CANTO GUIDE 22

Canto 22

Circle eight: Bolgia five

The grafters

Summary                                                                                                                                          

The poet starts with their convoy of demon. Dante sees the GRAFTERS lying in the pitch like bullfrogs in water with only their snouts showing, hiding their feet and thick bodies. They disappear as soon as the see the demons, but the ripple on the surface reveals their presence.

One of the sinners whose an UNIDENTIFIED NAVARRESE, goes down too late and is caught by the demons, and he was about to be clawed. And in a twinkling, CURLY BEARD holds the demons back while Virgil questions him. The grafters speaks of  their fellow sinners, BROTHER GOMITA and MICHEL ZANCHE, while the uncontrollable demons strafe him from times to times with their clasps.

The NAVARRESE offers to attract some of his fellow sinners into the hands of the demons, and when his plan is accepted he jump into the pitch and escapes. HARLEQUIN and TRAMPLE FROST fly after him, but too late. They start a dispute on the way there and fall into the pitch themselves. CURLY BEARD immediately organizes a rescue and protect the poets, fearing the bad temper of the demons, take advantages of the confusion and run away.

Sinner & Contrapasso

Sinner: they are the grafters; they sold political offices and have caused political corruption

Contrapasso: sinners lying in the pitch like bullfrogs in water with only their snouts showing, hiding their feet and thick bodies. The pitch represents the grafters’ sticky fingers.

Character

NAVARRESE: early named Ciampolo or Jean-Paul; he was the illegitimate son of a spendthrift who ultimately committed suicide.  This is debated by scholars.

HARLEQUIN: he is “against the other” in wishing to accept Navarrese’s challenge; went to chase Navarrese.

TRAMPLE FROST: he went to chase Navarrese.

CURLYBEARD: early named Barbariccia,he is one of the Malebranche,  the Malebolge.

BROTHER GOMITA: was appointed by Nino Visconti of Pisa as his deputy and was later hanged for his disloyalty and bribe-taking.

MICHEL ZANCHE: he is said to have been the deputy of King Enzo.

Higher Order Questions

1 Why do you think the sinner here stands and stays again and again in the pitch?

2 What was the plan that Navassese made?

Multiple Choices

1.       The creature in this canto is?

a.                   lion and horse

b.                  demon

c.                   dragons

2.                   What is the sinner lying in?

a.                   pitch

b.                  pond

c.                   fire

3.What will the demon do when they see the sinner?

a.             pinch them

b.            shoot them with arrow

c.             seize them

4.                   who did the demon claw first?

a.                   Hellken  

b.                  Zanche

c.                   Navarrese

5.                   Who is helping Virgil to hold of demon.

a. curlybeard

b.      dragon

c.                   dante

6.                   Which one is Not a sinner in this canto.

a.                   Gomita

b.                  Venetian

c.                   Grizzly

7.                   What is Navarrese’s plan?

a.                   try to lure other sinner in to demon’s hand

b.                  try to escape

c.                   try to hide from the demon

8.                  Who fall back in to the pitch?

a.                   Navarrese

b.                  Hellken

c.                   Gomita

9.                   Who are the poets fear?

a.                   demond

b.                  sinner

c.                   curlybear

10.               How did they get away?

a.                   take advantage of the confusion

b.                  had a master piece of plan

c.                   just walk out