Canto 20 Summary
The pilgrims encounter a field of sinners with their heads twisted backward, so their eyes face their backs; Dante is stunned by the sordid sight of the maimed men before him, crying out compassionately and allowing tears to fall. Virgil, however, condemns his companions' pity and scolds him for his crying; the poet forces Dante to question the morality of those who suffer in this place and implies that they are deserving of their punishment.
In his continued discourse about the history of Mantua, Virgil mentions the names of Amphiaraus and Tiresias. Before departing from the location, Dante and Virgil encounter several individuals including Michael Scot, Asdante, and Guy Bonatti.
Expert Q&A
What are two literary devices used in Dante's Inferno Canto 20, and their corresponding lines?
In Canto 20 of Inferno, Dante uses literary devices such as personification and oxymoron. Pity is personified in lines 26-27, where Virgil states, "Here pity most doth show herself alive, / When she is dead." This oxymoron suggests that pity is misplaced among the damned. Additionally, a simile appears in lines 100-101, comparing souls to "embers lacking life," highlighting their lifelessness. Analogies and visual imagery are also used to depict the sinners' suffering vividly.
What are some important quotes from canto 20 of Dante's Inferno?
In Canto 20 of Dante's Inferno, important quotes highlight the punishment of Diviners, who sought to see the future, a power reserved for God. Key lines include "who once too far / Before him wish'd to see, now backward looks," underscoring the irony of their punishment: walking with heads turned backward, they can only see where they've been, never where they're going. This reflects their sin of attempting to foresee the future.
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