Dante's History
The poem is allegorical, with multiple meanings. Each episode will cover a canto at a time, summarizing and interpreting the poem based on dozens of commentaries. Check the website for further reading.
Inferno: Canto 26 - The False Flames
In this canto, Dante and Virgil climb out of the pit of the thieves and approach the eighth ditch of the 8th circle of the Inferno, where fire itself becomes the instrument of punishment. Here, Dante will behold flickering tongues of flame that speak without mouths — and one mysterious double flame that burns unlike the others. What it reveals offers both wonder and caution.
Podcast Episodes
Inferno: Canto 28 - The Sowers of Discord
The pilgrim and his guide enter the ninth bolgia and encounter the sowers of discord, those who sought to create division. He will meet a controversial religious leader and a few other disfigured souls and begin to learn…
Inferno: Canto 27 - The Phony Holy
Dante and Virgil are in the 8th bolgia where they meet a former warlord turned friar who broke his vows to help a contested pope defeat his enemies. Though he was promised absolution, he would be the cause of his own dam…
Inferno: Canto 25 - The Transforming Thieves
In this canto, Dante and Virgil continue to observe the thieves that reside in the seventh ditch of the 8th circle of the inferno, aka The Malebolge. Virgil will tell him about us about the raging centaur that terrorizes…
Inferno: Canto 24 - The Den of Snakes
In this canto, Dante and Virgil finally make it out of the sixth subring of the 8th circle. As they cross the next bolgia, a disgruntled voice draws them down to take a closer look. They discover the seventh subring is f…
Inferno: Canto 23 - The Heavy Hypocrites
In this canto our travelers venture into the sixth bolgia of the 8th circle and walk with a procession of miserable monks who've been forced to wear heavy cloaks. We'll meet two of these sad hypocrites and learn why some…
Inferno: Canto 22 - The Bargaining Barrators
In this canto, our travelers are joined by the Malebranche who may be leading them into a trap. The demonic escorts also catch an escaped barrator who identifies a few others sinners that bartered for a positions of powe…
Inferno: Canto 21 - The Malebranche
In this canto, our travelers meet the Malebranche; winged demons that patrol the 5th bolgia of the Circle of Fraud. We'll also learn about the sinners here and what the sin of barratry has to with sailing ships.
Inferno: Canto 20 - The Seditious Soothsayers
In this canto, Virgil and the pilgrim examine the fourth ditch of the 8th circle and the group of sinners who abused the gift of prophecy. We'll learn about a few ancient prophets and Dante will have Virgil make a correc…
Inferno: Canto 19 - The Sycophantic Simonists
In this canto, Dante and Virgil explore the 3rd valley of the Malebolge. We'll learn about the sin of Simony and meet a former Pope who has been buried upside down for twenty years. Dante also finds a way to insult one o…
Inferno: Canto 18 - The Belly Of Hell
In this episode, Dante and Virgil begin exploring the 8th circle of the Inferno: The Malebolge. The pilgrim will describe the structure of this part of hell and meet two different kinds of sinners. We'll also learn how t…
