dante-the-pilgrim is a reader! He has to enter hell through an act of reading--reading the words over the gate, yes; but also reading Virgil's AENEID (which so colors this canto and so much of the early parts of INFERNO). Dante-the-pilgrim is the representative reader, maybe the reader that Dante-the-poet really wants for his own work. And Virgil is the perfect teacher, who recasts the read words into his pupil's personal space, thereby perhaps giving us a clue about how Dante-the-poet wants his poem read.

Abandon Hope For It's The Gate Of Hell: Inferno, Canto III, Lines 1 - 21

Our pilgrim, Dante, and his guide, Virgil, walk just beyond the gate of hell to encounter, well, the sort of hell we thought we were going to get all along. More specifically, we're come to the place of the angels and humans who refused to make a choice in this life, all of whom are stung by wasps and flies, all of whom are steeped in maggots.A cliché of images, this passage is also the wild west of Christian theology. Dante-the-poet is making it up fast and loose! Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we follow the pilgrim into the first feet of the afterlife.Here are the segments of this episode:[01:17]	My English translation of the passage for this episode: INFERNO, Canto III, Lines 22 - 69[04:12]	A little pep talk from me to spur you on in reading the COMEDY with me.[07:42]	"I began to weep"--the pilgrim's first response to hell. Here's where the passage starts to get complex: the irony of Virgil's pleasant look before all this torture and the irony of the pilgrim's sympathy for those who have chosen their own fate. Or did God choose it? Not clear![12:48]	A first glance at the damned--and a first glance at the expansive nature of Dante-the-poet's imagination: He can make up celestial beings that exist nowhere else in Christianity, angels who neither fought for God nor chose to side with Lucifer.[17:00]	What is sin? Is it a choice? Or a state of being? Dante-the-poet seems to be choosing "choice." Problem is, the church isn't at this point in history. Or at least, not choosing it consistently.[19:33]	A little bit of existential reality from this very medieval poet.[21:48]	Who is the shade who made "the great refusal"? So many critics and scholars seem to know the answer. But then why are there so many answers?[27:17]	One final problem: Maybe not giving us adequate clues to solve the matter of who made "the great refusal" shows us our pilgrim's cowardice. Maybe his refusal to name this person shows us that he's still trying to remain neutral. Maybe the poet in the wings is far smarter about the pilgrim's journey than we first imagined.[29:17]	We got the hell we wanted. We see the torments and the wailings. And we're not really even in hell yet, just on the porch. Good, glad we got it out of the way. Because now the poet's imagination can be fully engaged.

Our pilgrim, Dante, and his guide, Virgil, walk just beyond the gate of hell to encounter, well, the sort of hell we thought we were going to get all along. More specifically, we're come to the place of the angels and humans who refused to make a choice in this life, all of whom are stung by wasps and flies, all of whom are steeped in maggots.A cliché of images, this passage is also the wild west of Christian theology. Dante-the-poet is making it up fast and loose! Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we follow the pilgrim into the first feet of the afterlife.Here are the segments of this episode:[01:17]	My English translation of the passage for this episode: INFERNO, Canto III, Lines 22 - 69[04:12]	A little pep talk from me to spur you on in reading the COMEDY with me.[07:42]	"I began to weep"--the pilgrim's first response to hell. Here's where the passage starts to get complex: the irony of Virgil's pleasant look before all this torture and the irony of the pilgrim's sympathy for those who have chosen their own fate. Or did God choose it? Not clear![12:48]	A first glance at the damned--and a first glance at the expansive nature of Dante-the-poet's imagination: He can make up celestial beings that exist nowhere else in Christianity, angels who neither fought for God nor chose to side with Lucifer.[17:00]	What is sin? Is it a choice? Or a state of being? Dante-the-poet seems to be choosing "choice." Problem is, the church isn't at this point in history. Or at least, not choosing it consistently.[19:33]	A little bit of existential reality from this very medieval poet.[21:48]	Who is the shade who made "the great refusal"? So many critics and scholars seem to know the answer. But then why are there so many answers?[27:17]	One final problem: Maybe not giving us adequate clues to solve the matter of who made "the great refusal" shows us our pilgrim's cowardice. Maybe his refusal to name this person shows us that he's still trying to remain neutral. Maybe the poet in the wings is far smarter about the pilgrim's journey than we first imagined.[29:17]	We got the hell we wanted. We see the torments and the wailings. And we're not really even in hell yet, just on the porch. Good, glad we got it out of the way. Because now the poet's imagination can be fully engaged.

