Ciampolo
Encyclopedia
DANTE
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Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature...
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Ciampolo appears in Canto XXII of the Inferno, where he is a grafter in the fifth ditch of the eighth circle. Ciampolo is hooked by the devils (the Malebanche, "Evil Claws") that patrol that ditch, and pulled out of the boiling pitch
Pitch (resin)
Pitch is the name for any of a number of viscoelastic, solid polymers. Pitch can be made from petroleum products or plants. Petroleum-derived pitch is also called bitumen. Pitch produced from plants is also known as resin. Products made from plant resin are also known as rosin.Pitch was...
where the grafters are immersed, which represent their sticky fingers and corrupt deals. Threatened by the devils, Ciampolo tells Dante
DANTE
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the identity of some of the other grafters punished there. Ciampolo eventually tricks the devils, and makes his escape back to the boiling pitch.
Dante does not identify Ciampolo by name, but his name was provided by early commentators. Nothing else is really known about him other that the information provided by Dante: that he was born in Navarre
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
, that his father was a wastrel, and that he served King Theobald II of Navarre
Theobald II of Navarre
Theobald II , called the Young, was Count of Champagne and Brie and King of Navarre from 1253 until his death....
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External links
- Original text and commentaries across centuries of Canto 22, line 48 and following, from Dartmouth Dante Project.