Chapter 11: The Big Horsey Ride. Episode 12: Conclusion
One man stands between Ulysses and Troy. Unfortunately, he's a bureaucrat. Poor Troy; Lucky Ulysses. Mark Sellin as Ulysses. Christopher Gauntt as the Supervisor. Kirsten Hochman as the Noble Crew.
First published
10/07/2022
Genres:
comedy
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Summary
One man stands between Ulysses and Troy. Unfortunately, he's a bureaucrat. Poor Troy; Lucky Ulysses. Mark Sellin as Ulysses. Christopher Gauntt as the Supervisor. Kirsten Hochman as the Noble Crew.
Duration
Parent Podcast
Tales of Ulysses
View PodcastSimilar Episodes
The Glorious Monologue Of The Damned Ulysses: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 85 - 142
Release Date: 06/01/2022
Description: Finally, Ulysses. We've waited long enough. Here he is in all his glory: a figure out of classical literature, whom Dante couldn't know, whom Dante wants to know, whom Dante admires, whom Dante damns.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore Ulysses' monologue in this first of three episodes on this most-written-about passage from INFERNO. In this episode, we'll discuss what Ulysses says, rather than what it means, untying some of the knots to better understand the gorgeous poetry at the root of his speech.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[02:31] My English translation of this passage: INFERNO, Canto XXVI, lines 85 - 142–but really going all the way back to line 25. If you'd like to read along, you can find this passage on my website, markscarbrough.com.[10:30] Some historical background: the Vivaldi brothers in 1291.[12:21] The structure of Ulysses' monologue: several nine-line segments with one three-line aside.[13:53] Ulysses begins his monologue in the middle of his story.[18:40] Ulysses' real motivation: discontent masquerading as exploration.[22:14] Ulysses' journey around the Mediterranean--in other words, geography as doom.[25:02] Ulysses' rousing speech to his companions.[29:19] Ulysses' three-line aside to Virgil and Dante the pilgrim.[30:28] Ulysses' voyage across the open Atlantic.[34:18] The utter strangeness of the tallest mountain on earth.[38:03] Ulysses' death is oddly the first death in a poem about the dead.
Explicit: No
The Case For Ulysses: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 85 - 142
Release Date: 06/08/2022
Description: In the last episode of WALKING WITH DANTE, I built a case against Ulysses without using anything but his own words against him. How do we know Ulysses is damned (other than Dante's placing him in the Inferno)? Where does his culpability lie?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for this episode in which I build the case FOR Ulysses. Why does he so stand out among the sinners in hell (and even among the saints above us)? Why has his speech provoked more commentary than any other passage in Dante's COMEDY?Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:42] Once more, my English translation of his speech: Inferno, Canto XXVI, lines 85 - 142. If you'd like to read along or start a discussion about this episode, go to my website, markscarbrough.com.[05:30] The seven parts of the case against Ulysses. 1. His monologue demands an interpretation because there are few external cues or clues to help us know how to react.[06:39] 2. Ulysses is a Greek--which means he's part of a world Dante cannot know and desperately wants to explore.[08:54] 3. Ulysses' story is the definition of talent held in check by (literary) virtue: fully original yet anchored by classical texts.[10:35] 4. Ulysses uses the loaded word "folle" (folly)--a word so associated with Dante the pilgrim's journey and Dante the poet's COMEDY.[22:27] 5. We are the children, not of Dante, but of Ulysses, who expresses our hopes and our fears.[24:20] 6. Ulysses exhorts his men to a higher calling, just as Dante exhorts his readers to a higher calling.[25:53] 7. Ulysses' speech is so overwhelming that Dante will need a second figure in this evil pouch (this eighth of the malebolge) to balance the poem.
Explicit: No
The Case Against Ulysses: Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 85 - 142
Release Date: 06/05/2022
Description: In the last episode of this podcast, we took apart Ulysses' speech to discover its poetics and uncover some of its historical roots. Now it's time to turn to the interpretation of his words.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I build a case against Ulysses.Yes, he's in hell. But that's not enough for us readers to condemn him, given his rousing rhetoric and gorgeous poetics. What can we learn from his speech that will help us put him far down in hell, as Dante does?Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:46] Once again, my English translation of the passage: INFERNO, Canto XXVI, lines 85 - 142. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment on this episode, go to my website, markscarbrough.com.[05:09] The eight pieces of our case against Ulysses: 1. Why even make a case against him if he's already in hell? Because he's been turned into a Byronic hero over the years.[06:33] 2. Ulysses is a Greek, enough in itself for Dante to condemn him.[07:46] 3. Ulysses is not forthright about his motivations.[11:04] 4. Ulysses rouses his companions with a speech that begins by quoting one by Julius Caesar in Lucan's PHARSALIA.[13:48] 5. What then are Ulysses' motivations? Perhaps to find immortality without death.[15:32] 6. Ulysses is a tempter toward destruction, like the snake in Eden.[18:20] 7. Ulysses repeatedly uses a word--"picciola"--that minimizes his guilt and the humanity of the men who die with him.[20:42] 8. Ulysses' entire speech is a masterpiece of false counsel toward Virgil, Dante the pilgrim, and, well, us, as we come to sympathize with him.
Explicit: No
A Comparision And Contrast Between Ulysses And Guido Da Montefeltro: Inferno, Cantos XXVI And XXVII
Release Date: 06/29/2022
Description: We've spent a long time in the eighth of the malebolge, the evil pouches that make up the big circle of fraud in Dante's INFERNO. Before we take our leave, let's look at the way the two speakers, Ulysses and Guido da Montefeltro, can be compared and contrasted with each other.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for this review episode of two of the most rewarding cantos in all of INFERNO. I've got lots of ideas. I hope you have more.Here are the segments of this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE:[02:50] An opening denunciation v. the journey continues.[04:54] Both canto XXVI and canto XXVII start with unfinished business from the previous canto--but canto XXVII comes to a distinct end before we enter the ninth evil pouch.[06:38] The peasant and his fireflies v. the Sicilian bull: a contrast of the two opening similes.[08:47] Sight v. sound in the two similes.[09:58] Emotional movement in the cantos: from comfy pastoral to bitter regret.[11:37] Ulysses is a classical figure; Guido is a contemporary figure.[12:45] Virgil silences Dante the pilgrim because he's not erudite enough v. Dante the pilgrim offers an erudite chronicle of the troubles in Romagna.[14:20] Ulysses' monologue v. Guido's dialogue.[16:51] Shocking speakers in the two cantos: Ulysses and Pope Boniface VIII.[18:13] Both Ulysses and Guido come up later in COMEDY.[19:34] Ulysses shows us the journey ahead; Guido shows us the dead end of remorse.[20:29] Ulysses is a great storyteller; Guido is a terrible storyteller.[22:14] Ulysses forgets his family; Guido remembers his.[23:25] Ulysses is a literary figure; Guido is a historical person.[24:52] Both Ulysses and Guido engage in the foolishness of old age.[26:34] Neither nobility nor whining can save you in Dante's universe.[29:08] Ulysses' linear crescendo v. Guido's mishmash of styles.[31:45] Both Ulysses and Guido suffer an imagined death.[32:59] Neither Virgil nor Dante reacts after either speech.[35:36] One final contrast: the body v. the soul in the seventh through the nineth of the malebolge.
Explicit: No
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