Episode Details

Most of INFERNO Canto XI is taken up with Virgil's "mappa inferno." The old poet claims he's laying it out with "clear reasoning."

But maybe not, because our pilgrim has a couple of questions.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the first of these questions, really one about geography: Why are some people inside the walls of Dis and others outside?

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Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:

[01:05] My English translation of INFERNO: Canto XI, lines 67 - 90. If you'd like to see my translation, drop a comment to continue the conversation, or find a deeper study guide, check out the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.

[03:16] The pilgrim's question. Starting in flattery, it questions Virgil's mapping Virgil.

[06:45] The pilgrim's question reveals a structural coherence in the upper circles of hell.

[08:23] On to Virgil's answer. God has a vendetta. How does that work?

[14:00] The ramifications of Virgil's answer, including the changing nature of both hell and Virgil's character.