The Divine Comedy · Chapter
Canto XXXIV: The Emperor of the Kingdom of Dolorous explained
Dante and Virgil descend to the lowest point of Hell, the Judecca, where they encounter Lucifer, a monstrous three-faced giant trapped in ice.
What happens
Dante and Virgil descend to the lowest point of Hell, the Judecca, where they encounter Lucifer, a monstrous three-faced giant trapped in ice. Lucifer chews on the three greatest traitors: Judas Iscariot, Brutus, and Cassius. Virgil carries Dante past Lucifer's body, climbing down through the center of the Earth to emerge in the opposite hemisphere, where they see the stars again.
Themes in this chapter
Divine Justice
Lucifer, the ultimate rebel, is frozen in ice and chews on the three greatest traitors, embodying the perfect retribution for betrayal.
Suffering and Compassion
Dante's fear and near-death experience at the sight of Lucifer highlight the intense suffering of Hell, while Virgil's guidance shows compassion.
Characters to notice
- Dante Alighieri
The protagonist who, guided by Virgil, descends to the bottom of Hell and passes through the center of the Earth.
- Virgil
Dante's guide who carries him past Lucifer and climbs out of Hell to the opposite hemisphere.
- Jesus Christ
Referenced as 'the Man who without sin was born and lived,' whose death occurred under the hemisphere opposite to where Dante now stands.
Key passages
“The Emperor of the kingdom dolorous From his mid-breast forth issued from the ice; And better with a giant I compare Than do the giants with those arms of his; Consider now how great must be that whole, Which unto such a part conforms itself.”
Lucifer, the ruler of Hell, emerges from the ice up to his chest; his arms are so huge that a giant would seem small compared to them, so imagine how enormous his entire body must be.
Dante emphasizes Lucifer's immense size to convey the scale of evil and the horror of the scene.
“At every mouth he with his teeth was crunching A sinner, in the manner of a brake, So that he three of them tormented thus.”
Each of Lucifer's three mouths was chewing a sinner like a machine crushing flax, tormenting all three at once.
This describes the eternal punishment of Judas, Brutus, and Cassius, who are being devoured by Lucifer.
“Thou hast thy feet upon the little sphere Which makes the other face of the Judecca. Here it is morn when it is evening there; And he who with his hair a stairway made us Still fixed remaineth as he was before.”
You are standing on the small hemisphere that forms the opposite side of the Judecca. It is morning here when it is evening there, and Lucifer, who served as our ladder, remains fixed in place as before.
Virgil explains that they have passed the center of the Earth and are now in the southern hemisphere, where time is reversed relative to the north.