Sometimes, You Get The Hell You Want: Inferno, Canto III, Lines 22 - 69

On this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE, we start the second major scene in Canto III of INFERNO: Charon, his boat, Acheronte (the river he crosses), and the souls waiting to be ferried into deep hell.But first, a spat. Between Virgil and our pilgrim. Something's amiss. It's always amiss when you're walking across the universe with your mentor. When the universe is a hierarchy, those on top have to maintain their position. And those below have to try to climb up over them to get heard. As with the poet, so with the pilgrim.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we hear about this first spat. Where else are you going to have a spat, if not on the shores of hell?Here are the segments of this episode:[01:16]	My English translation of the passage from INFERNO: Canto III, Lines 70 - 108.[03:31]	Where are we? We're at plot. And that's a little more surprising than first blush. We'd almost lost the story. But Canto III brings it roaring back.[7:00]		The opening of the passage: the spat between the pilgrim and his guide. Why is Virgil irritated at his pupil? I'll give you three possible interpretations.[11:23]		Why do I insist on calling the river by its name in the medieval Florentine, "Acheronte"?[12:44]	The arrival of Charon and his boat. Who is Charon? How'd he stop out of classical mythology into this most Christian poem? And what does he "mean" or represent?[19:23]	Comments on the cinematographic nature of this passage: its lurid, visualized details and fully engaged plotting. And then the theological question, too. Why don't the damned just run away when this scary demon presents himself? 

On this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE, we start the second major scene in Canto III of INFERNO: Charon, his boat, Acheronte (the river he crosses), and the souls waiting to be ferried into deep hell.But first, a spat. Between Virgil and our pilgrim. Something's amiss. It's always amiss when you're walking across the universe with your mentor. When the universe is a hierarchy, those on top have to maintain their position. And those below have to try to climb up over them to get heard. As with the poet, so with the pilgrim.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we hear about this first spat. Where else are you going to have a spat, if not on the shores of hell?Here are the segments of this episode:[01:16]	My English translation of the passage from INFERNO: Canto III, Lines 70 - 108.[03:31]	Where are we? We're at plot. And that's a little more surprising than first blush. We'd almost lost the story. But Canto III brings it roaring back.[7:00]		The opening of the passage: the spat between the pilgrim and his guide. Why is Virgil irritated at his pupil? I'll give you three possible interpretations.[11:23]		Why do I insist on calling the river by its name in the medieval Florentine, "Acheronte"?[12:44]	The arrival of Charon and his boat. Who is Charon? How'd he stop out of classical mythology into this most Christian poem? And what does he "mean" or represent?[19:23]	Comments on the cinematographic nature of this passage: its lurid, visualized details and fully engaged plotting. And then the theological question, too. Why don't the damned just run away when this scary demon presents himself?

