Ulysses' Last Voyage

The story of Ulysses' final journey beyond the Pillars of Hercules, as told by his shade in the eighth circle.

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Ulysses and Diomed in the Flame

The Double Flame The Cleft Fire Dante sees a flame with two horns, containing Ulysses and Diomed. Virgil speaks to them, and the larger horn (Ulysses) begins to speak. The Request Dante asks Virgil to question them about their deaths. Virgil obliges, and Ulysses tells his story.

Ulysses' Speech to His Crew

The Exhortation The Call to Adventure Ulysses recounts how neither love for his son, father, nor wife could overcome his desire to explore the world. He gathered his old crew and sailed west. The Famous Words He urged his men: 'Consider ye the seed from which ye sprang; ye were not made to live like unto brutes, but for pursuit of virtue and of knowledge.' This speech inspired them to continue.

The Voyage Beyond the Pillars

The Mad Flight The Southern Hemisphere They sailed south, seeing the stars of the other pole. After five months, they sighted a great mountain (Mount Purgatory) in the distance. The Shipwreck Joy turned to grief as a whirlwind struck the ship, sinking it. The sea closed over them. Ulysses' quest for knowledge ended in death.

Dante's Reaction to Ulysses' Story

The Reflection Dante's Admiration and Warning Dante is moved by Ulysses' heroic spirit but also recognizes the sin of fraudulent counsel. Ulysses' desire for knowledge, while noble, led him to overstep divine limits. The Thematic Significance Ulysses' voyage parallels Dante's own journey into the unknown, but Dante is guided by grace, not mere human reason. The episode underscores the need for humility before God.

The Punishment of Evil Counsellors

The Contrapasso The Hidden Flame Evil counsellors are hidden within flames, symbolizing how their deceitful words concealed their true intentions. The flame itself is their tongue, which led others astray. Ulysses and Diomed They are together because they conspired in the Trojan Horse and other deceptions. Their shared flame reflects their shared guilt.

In the eighth circle, eighth bolgia of evil counsellors

During the voyage, after leaving Circe

After passing the Pillars of Hercules, into the unknown ocean

After Ulysses finishes speaking, in the eighth bolgia

In the eighth bolgia, context of the flame