"You who are led/ Through this Hell-recognize me if you can:/ You who were made before I was unmade."/...."The anguish you(Ciacco) endure/ Perhaps effaces whatever memory I(Dante) had",... "The name I took/ Among you citizens was Ciacco; the sin/ Of gluttony brought me here. You see me soak/ To ruin in battering rain-but not alone. (Cantos VI. 35-49)
I found the this line curious because I am not familiar with the name Ciacco. Explains that he was brought to hell because of the sin of gluttony and he his forever "soaked" in the suffering that has resulted from his sins. He notes that he is not alone in suffering noting that there are many other people who have come to hell for the same exact reason. The "among you citizens" implies that perhaps he was a member of the same city or country as Dante. It is possible that Ciacco was a man from the city of Florence, the same city from which Dante has been Banished form. "You were made before I was unmade." This line hints that Ciacco at one time was in a position of power or was an important person in society and it was his gluttonous sin that caused him to fall from power. This passage also illustrates the fear that Dante has throughout his journey. This raises the question as to what keeps Dante going forward? Throughout the different Cantos Dante continually shows fear and trepidation in proceeding with his journey deeper into hell and yet he continues on. Dante openly expresses his fear and therefore it seems as though he continues on only for the curiosity that lurks within him.
"Master these torments- tell me, will they increase/ After the Judgment, or lessen, or merely endure,/ Burning as much as now?" He said, "In this/ Go back to your science, which teaches that the more/ A creature is perfect, the more it perceives the good-/ And likewise, pain. The Accursed people here/ Can nevver come to true perfection; instead,/ They can expect to come closer then than now." (VI. 94-101)
In this passage Dante asks Virgil of how the torture of the souls in Hell will change once the "Judgement" comes. The capitalization of the word Judgement indicates that it is significant event and perhaps it is referring to the final final day of judgement in the Bible in which God once again returns to earth and he passes judgement upon the living and dead. Dante wants to know what will happen to those already in hell once God second coming takes place. Virgil response by saying that as Simone becomes more perfect the good they have in their soul and it is the opposite for those with an evil essence. Once the day of judgement comes, the torture of the souls that are tormented in hell will come close to perfected. The idea of the perfect torment is seen in the line, "Then can expect to come closer then than than now." Meaning that they will come closer to the perfected state of torture once God passes judgment on the souls and sins of everyone. But Virgil admits there is no such thing as perfection in the line, "People here/ Can never come to true perfection." This passage also demonstrates Dante's concern for the souls that have been condemned to hell. It seems unusual that someone would offer concern for someone in hell, as most would assume that their punishment was just for whatever sins they had committed. This may be a signal of Dante's animosity towards the the Roman Catholic Church at the time of his exile.
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