Canto 4

Megan Brassette

November 7, 2007

Summary of Canto IVAn unconscious Dante is awakened by a strike of thunder where he finds himself on the other side of the Acheron River. He looks over the valley where he stands which is Limbo, the First Circle of Hell. Virgil explains to him that this is the circle of the people who lived before Christianity or who were never baptized. When Dante asked if any souls were allowed to leave Limbo and go to Heaven, Virgil told him some of the figures of the Old Testament. Virgil told Dante that during the Harrowing of Hell, when Christ descended into Hell between his death and resurrection, he granted these souls amnesty.

He granted some souls amnesty into Heaven, but many distinguished souls remained. This is where Virgil must stay, but was given a brief leave to guide Dante. A group of fellow poets greet Virgil and Virgil introduces them as Homer, Horace, Ovid and Lucan. These poets lead Dante and Virgil into the castle with seven walls. Here Dante sees the souls of Euclid, Ptolemy, Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Aeneas, Lavinia, and other characters of the Aeneid. Virgil guides Dante into the darkness and out of the castle.

There are no new characters that appear in this canto, but there is

a number of notable figures that Dante sees. •Homer – Famous Poet•Horace – Famous Poet•Ovid – Famous Poet•Lucan – Famous Poet•Euclid – Mathematician•Ptolemy – Astronomer•Aristotle – Philosopher•Socrates – Philosopher•Plato – Philosopher•Aeneas – Main

Character of Aeneid•Lavinia – King Latinus

Daughter from the Aeneid.

•Other Characters from the Aeneid

Where is Dante?Dante is in the First

Circle of Hell known as Limbo. Limbo is the place for souls who were born before

Christianity, who were never baptized, and virtuous pagans who

did not live a sinful life, but didn’t accept god.

There is no punishment here,

and the atmosphere is peaceful, yet sad.

The Scenery of LimboCharon ushers Dante across the

river Acheron, and he finds himself upon the edge of grief's

dreadful valley. Dante is in Limbo, a place of sorrow without torment. Dante

encounters a seven-walled castle, which is the dwelling place of the wisest men of

ancient times including Virgil himself, as well as the Islamic

philosophers Averroes and Avicenna. Within those walls he

finds rolling fresh meadows illuminated by the light of reason, where about many shades dwell. In the castle,

Dante meets the poets Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan and

the philosophers Socrates and Plato.

As you can see, Limbo is located in

the first circle of Hell right after the River Acheron. It is where the people who were

not baptised and virtuous pagans stay,

but there is no punishment just a sad atmosphere.