Part+1+--+Caina+--+Traitors+to+Kin

Canto XXXI is the transition into the final circle of hell, and Canto XXXII is the first round of circle nine, Caina: the treacherous to kin.



Dante and Vergil move forward towards the center of the ninth and final circle of hell. They approach the central pit, which is a great well, and at the center of this pit is Cocytus. In the darkness they see what they believe is a great city, but as they descend closer to the center they realize that the humongous objects are actually the Giantsand __Titans__. They approach the Giants and the Titans and recognize well known figures, such as __Nimrod__. Also among the ones recognized are Ephialtes,__Briareus, Tityos, Typhon, and Antaeus__. The majority of the Giants and Titans are sinners, and can be seen as being placed in Hell because of these sins; however, it is clear from the placement of Antaeus that they are in Hell mostly for their general behavior. After conversing with some of the Giants, they meet Antaeus. Through __Virgil's persuasion,__ Antaeus lifts up Dante and Virgil, and they are lowered to the last circle of Hell.

__**Characters:**__
__Nimrod__- Builder of the __Tower of Babel__. Those in the region of Babylon, which was ruled by Nimrod, planned to build a tower to reach heaven, despite God's objections. To show his displeasure with Babylon, God scattered the citizens of the city, destroying their unified language. Nimrod is often seen as a figure of linguistic confusion. __Ephialtes and Briareus__- The notorious fighters against the Gods. Ephialtes was the son of Neptune and sought to dethrone the Gods with his brother, Otis. They scaled Mount Olympus, but in the process were killed with arrows shot by Apollo and Diana. Briareus is depicted as a monster with one hundred arms, fiftty mouths and chests, filled with burning fire, and fifty shields to defend him from the thunder bolts of Jove. __Tityos and Typhon__- Insulters of __Jupiter.__Tityos (also known as Tityus) was the son of Zeus and Elera. He is mostly known for the attempted rape of Leto, mother of Apollo and Diana. As punishment for his crime, Tityos was forced to have his liver eaten by vultures every night, only to have it regrow. Typhon was struck down by the lightning bolts of Jove. He was then burried under Mount Etna in Sicily, and was believed to have caused the many volcanic interuptions in the area. __Antaeus__- figure that makes it clear that the giants are placed in hell for general nature, not for particular sins. Antaeus is the son of Posiedon and Gaia. He is known for his extreme strenght, challenging anyone to pass by him. In Greek mythology, he wrestles Hercules.

**__Canto XXXII__**
When Dante and Vergil reach the bottom of the well, they approach a great frozen lake. This great lake is symbolic for Dante as it represents the final guilt. These sins were denials of love, and therefore God and human warmth. Because of the severity of their sins, they are placed the farthest from God and his light and his warmth. Cocytus contains those those treacherous against those to whom they were __bound by special ties__. The great lake is divided up into four circles each becoming the smaller as one nears the center. There is no specific dividing line for each circle. All that separates them is those who have sinned in each of the circles. The farther one gets to the center, the more the sinner is placed within the ice. The first round has most of their head sticking out, while those in the last round are completely locked under ice. The first round of the last circle is Caina: the treacherous to kin. The name of this round comes from Cain, who betrayed one of his own blood. Among those here include Alessandro, Napoleone Degle Alberti, and Camicion. Those in Caina do not have their heads submerged in ice, and are able to move their heads slightly and cry for comfort.

__**Characters:**__
__Alessandro and Napoleone Degle Alberti__-Two sons of Count Alberto of Mangona. Alessandro supported the Guelph ideas while Napoleone followed the Ghibellines. This feud became more personal when their father left nine-tenths inheritance to Alessandro, and the remainder to Napoleone. They later killed eachother between 1282-86. The family feuding did not end; Alessandro's son killed Napoleone's son. __Camicion__- Not much is known about Alberto De Pazzi, nicknamed Camicion, other than that he murderedone Ubertino, a member of a family line very close to the Pazzi line. His prophecy about Carlin refers to the surrender of a castle holding White guelphs refuge to the Black guelphs by Carlino de Pazzi. Legend states that Carlino will be damned to Antenora.