Charon, The Ferryman Of The Damned: Inferno, Canto III, Lines 70 - 108

In this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE, we finish canto III of INFERNO, standing on the shores of Acheronte, the river that forms the outer border of hell.Charon is busy with this job, Virgil is suddenly more parental toward the pilgrim than he's been so far, and Dante? When the earthquake hits, he's apparently beyond help.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we take a slow walk across THE DIVINE COMEDY and discover the sheer complexity of this masterwork of Western culture.Here are the segments of this episode:[00:50]	A summary of Canto III to this point.[02:04]	My English translation of the passage from INFERNO: Canto III, Lines 109 - 136.[03:54]	The first three lines of the passage and two problems: the problem of pain and the problem of Charon.[09:18]	A full exploration of the big simile in the passage (all about leaves, falcons, falling, casting, and lures): its problems, its dissonances, and its historical resonances.[17:42]	Virgil's explanation for the motivation of the damned: the fears have morphed into their desires, one of the most modern statements in INFERNO. I also talk about Virgil's delay in the passage: he doesn't explain why the damned act the way they do until the pilgrim has fully seen the scene.BONUS: Maybe this is a clue from the poet. Maybe the poet, too, cannot offer us, the reader, the "point" before we see the details, lest we miss those details. Maybe Virgil : Dante-the-pilgrim :: Dante-the-poet : us.[23:43]	Dante collapses. What happens here? Something fails. I'll give you three possible answers: Dante-the-pilgrim fails, Virgil fails, or Dante-the-poet fails.

In this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE, we finish canto III of INFERNO, standing on the shores of Acheronte, the river that forms the outer border of hell.Charon is busy with this job, Virgil is suddenly more parental toward the pilgrim than he's been so far, and Dante? When the earthquake hits, he's apparently beyond help.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we take a slow walk across THE DIVINE COMEDY and discover the sheer complexity of this masterwork of Western culture.Here are the segments of this episode:[00:50]	A summary of Canto III to this point.[02:04]	My English translation of the passage from INFERNO: Canto III, Lines 109 - 136.[03:54]	The first three lines of the passage and two problems: the problem of pain and the problem of Charon.[09:18]	A full exploration of the big simile in the passage (all about leaves, falcons, falling, casting, and lures): its problems, its dissonances, and its historical resonances.[17:42]	Virgil's explanation for the motivation of the damned: the fears have morphed into their desires, one of the most modern statements in INFERNO. I also talk about Virgil's delay in the passage: he doesn't explain why the damned act the way they do until the pilgrim has fully seen the scene.BONUS: Maybe this is a clue from the poet. Maybe the poet, too, cannot offer us, the reader, the "point" before we see the details, lest we miss those details. Maybe Virgil : Dante-the-pilgrim :: Dante-the-poet : us.[23:43]	Dante collapses. What happens here? Something fails. I'll give you three possible answers: Dante-the-pilgrim fails, Virgil fails, or Dante-the-poet fails.

When Crossing The River Into Hell, Don't Faint: Inferno, Canto III, Lines 109 - 136

Circle

In this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE, we take the first steps into the first circle of hell, the "real deal" of INFERNO, the first canticle of THE DIVINE COMEDY.And as you might imagine, we encounter some difficulties--mostly theological, although maybe also related to Virgil and even Dante-the-poet behind it all.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we come to a place that exists as an "out" in Christian theology--and that fully expresses Dante-the-poet's ambivalence toward his own accepted theology and maybe even the art he's creating.Here are the sections of this episode:[00:34]	A confession on my part and a summary of the poem's plot so far.[02:19]	My English translation of the passage from INFERNO: Canto IV, lines 1 - 45. If you want to check out these lines, you can find them on my website, markscarbrough.com.[05:16]	Dante wakes up--and a bit about the poem, its problems, and the very real problem of revising what you write in a world of very limited writerly resources.[08:11]	"Staring hard" or "looking fixedly" as a thematic throughout COMEDY. Seeing is believing! But where does that put the reader of this poem?[09:36]	An interpretive knot about the thunder and the wailing in hell--and a bit about the architecture of hell itself (that's not in the passage but is needed perhaps to understand the intent here).[11:20]	Virgil turns pale. How? Don't know how a "shade" turns pale. But why? That's an even harder question to answer. Virgil explains it. Should we believe him?[18:26]	Limbo. It's definitely in hell. But only for Dante, not in church doctrine.[21:00]	Virgil's strange petulance and then his explanation for why he's in Limbo (that is, why he's damned, in terms of the poem). Also, there may be a change here: earlier, he claimed to have been a rebel against God; now he claims to have just missed out on the church's sacraments.[27:39]	Dante's response to Virgil and the strange notion of "suspended," which came up much earlier in the poem ("I was among those who are suspended," Virgil said in Canto II).

