Dante's Inferno

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Dante lived in Italy during the 13th and 14th centuries. What do you know about this period in Italian and European history? With which cultural, literary, or ideological movements do you associate this period?

Teaching Suggestion: Dante lived between 1265 and 1321, during the Medieval Period and at the very beginning of what some scholars call the “long” Renaissance. Make sure the class is familiar with the terminology and basic chronology of Medieval and Renaissance Europe. Discuss the cultural and ideological values of this period, including military valor and an emphasis on religion: The Crusades, in some ways, the defining events of the period, were still going on during Dante’s lifetime (though they were coming to an end). Since Dante’s work is so topical, it will be important to discuss the cultural and political climate of Dante’s native Florence, especially the wars between the factions of the Guelphs and Ghibellines.

• This very short video travel guide introduces some of the most famous sites of Florence, Dante’s native city.
• This article and timeline from the History Channel discuss the origins and significance of the Renaissance.

2. Dante’s Inferno is part of the longer Divine Comedy, an epic poem in Italian. What is an epic poem? What are some examples of epic poems you have read or heard about? What kind of narratives or literary elements do you usually associate with epic poetry?

Teaching Suggestion: An epic is a long narrative poem with heroic themes such as war and adventure. In Dante’s time, the most celebrated epics were those of Greece and Rome: the Iliad and the Odyssey, attributed to the Greek poet Homer, and above all the Aeneid by the Roman poet Virgil—in fact, Virgil is one of the main characters of Dante’s Inferno and Paradiso, where he is Dante’s guide. Make sure also to discuss Dante’s innovative approach to the epic, for example, his use of vernacular Italian instead of the more traditional Latin and his introduction of the interlocking three-line rhyme scheme known as terza rima.

• This article from MasterClass provides a helpful definition of and introduction to epic poetry.
• This short video from TED-Ed discusses the cultural and historical importance of Virgil’s Aeneid, one of the chief models for Milton’s Paradise Lost.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

What happens to us after we die? Reflect on what you have been taught about the afterlife.

Teaching Suggestion: This is a great opportunity for cultural inclusion and for students to talk about what makes them and their backgrounds unique. Beliefs about the afterlife can vary widely from one culture to another but often overlap in notable and surprising ways. Have the class discuss these similarities and differences and reflect on their significance. Many people do not believe in the existence of an afterlife at all—discuss why this approach might be either frightening or comforting.