Carnival of Sins:
Simone’s Notes:
In the second circle of Hell are those overcome by lust. Dante condemns these "carnal malefactors" for letting their appetites sway their reason. They are the first ones to be truly punished in Hell. These souls are blown back and forth by the terrible winds of a violent storm, without rest. This symbolizes the power of lust to blow one about needlessly and aimlessly. In this circle, Dante sees Semiramis, Dido, Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, Achilles, Paris, Tristan, and many others who were overcome by sexual love during their life. Dante is told by Francesca da Rimini how she and her husband's brother Paolo Malatesta committed adultery, but then died a violent death, in the name of Love, at the hands of her husband, Giovanni, Gianciotto. Francesca reports that their act of adultery was triggered by reading the adulterous story of Lancelot and Guinevere, an episode sculpted by Auguste Rodin in The Kiss. Nevertheless, she predicts that her husband will be punished for his fratricide in Caïna, within the ninth circle (Canto V). The English poet John Keats, in his sonnet "On a Dream," imagines what Dante does not give us, the point of view of Paolo:
... But to that
second circle of sad hell,
Where ‘mid the gust, the whirlwind, and the flaw
Of rain and hail-stones, lovers need not tell
Their sorrows. Pale were the sweet lips I saw,
Pale were the lips I kiss’d, and fair the form
I floated with, about that melancholy storm.
I:
Come on, come all!
Step right up!
You are about to witness a whirlwind of delight.
The gates of hell are open and there is no turning back!
Once you are in, you cannot leave.
Just sit back and enjoy the ride!
II:
You will first come to limbo.
The wine is always bitter here.
Virgins get tricked into coming down here.
The succubae await them.
It may look all nice and glittery, but it’s a trap;
A trap for all things nasty to unfold.
III:
Welcome to the second circle!
Moans will swirl around in your ears loud than a car horn.
You can’t escape them.
They reach higher than the sky.
The stores are just a front to lure you in.
Each prisoner has a sad story to tell.
They will talk to anyone who will listen.
But alas, we must go further down into the circles.
Keep up the pace.
IV:
Ah, here we are at the third circle!
They eat and eat and can’t stop.
Blood flows endlessly like split wine.
Some want to stop and take a breath.
However, the laws of this circle forbid them to.
“Eat, eat, eat!” the demons scream.
Normal people would turn away.
Strangely, the allure draws them in deeper without warning.
V:
Say it once,
Say it twice.
The gamble is not in their favor in the fourth circle.
Greed is on the loose.
They just have to have more.
“Chase me!”
“Hunt me!”
“Take me!”
“Take me!”
They can’t stop.
It all takes us in deeper.
VI:
Care for a swim in the fifth circle?
Too bad, you’ll have to.
This ain’t no singin’ in the rain, baby.
This is a twister that will destroy.
Everyone is barred from Heaven in this circle.
You can’t turn back.
We still have a long way to go on this trip.
VII:
The sixth circle is pretty big.
This is where the dogs come out to play.
There are no good souls left.
Only the hungry came out for blood.
Are you afraid?
Well, you should be.
Because they are the trick and you are the treat.
Oh, but we’ve only gotten started on the depravity here.
Keep up if you’re smart.
VIII:
The seventh circle marks the sign that you cannot turn back.
It gets worse as you go along.
This circle is much bigger than the previous ones.
Those were PG compared to this place.
The older ones live here and they are pretty nasty.
Kinky describes them better.
They can smell virgins from miles away.
Innocence goes here to die.
If not here, the final two will take care of that.
IX:
You made it to the eighth circle.
There is no celebration here.
They are hungrier and vicious in this circle.
Their touch practically poisons any and everything.
Further down is the only option for this place.
Edward is just about to hit the lowest of low.
However, one saving grace proves to be strong enough to hold him back.
This is not important right now.
There is one more circle to cross before we finish the trip.
X:
At last, here we are.
We have come to the ninth and final circle in this lusty hell.
Manami lives down here.
This is her kingdom.
Only the most lewd are allowed down here.
Innocence is just bones by the time she gets through with them.
She won’t take no for an answer.
Her hunger never goes out.
It always wants more and more until she is bloated,
Drowning in her lust.
Then, it all begins again.
XI:
However, this carnival isn’t enough.
They want to spread out to the living realm.
Ai-Oni planted the seed and now it grows out of control.
The people can’t see it now.
Their own desires have blinded them.
In fact, they are feeding this carnival of sins.
They have become freaks in their own show.
It is only a matter of time before they see it.
By the time they do, it will be too late.
XII:
Angels and demons are one.
Angels, demons, and the lusty are one.
This plot isn’t finished, however.
There is one more key needed in this puzzle.
Manami and Edward are just about to discover it tonight.