Bocca degli Abati

Bocca degli Abati is a Florentine traitor whom Dante encounters in the second division of the Ninth Circle of Hell, Antenora, where those who betrayed their political party or country are punished. He is frozen in the ice of Cocytus, his head bowed, and he initially refuses to reveal his identity to Dante, even when the poet pulls out his hair. His name is finally exposed by another damned soul, and he then bitterly names other traitors, including Buoso da Duera, Beccaria, Gianni del Soldanier, Ganelon, and Tebaldello, revealing the nature of his sin and the company he keeps.

Identity and Sin

Bocca degli Abati was a Florentine Ghibelline who, according to historical accounts, betrayed his city by cutting off the hand of the Florentine standard-bearer at the Battle of Montaperti in 1260, causing confusion and leading to a Guelph defeat. In the Inferno, he is punished in Antenora, the second zone of the Ninth Circle, reserved for traitors to their country or political party. He is frozen in the ice of Cocytus, his head bowed, and he initially refuses to reveal his identity to Dante, even when the poet pulls out his hair. His name is finally exposed by another damned soul, and he then bitterly names other traitors, including Buoso da Duera, Beccaria, Gianni del Soldanier, Ganelon, and Tebaldello, revealing the nature of his sin and the company he keeps.

Encounter with Dante

Dante, walking among the heads of the frozen traitors, accidentally kicks Bocca in the face. Bocca angrily asks why he is being trampled, and Dante, recognizing his opportunity, demands to know his name. Bocca refuses, and Dante grabs him by the hair, pulling out several shocks. Bocca remains defiant, barking like a dog, until another soul cries out, "What doth ail thee, Bocca?" This reveals his identity, and Dante then threatens to report his shame. Bocca, now resigned, tells Dante to speak of him but also to mention the other traitors he names, including Buoso da Duera, Beccaria, Gianni del Soldanier, Ganelon, and Tebaldello.

The Traitors He Names

Bocca identifies several other traitors frozen in the ice with him. Buoso da Duera, he says, "weepeth here the silver of the French," referring to his betrayal of the Ghibelline cause for French gold. He also names Beccaria, "of whom the gorget Florence slit asunder," a reference to a traitor executed by Florence. Gianni del Soldanier, Ganelon (the betrayer of Roland), and Tebaldello (who opened the gates of Faenza to the Guelphs) are also pointed out. These names serve to illustrate the nature of Bocca's sin and the company he keeps in the frozen lake.

Narrative Role and Significance

Bocca degli Abati serves as a representative of the sin of treachery against one's country, a crime that Dante places in the deepest circle of Hell. His stubborn refusal to confess and his eventual bitter naming of other traitors highlight the complete absence of any redeeming qualities in the damned of Antenora. His encounter with Dante also illustrates the poet's own righteous anger and his willingness to use physical force to extract the truth from the damned, a departure from his earlier pity for sinners in the upper circles.