In this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE, we take the first steps into the first circle of hell, the "real deal" of INFERNO, the first canticle of THE DIVINE COMEDY.And as you might imagine, we encounter some difficulties--mostly theological, although maybe also related to Virgil and even Dante-the-poet behind it all.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we come to a place that exists as an "out" in Christian theology--and that fully expresses Dante-the-poet's ambivalence toward his own accepted theology and maybe even the art he's creating.Here are the sections of this episode:[00:34]	A confession on my part and a summary of the poem's plot so far.[02:19]	My English translation of the passage from INFERNO: Canto IV, lines 1 - 45. If you want to check out these lines, you can find them on my website, <a href="markscarbrough.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">markscarbrough.com</a>.[05:16]	Dante wakes up--and a bit about the poem, its problems, and the very real problem of revising what you write in a world of very limited writerly resources.[08:11]	"Staring hard" or "looking fixedly" as a thematic throughout COMEDY. Seeing is believing! But where does that put the reader of this poem?[09:36]	An interpretive knot about the thunder and the wailing in hell--and a bit about the architecture of hell itself (that's not in the passage but is needed perhaps to understand the intent here).[11:20]	Virgil turns pale. How? Don't know how a "shade" turns pale. But why? That's an even harder question to answer. Virgil explains it. Should we believe him?[18:26]	Limbo. It's definitely in hell. But only for Dante, not in church doctrine.[21:00]	Virgil's strange petulance and then his explanation for why he's in Limbo (that is, why he's damned, in terms of the poem). Also, there may be a change here: earlier, he claimed to have been a rebel against God; now he claims to have just missed out on the church's sacraments.[27:39]	Dante's response to Virgil and the strange notion of "suspended," which came up much earlier in the poem ("I was among those who are suspended," Virgil said in Canto II).

Welcome To Virgil's Home Turf, The First Circle Of Hell, Limbo: Inferno, Canto IV, Lines 1 - 45

Limbo is the first circle of INFERNO, the first ring of hell--but that's already a problem. How can limbo be in hell? Isn't it a state somewhere between the redeemed and the damned?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I talk through the developing theological notions of Limbo before and up to Dante's day--and the ways our poet has chosen to change church doctrine to suit his purposes.Here are the segments of this episode:[00:46]	The basic definition of Limbo.[01:30]	My interpretive framework: everybody fences in the world. Then you have to explain the world and maintain your fence.[05:18]	Traditionally, there are two sorts of Limbo: of the fathers and of the babies.[08:08]	Wait! Babies in some state of punishment? Who wants that? (Well, Saint Augustine.)[10:45]	Aquinas backs away and claims that babies are indeed in Limbo but are "happy." To which Bonaventura says, "Not so fast."[14:08]	The five ways Dante-the-poet changes the notion of Limbo to fit his poem.

Limbo is the first circle of INFERNO, the first ring of hell--but that's already a problem. How can limbo be in hell? Isn't it a state somewhere between the redeemed and the damned?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I talk through the developing theological notions of Limbo before and up to Dante's day--and the ways our poet has chosen to change church doctrine to suit his purposes.Here are the segments of this episode:[00:46]	The basic definition of Limbo.[01:30]	My interpretive framework: everybody fences in the world. Then you have to explain the world and maintain your fence.[05:18]	Traditionally, there are two sorts of Limbo: of the fathers and of the babies.[08:08]	Wait! Babies in some state of punishment? Who wants that? (Well, Saint Augustine.)[10:45]	Aquinas backs away and claims that babies are indeed in Limbo but are "happy." To which Bonaventura says, "Not so fast."[14:08]	The five ways Dante-the-poet changes the notion of Limbo to fit his poem.

