A Comparision And Contrast Between Ulysses And Guido Da Montefeltro: Inferno, Cantos XXVI And XXVII

Walking With Dante

We've spent a long time in the eighth of the malebolge, the evil pouches that make up the big circle of fraud in Dante's INFERNO. Before we take our leave, let's look at the way the two speakers, Ulysses and Guido da Montefeltro, can be compared and contrasted with each other.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for this review episode of two of the most rewarding cantos in all of INFERNO. I've got lots of ideas. I hope you have more.

Here are the segments of this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE:

[02:50] An opening denunciation v. the journey continues.

[04:54] Both canto XXVI and canto XXVII start with unfinished business from the previous canto--but canto XXVII comes to a distinct end before we enter the ninth evil pouch.

[06:38] The peasant and his fireflies v. the Sicilian bull: a contrast of the two opening similes.

[08:47] Sight v. sound in the two similes.

[09:58] Emotional movement in the cantos: from comfy pastoral to bitter regret.

[11:37] Ulysses is a classical figure; Guido is a contemporary figure.

[12:45] Virgil silences Dante the pilgrim because he's not erudite enough v. Dante the pilgrim offers an erudite chronicle of the troubles in Romagna.

[14:20] Ulysses' monologue v. Guido's dialogue.

[16:51] Shocking speakers in the two cantos: Ulysses and Pope Boniface VIII.

[18:13] Both Ulysses and Guido come up later in COMEDY.

[19:34] Ulysses shows us the journey ahead; Guido shows us the dead end of remorse.

[20:29] Ulysses is a great storyteller; Guido is a terrible storyteller.

[22:14] Ulysses forgets his family; Guido remembers his.

[23:25] Ulysses is a literary figure; Guido is a historical person.

[24:52] Both Ulysses and Guido engage in the foolishness of old age.

[26:34] Neither nobility nor whining can save you in Dante's universe.

[29:08] Ulysses' linear crescendo v. Guido's mishmash of styles.

[31:45] Both Ulysses and Guido suffer an imagined death.

[32:59] Neither Virgil nor Dante reacts after either speech.

[35:36] One final contrast: the body v. the soul in the seventh through the nineth of the malebolge.