Read the following passages from canto I of the Inferno from The Divine Comedy.

Question

[Dante sees the she-wolf for the first time] "...a she-wolf that looked full of craving in its leanness, and, before now, has made many men live in sadness.”



[After Dante runs away from the she-wolf and happens upon Virgil, Virgil states this about the she-wolf]



"This creature, that distresses you, allows no man to cross her path, but obstructs him, to destroy him, and she has so vicious and perverse a nature, that she never sates her greedy appetite, and after food is hungrier than before. ...the Greyhound comes who will make her die in pain. He will not feed himself on land or wealth, but on wisdom, love and virtue, and his birthplace will lie between Feltro and Feltro. He will be the salvation of that lower Italy... He will chase the she-wolf through every city, until he has returned her to Hell, from which envy first loosed her.’


How do these passages represent Dante’s portrayal of the political state of Italy at that time?

(1 point)
Responses

A) The she-wolf symbolizes greed and has an insatiable appetite. She represents what Dante seems to deem as the primary vice of the Catholic Church. The Greyhound will come to bring an end to this corruption.

A) The she-wolf symbolizes greed and has an insatiable appetite. She represents what Dante seems to deem as the primary vice of the Catholic Church. The Greyhound will come to bring an end to this corruption.

B) The "she-wolf" symbolizes greed and has an insatiable appetite. She represents the greed of the Common people. The Greyhound will come to end their corruption.

B) The "she-wolf" symbolizes greed and has an insatiable appetite. She represents the greed of the Common people. The Greyhound will come to end their corruption.

C) The "she-wolf" symbolizes anger and has a volcanic temper. Dante thinks a bad temper is the primary vice of the Catholic Church. The Greyhound will come to end this corruption.

C) The "she-wolf" symbolizes anger and has a volcanic temper. Dante thinks a bad temper is the primary vice of the Catholic Church. The Greyhound will come to end this corruption.

D) The "she-wolf" symbolizes laziness, which Dante suggests is the primary vice of the Catholic Church. The Greyhound will come to end this corruption.

D) The "she-wolf" symbolizes laziness, which Dante suggests is the primary vice of the Catholic Church. The Greyhound will come to end this corruption.
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Answer 1

The correct response is:

A) The she-wolf symbolizes greed and has an insatiable appetite. She represents what Dante seems to deem as the primary vice of the Catholic Church. The Greyhound will come to bring an end to this corruption.

This interpretation aligns with Dante's portrayal of the political state of Italy at the time, where he critiques the corruption and greed prevalent in society and the Church. The she-wolf embodies these vices, while the Greyhound symbolizes hope for a return to righteousness, wisdom, and virtue.