Why are canto 21 22 called the Gargoyle cantos?

Why are canto 21 22 called the Gargoyle cantos?

Dante. Cantos XXI and XXII are sometimes called “The Gargoyle Cantos” because of the grotesqueries we encounter. If the total Commedia is to be thought of as a cathedral, here are the gargoyles. In this bolgia “a sticky tar was boiling in the ditch / that smeared the banks with viscous residue” (XXI.

What is the punishment in canto 21?

In Canto 21 of Inferno, Virgil and Dante hit a bit of a roadblock in the fifth bolgia, where grafters are punished by being submerged in boiling pitch. If these sinners dare try to get above the red-hot tar, demons known as Blacktalons push them back under with hooks.

What does Virgil do while Dante hides behind a crag in canto 21?

Dante compares the pitch to the material used to caulk the seams of ships. Suddenly, a raging demon appears, and Virgil hides Dante behind a large rock so he can go to the demons and make a deal for their safe passage.

What canto does Dante cry?

Summary: Canto VII Virgil and Dante continue down toward the Fourth Circle of Hell and come upon the demon Plutus. Virgil quiets the creature with a word and they enter the circle, where Dante cries out at what he sees: a ditch has been formed around the circle, making a great ring.

Who are the demons in Dante’s Inferno?

The Malebranche (Italian: [ˌmaleˈbraŋke]; “Evil Claws”) are the demons in the Inferno of Dante’s Divine Comedy who guard Bolgia Five of the Eighth Circle (Malebolge). They figure in Cantos XXI, XXII, and XXIII.

What do Dante and Virgil run from in Canto xxiii?

Summary: Canto XXIII Virgil acts quickly. Grabbing hold of Dante, he runs to the slope leading to the Sixth Pouch of the Eighth Circle of Hell.

Who is fortune in Canto 7?

Dame Fortune is one of God’s chosen ministers, who doles out luck and misfortune in a preordained manner. The Hoarders and Wasters, however, believed that they could outrun her; thus they believed that they could outrun God.