Sunday, December 16, 2012

Canto 25


Canto XXV

Summary:
*Canto XXV starts in level eight, in the seventh bolgia.
Frustrated and in anger, Vanni Fucci does the ultimate obscenity at God (basically gives him the middle finger). Soon after, the serpents and Cacus, the centaur, come and take him away in great pain as punishment.

            Soon the five noble thieves of Florence meet Dante, and Dante notices their sin. Some of these thieves start in human form, and others start as reptiles. They all suffer a painful transformation in front of Dante, except one. Agnello starts in human form and then changes with Cianfa, who started as a six-legged lizard. Buoso starts in human form as well, and changes form with Francesco, who started as a tiny reptile. They quickly transform into the others form. It is only Puccio Sciancato who stays unchanged, even though it is already known that he will have his transformation soon.
            The thieves will be in transformation for eternity as punishment for stealing during their life.

Sin and Sinners: The sinners in this Canto are the thieves. They are the people who steal possessions from others and claim it as their own.

Punishment:  Not only are serpents bothering them, but they also are constantly in transformation. They continue to return in human form to then be turned again into a reptile. See Canto 24 for other information.
*Notice Dante using animals again in a negative connotation 

Contrapasso: In their life, the sinners always stole possessions and took them as their own. In hell, they now face the battle of constantly having their bodies taken from them and being transformed into a different from. They spend their eternity in a cycle of stealing their bodies back.

New Characters:
v Cacus: Centaur with a back covered with snakes and a fire-eating dragon.
v 5 Thieves:
1.     Agnello: One of the 5 thieves who began in human form and changes with Cianfa.
2.     Cianfa: One of the 5 thieves who began as a six-legged lizard and changes with Agnello.
3.     Buoso: One of the 5 thieves who began in human form and changes with Francesco.
4.     Francesco: One of the 5 thieves who start as a tiny reptile and changes with Buoso.
5.     Puccio Sciancato: One of the 5 thieves who remains unchanged, but will soon be transformed.

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