Dante, Inferno
Homer in the Company of Poets
Virgil points out the figure carrying a sword and identifies him as Homer, supreme among poets. He precedes Horace, Ovid and Lucan as their leader in the fourth canto’s encounter. The company welcomes Virgil and subsequently honours Dante by admitting him as its sixth member. Homer’s position is part of Dante’s imagined literary fellowship, rather than evidence of an actual meeting among these writers.
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In the sources
The encounter
LiteraryVirgil points out the figure carrying a sword and identifies him as Homer, supreme among poets. He precedes Horace, Ovid and Lucan as their leader in the fourth canto’s encounter.
Further detail
LiteraryThe company welcomes Virgil and subsequently honours Dante by admitting him as its sixth member. Homer’s position is part of Dante’s imagined literary fellowship, rather than evidence of an actual meeting among these writers.
Context & interpretation
This entry follows the exact supplied Thompson & Thomas edition of H. F. Cary’s translation. Figures, places and events belong to Dante’s literary vision; their assigned roles are distinguished from historical biography, other classical traditions and independently established descriptions of an afterlife.
Original passages
Source 1
Dante's Inferno
This is that Homer, of all bards supreme : Flaccus, the next, in satire's vein excelling; The third is Naso; Lucan is the last. Because theyOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Dante’s Inferno, Cary translation; active reader leaf 33
Passage read against the exact edition’s extracted canto text; whitespace normalised and original-leaf mapping checked. Plate art separately visually inspected.
- Edition
- IMJ-0082-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0082-E001-P0033
- Original scan leaf
- 40
- Recorded leaf number
- 40
- Current Reader position
- 33
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
Dante's Inferno
they made me of their tribe ; And I was sixth amid so learn'd a band.Open this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Dante’s Inferno, Cary translation; active reader leaf 33
Passage read against the exact edition’s extracted canto text; whitespace normalised and original-leaf mapping checked. Plate art separately visually inspected.
- Edition
- IMJ-0082-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0082-E001-P0033
- Original scan leaf
- 40
- Recorded leaf number
- 40
- Current Reader position
- 33
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Illustrations
Continue exploring
Literary & Visionary Figures ↗
Horace in Dante’s Limbo
The poet named Flaccus, praised for satire within the classical company.
Shared source pageLucan in Dante’s Limbo
The last poet named in the classical company that welcomes Dante as a sixth member.
Shared source pageOvid in Dante’s Limbo
The poet named Naso, standing third in the company that receives Dante.
Shared source pageLimbo in the First Circle
The first circle, where worthy souls endure desire without hope of blessedness.