Inferno: Canto 12 Summary & Analysis

Dante and Virgil find a way down from the precipice into the seventh circle, but their path is blocked by the minotaur, a half-bull, half-human creature of Greek mythology born from the union of a woman and a bull. Virgil insults the minotaur, and it goes mad, thrashing about at random, allowing Dante and Virgil to sneak past it.

Virgil explains to Dante that the path down through the cliffs was created by the massive earthquake when Jesus went into the first circle of hell to rescue certain souls. He says that at that moment, the universe "trembled in the throes of love," (12.42). Virgil then points out the river Phlegethon, full of boiling blood, where those who committed violence against others are.

Dante sees centaurs (half-man, half-horse creatures) all around the banks of the Phlegethon with bows and arrows. Upon seeing Dante and Virgil, one of them stops them and orders them to identify themselves and their punishments in hell. Virgil identifies this centaur as Nessus, and rebukes him. He then points out to Dante the centaur Chiron, who taught Achilles, and another centaur named Pholus. Virgil explains that the centaurs stand guard at the banks of the river to prevent any suffering souls from escaping it.

Chiron notices that Dante is a living soul and Virgil explains to him that he is leading Dante on a quest through hell ordained by heaven. Virgil asks Chiron to help them across the river and asks a centaur to let Dante ride him as they ford across the river. (Unlike the dead souls who can walk on air, Dante would be unable to walk across the boiling river.) Chiron has Nessus help them across the river.

While walking along the riverbank, Dante looks at some of the souls submerged in the river and Nessus points out where the tyrants are in the river. He identifies Alexander the Great, among others. Further along the river, Nessus shows Dante Guy de Montfort, who murdered Prince Henry of England. Nessus, Dante, and Virgil come to a shallow part of the river, where they can cross. After crossing, Nessus describes how the river gets deeper and deeper and at its deepest completely submerges tyrants like Attila the Hun. He then turns to go back to the other centaurs.