L ' I N F E R N O

VIRGIL:
INF C4 124-126 / DANTE INF C4 124-126 / KLINE
Vidi Cammilla e la Pantasilea; I saw Camilla and Penthesilea,
da l'altra parte vidi 'l re Latino on the other side, and the King of Latium,
che con Lavina sua figlia sedea. Latinus, with Lavinia, his daughter.
INF C4 127-129 / DANTE INF C4 127-129 / KLINE
Vidi quel Bruto che cacciò Tarquino, I saw that Brutus who expelled Tarquin,
Lucrezia, Iulia, Marzïa e Corniglia; Lucretia, Julia, Marcia and Cornelia,
e solo, in parte, vidi 'l Saladino. and I saw Saladin, by himself, apart.
PHILOSOPHERS: MUSES ALL
DANTE RAISES HIS EYES. ERATO’S LAMP SHOWS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CURTAIN. VIRGIL PULLS
BACK THE CURTAIN TO LET HER THROUGH. SHE GOES OFF STAGE LEFT OR RIGHT.
THE OPEN CURTAIN REVEALS THE GREEN ENAMEL ON WHICH THE MUSES ARE SEATED IN A CIRCLE
AROUND CALLIOPE (ARISTOTLE). THEY READ, WRITE AND INAUDIBLY DEBATE.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C4 130-132 / DANTE INF C4 130-132 / KLINE
Poi ch'innalzai un poco più le ciglia, When I lifted my eyes a little higher,
vidi 'l maestro di color che sanno I saw the The Master of those who
know…Aristotle
seder tra filosofica famiglia. sitting amongst the company of philosophers.
DANTE:
INF C4 133-135 / DANTE INF C4 133-138 / KLINE
Tutti lo miran, tutti onor li fanno: All gaze at him: all show him honour.
quivi vid' ïo Socrate e Platone, There I saw Socrates and Plato
che 'nnanzi a li altri più presso li stanno; who stand nearest to him of all of them;
VIRGIL:
INF C4 133-135 / DANTE INF C4 133-138 / KLINE
Tutti lo miran, tutti onor li fanno: All gaze at him: all show him honour.
quivi vid' ïo Socrate e Platone, There I saw Socrates and Plato
che 'nnanzi a li altri più presso li stanno; who stand nearest to him of all of them;
DANTE & VIRGIL:
INF C4 136-138 / DANTE INF C4 136-138 / KLINE
Democrito che 'l mondo a caso pone, Democritus, who ascribes the world to chance,
Dïogenès, Anassagora e Tale, Diogenes, Anaxagoras, and Thales,
Empedoclès, Eraclito e Zenone; Empedocles, Heraclitus and Zeno.
DEMOCRITUS: GREEK PHILOSOPHER, OF ALDERA, D.361 BC, WHO DEVELOPED LEUCIPPUS’S IDEAS OF ATOMISM. DANTE
REGARDS HIM AS HAVING TAUGHT THAT THE WORLD ARISES FROM CHANCE ARRANGEMENTS OF ATOMS.
ANAXAGORAS: PRE-SOCRATIC GREEK PHILOSOPHER, BORN AT CLAZOMENAE IN ASIA MINOR ABOUT 500 BC. A PERSIAN
CITIZEN WHO WENT TO ATHENS IN THE YEAR OF SALAMIS 480/79 BC.
EMPEDOCLES: PRE-SOCRATIC GREEK PHILOSOPHER, A CITIZEN OF AKRAGAS, OR AGRIGENTUM, IN SICILY. HE WAS ALIVE IN
443 BC & GAVE RISE TO A NUMBER OF APOCRYPHAL STORIES ABOUT HIS MAGICAL ABILITIES AS A PYTHAGOREAN.
HERACLITUS: PRE-SOCRATIC GREEK PHILOSOPHER, EPHESIAN NOBLEMAN WHO FLOURISHED ABOUT THE 69TH OLYMPIAD
504-501 BC. DEALT WITH THE FLUX OF EXISTENCE, THE INSTABILITY OF SENSATION & EXPERIENCE. HIS KEY CONCEPT IS OF
UNITY IN DIVERSITY & DIVERSITY IN UNITY, A THEME THAT DANTE OFTEN PLAYS WITH. THE ONE EXISTS AS A TENSION OF
OPPOSITES, IN THE MANY, IDENTITY IN DIFFERENCE.
THALES: PRE-SOCRATIC GREEK PHILOSOPHER OF MILETUS. DIED SHORTLY BEFORE THE FALL OF SARDIS (546/5 BC).
ZENO OF CITIUM (C 342-370 BC): FOUNDER OF THE STOIC SCHOOL OF WHICH SENECA WAS A MEMBER.
VIRGIL INTERPRETS A LITTLE BEHIND DANTE.
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