Limbo Explained Theologically and Historically

Dante-the-pilgrim and Virgil walk across Limbo, surely the largest surface in hell, seemingly a plain or a large "campo."The pilgrim's got so many questions. And Virgil's got answers. Sometimes, the two match. And sometimes, an answer raises more questions than it answers. Mostly because Virgil has no clue about Christian theology. Such a strange guide in this most Christian of poems.What's more, maybe we can hear a bit of elegy in Virgil's voice here in Limbo. Is he the allegory of human reason? Maybe he's just human, stuck in a place he never thought he'd be.Here are the segments of this episode:[01:04]	My English translation of this passage from INFERNO: Canto IV, lines 46 - 84.[03:59]	Dante-the-pilgrim's insistence: "tell me, tell me, tell me." Dante wants to know if anyone has ever gotten out of Limbo. He says he wants to be certain in his faith. But why does this Christian figure need a classical poet to make him firm in his faith? Or is the question more personal? Is it more along the lines of this: Are you, Virgil, stuck here? And why then are you able to walk with me?[08:04]	Virgil's reply--and a recounting of Jesus' descent into hell and its harrowing. An intriguing passage: a bit of Christian doctrine as seen through the eyes (the eye-witness eyes!) of a classical poet. This may well be the most poignant section in Limbo. Virgil may well be putting the nail in the coffin to the idea that he will ever get out of hell, despite showing up in a dark wood and leading our pilgrim across a vast track of the known universe.[13:06]	A light that overcomes the darkness of hell? How's that possible? What's going on here? The ambivalence in the passage is becoming pronounced.[16:31]	And now the ambivalence goes off the rails: honored people, grace from and in heaven, the highest poet of all--and all this among the damned. Maybe Dante-the-poet is finding himself between a theological rock and an artistic hard place. Your faith tells you to condemn those scholars you value most. What do you do?

Dante-the-pilgrim and Virgil walk across Limbo, surely the largest surface in hell, seemingly a plain or a large "campo."The pilgrim's got so many questions. And Virgil's got answers. Sometimes, the two match. And sometimes, an answer raises more questions than it answers. Mostly because Virgil has no clue about Christian theology. Such a strange guide in this most Christian of poems.What's more, maybe we can hear a bit of elegy in Virgil's voice here in Limbo. Is he the allegory of human reason? Maybe he's just human, stuck in a place he never thought he'd be.Here are the segments of this episode:[01:04]	My English translation of this passage from INFERNO: Canto IV, lines 46 - 84.[03:59]	Dante-the-pilgrim's insistence: "tell me, tell me, tell me." Dante wants to know if anyone has ever gotten out of Limbo. He says he wants to be certain in his faith. But why does this Christian figure need a classical poet to make him firm in his faith? Or is the question more personal? Is it more along the lines of this: Are you, Virgil, stuck here? And why then are you able to walk with me?[08:04]	Virgil's reply--and a recounting of Jesus' descent into hell and its harrowing. An intriguing passage: a bit of Christian doctrine as seen through the eyes (the eye-witness eyes!) of a classical poet. This may well be the most poignant section in Limbo. Virgil may well be putting the nail in the coffin to the idea that he will ever get out of hell, despite showing up in a dark wood and leading our pilgrim across a vast track of the known universe.[13:06]	A light that overcomes the darkness of hell? How's that possible? What's going on here? The ambivalence in the passage is becoming pronounced.[16:31]	And now the ambivalence goes off the rails: honored people, grace from and in heaven, the highest poet of all--and all this among the damned. Maybe Dante-the-poet is finding himself between a theological rock and an artistic hard place. Your faith tells you to condemn those scholars you value most. What do you do?

