Dante, Inferno
Malebolge, the Ten Ditches
Malebolge is a ring of dark, iron-coloured rock around a deep central gulf. Its successive divisions resemble the defensive ditches of a castle, with stone paths passing across the intervening banks. The travellers arrive here after descending on Geryon’s back. The following cantos move through the separate ditches, whose bridges and broken passages repeatedly determine how the journey can continue.
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In the sources
The encounter
LiteraryMalebolge is a ring of dark, iron-coloured rock around a deep central gulf. Its successive divisions resemble the defensive ditches of a castle, with stone paths passing across the intervening banks.
Further detail
LiteraryThe travellers arrive here after descending on Geryon’s back. The following cantos move through the separate ditches, whose bridges and broken passages repeatedly determine how the journey can continue.
Context & interpretation
This entry follows the supplied Thompson & Thomas edition of H. F. Cary’s translation. It describes Dante’s literary vision, distinguishing its assignments and reported claims from historical biography, other classical traditions and independently established accounts of an afterlife.
Original passages
Source 1
Dante's Inferno
Call'd Malebolge, all of rock dark-stain'd With hue ferruginous, e'en as the steep That round it circled winds. Right in the midst Of that abominable regionOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Dante’s Inferno, Cary translation; active reader leaf 127
Passage read in the exact edition’s extracted canto text; whitespace-normalised anchor and original-leaf mapping checked. Associated plates separately inspected.
- Edition
- IMJ-0082-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0082-E001-P0127
- Original scan leaf
- 134
- Recorded leaf number
- 134
- Current Reader position
- 127
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
Dante's Inferno
flinty paths advanced, that 'cross the moles And dikes struck onward far as to the gulf, That in one bound collected cuts them off. Such wasOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Dante’s Inferno, Cary translation; active reader leaf 127
Passage read in the exact edition’s extracted canto text; whitespace-normalised anchor and original-leaf mapping checked. Associated plates separately inspected.
- Edition
- IMJ-0082-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0082-E001-P0127
- Original scan leaf
- 134
- Recorded leaf number
- 134
- Current Reader position
- 127
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Illustrations
Continue exploring
Acheron in Dante’s Journey
The river where the arriving dead assemble for Charon’s crossing.
Same subject and traditionAntenora, the Second Frozen Round
The part of the ice where the encounter with Bocca leads to accusations of betrayal.
Same subject and traditionCaina, the First Frozen Round
The first division of the frozen circle, introduced through entangled family figures.
Same subject and traditionCocytus, the Frozen Lake
The lake of immobilising cold at the bottom of Dante’s Inferno.