ctaylor

"There is no greater sorrow than to be mindful of the happy time in misery"(The Divine Comedy).  Dante and Virgil encounter three spirits that are currently in a state of misery, but are mindful of the happy times when they were alive.  In Circle three, a spirit sits up abruptly when Dante passes and asks Dante if he remembers him.  Dante replies that he doesn't recognise his face, but that it may have been distorted by his sufferings.  The spirit replys that he was a citizen of Florence called Ciacco, or The Hog.  Ciacco, while in his misery, is thinking about his happy, living past, and also the future of the Blacks and Whites.  His prophesy is mournful because he remembers the time in his life when he was happy, and is currently in a more somber situation.  In the sixth circle, Filippo Argenti rose up from the slime of the swap to harass Dante as he passed on Phlegyas' boat.  When Dante asks who he is, he says he is, "'one who weeps'" (The Inferno).  The spirit became morbid when he saw Dante , who was there before his time.  It reminded him of when he was happy and made him miserable.  Upon entering circle six, Dante talks to a few souls who are burning in a stone coffin.  One of them is Cavalcante Del Cavalcanti.  He expected Dante to be lead by his son, Guido.  When Dante tells him he is being lead by Virgil, the spirit mistakes his words for Guido's death.  The sight of a mortal being reminds Cavalcante of the happiness he shared with his son.  When he finds that he isn't there, he weeps and falls backward into the flame because he was thinking of a jovial time, while in an atmosphere much more depressing.  All three of these spirits think on a happier time, while in a miserable situation and become sad, weep, and mourn.