Virgil And His Misunderstanding Of The Harrowing Of Hell: Inferno, Canto IV, Lines 46 - 84

In this passage for the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE, we're still following Dante-the-pilgrim through Limbo. He's at a place where he sees four great shades coming toward him (and Virgil). They are Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan. They welcome Virgil back and do something more shocking: admit Dante to their company.Then it gets weirder still as they walk on to a beautiful castle, with green grass and fresh water--all in hell!How can this be in hell? Is it the Elysian Fields? Maybe. But if so, the poet's put it in hell, sticking his thumb in Virgil's (poetic) eye.Or is the poet carried away with his love of classical learning?Stranger and stranger, this poem.Here are the segments of this episode:[01:41]	My English translation of this passage from INFERNO: Canto IV, lines 85 - 114.[03:37]	Is this hell? Where are we? It seems kind of nice, especially after all those wasps and maggots among the neutrals.[04:27]	Homer, Ovid, Horace, and Lucan. Here's an exploration of their appearance and a bit about the thematics in the passage.[08:36]	Interpreting the four poets. Or a little bit about my neo-rationalist, Anglo-American interpretive stance v. a more traditional Italian reading of this passage.[14:01]	Virgil's smile and the pilgrim's welcome into the circle of the great poets. Although there is a problem. He's sixth. That's not a great number in medieval numerology.BONUS QUESTION: Is the poet trying to show off his humility in some way?[21:02]	A castle, seven towers, a little brook. It seems allegorical. It seems like the Elysian Fields. It all seems so strange in hell. And then the corker: the corporeality problem, as our pilgrim passes over water as if walking on dry land. Sure, it's easy to explain how the shades do it. But the pilgrim? Dante's got himself a problem. How does a body walk through the afterlife?

In this passage for the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE, we're still following Dante-the-pilgrim through Limbo. He's at a place where he sees four great shades coming toward him (and Virgil). They are Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan. They welcome Virgil back and do something more shocking: admit Dante to their company.Then it gets weirder still as they walk on to a beautiful castle, with green grass and fresh water--all in hell!How can this be in hell? Is it the Elysian Fields? Maybe. But if so, the poet's put it in hell, sticking his thumb in Virgil's (poetic) eye.Or is the poet carried away with his love of classical learning?Stranger and stranger, this poem.Here are the segments of this episode:[01:41]	My English translation of this passage from INFERNO: Canto IV, lines 85 - 114.[03:37]	Is this hell? Where are we? It seems kind of nice, especially after all those wasps and maggots among the neutrals.[04:27]	Homer, Ovid, Horace, and Lucan. Here's an exploration of their appearance and a bit about the thematics in the passage.[08:36]	Interpreting the four poets. Or a little bit about my neo-rationalist, Anglo-American interpretive stance v. a more traditional Italian reading of this passage.[14:01]	Virgil's smile and the pilgrim's welcome into the circle of the great poets. Although there is a problem. He's sixth. That's not a great number in medieval numerology.BONUS QUESTION: Is the poet trying to show off his humility in some way?[21:02]	A castle, seven towers, a little brook. It seems allegorical. It seems like the Elysian Fields. It all seems so strange in hell. And then the corker: the corporeality problem, as our pilgrim passes over water as if walking on dry land. Sure, it's easy to explain how the shades do it. But the pilgrim? Dante's got himself a problem. How does a body walk through the afterlife?

Here Come The Great Poets Of Limbo: Inferno, Canto IV, Lines 85 - 114

Walking With Dante

The best podcast episodes about true crime. For any thrill seeking podcast listeners who just can't get enough of the captivating stories of murderers and criminals. This topic has all the best episodes from many different true crime podcasts.  Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best True Crime Podcasts

The best episodes for anyone looking to learn more about topics such as happiness, fulfillment, depression and psychology/mental health in general. With interviews with industry experts, personal stories of individuals, this topic has lessons applicable to everyone. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!