List of Cultural References in Divine Comedy - M

M

  • Paolo Malatesta: See Paolo and Francesca.
  • Malatesta da Verucchio: Founder of the powerful Malatesta family, he and his son Malatestino, were Guelph rulers of Rimini from 1295, who killed the chief members of the rival Ghibelline family, the Parcitati, including their leader Montagna de' Parcitati. Malatesta had two other sons Giovanni, who married Guido da Polenta's daughter Francesca, and Paolo who became her lover (see Paolo and Francesca).
    • The old mastiff of Verucchio". Inf. XXVII, 46–8.
  • Malatestino: Son of Malatesta da Verrucchio, after his father's death in 1312, he became Signore of Rimini. He had two nobles of Fano, Guido del Cassero and Angiolello di Carignano, drowned, after he had summoned them to a parley at Cattolica.
    • The new mastiff of Verruchio. Inf. XXVII, 46–8.
    • The "foul tyrant" and "traitor who sees only with one eye", his betrayal of Guido and Angiolello. Inf. XXVIII, 76–90.
  • Malebolge ("evil-pouches"): The eighth circle of Dante's hell, it contains ten trenches wherein the ten types of "ordinary" fraud are punished.
    • Encountered. Inf. XVIII.
    • Described as a funnel consisting of concentric and progressively lower ditches. Inf. XXIV, 34–40.
    • Its "final cloister" filled with "lay brothers". Inf. XXIX, 40–2.
  • Malebranche ("evil-claws"): In the Inferno, it is the name of a group of demons in the fifth pouch of the Malebolge. They are led by Malacoda ("evil-tail"), who assigns ten of his demons to escort Dante: Alichino, Calcabrina, Cagnazzo ("big dog"), Barbariccia (leads the ten), Libicocco, Draghignazzo, Ciriatto, Graffiacane ("dog-scratcher") Farfarello and Rubicante. Another Malebranche is Scarmiglione.
    • Encountered. Inf. XXI, 29–XXIII, 56.
    • A demon is described plunging a barrator into a boiling lake of pitch and returning to Lucca "for more". Inf. XXI, 29–46.
    • Their using prongs to keep the sinner submerged is compared to cooking meat in a pot. Inf. XXI, 55–57.
    • Escort assigned. Inf. XXI 118–123.
    • Scarmiglione. Inf. XXI, 100–105.
    • Barbarariccia's remarkable trumpet. Inf. XXI, 136–XXII, 12.
    • The demons escort Dante, guarding the shore as they go. A sinner is dragged ashore, attacked by the demons and is questioned but escapes, and two demons fight and fall into the boiling pitch. Inf. XXII, 13–151.
    • Dante and Virgil escape their pursuit. Inf. XXIII 13–56.
    • Malacoda's lie is discovered. Inf. XXIII 140–1.
  • Manfred: King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266.
    • Encountered as an excommunicate in Purgatory, where he waits 30 years for each year of his excommunication. Purg. III, 112.
  • "Manibus, oh, date lilia plenis." ("O, give lilies by the handful."): Quotation from Virgil's Aeneid (VI.883).
    • Sung by angels in the Pageant of the Church Triumphant, welcoming Beatrice to the procession. Purg. XXX, 21.
  • Manto: Mythical daughter of Tiresias, from her father she inherited the power of prophecy.
    • Seen among the seers. Inf. XX, 52–7.
    • Virgil tells how Manto travelled till she arrived in the spot that was to be called after her Mantua. Inf. XX, 58–93.
    • The "daughter of Tiresias" is listed as a resident in Purgatory. Purg. XXII, 113.
  • Mantua: An important and ancient city in Lombardy. Its name is probably of Etruscan origin.
    • Birthplace of Virgil. Inf. I, 69.
    • Beatrice addresses Virgil as "courteous Mantuan spirit". Inf. II, 58.
    • Virgil tells Dante of the origin of the name of Mantua and about its foundation. Inf. XX, 58–99.
    • Sordello addresses Virgil as "Mantuan". Purg. VI, 74.
  • Marcia: Wife of Cato the younger.
    • Encountered by Dante in Limbo. Inf. IV, 128.
    • Permanently separated from her husband, who guards the entrance to Purgatory. Purg. I, 79.
  • Maremma: Area consisting of part of southern Tuscany (and partly coincident with the province of Grosseto) and some part of northern Latium (a bordering region of the province of Viterbo). in Dante's time it was a desolate marshland, plagued by malaria.
    • Identified as between Cecina and Corneto. Inf. XIII, 7–9.
    • Reputation for snakes. Inf. XXV, 19–20.
    • Sickness from July until September. Inf. XXIX, 46–8.
  • Mars: In Roman mythology, the god of war.
    • As ei per questo//sempre con l'arte sua la farà trista (he who with this art always will make it sad) he is identified as the patron of Florence before John the Baptist. Inf. XIII, 143–4.
    • Depicted in a pavement carving in Purgatory casting Briareus from Olympus. Purg. XII, 31.
  • Marsyas: Ancient Greek who challenged Apollo to a contest of musical performance judged by the Muses. After Marsyas lost, Apollo flayed him to death.
    • Dante metaphorically asks Apollo to treat him like Marsyas, by removing his soul from the body in order to write about the heavens. Par. I, 19–21.
  • Charles Martel of Anjou (1271–1295): son of Charles II of Naples.
    • In the sphere of Venus, he discusses degeneracy among noble families, and denounces confusion of vocations. Par. VIII, 31–148.
    • His prophecy. Par. IX, 1—9.
  • Pope Martin IV: Pope from 1281 to 1285. According to Dante, he died after a gluttonous feast of eels and wine.
    • Dante sees him in the terrace of the gluttons, repenting of his excess. Purg. XXIV, 22–25.
  • Mary: The mother of Jesus.
    • Probably the "gentle lady", who takes pity on Dante and calls on Lucia to ask Beatrice to help him. Inf. II, 94–9.
    • Souls in Purgatory call on Mary to pray for them. Purg. XIII, 50.
    • Souls on the terrace of sloth quote her "haste" (Luke 1:39) as a spiritual lesson. Purg. XVIII, 99–100.
    • The soul of Hugh Capet on the terrace of greed cites her poverty as a spiritual lesson. Purg. XX, 19–24.
    • Called the "only bride the Holy Spirit has known" in reference to the Incarnation. Purg. XX, 97–98.
    • Her call for more wine at the marriage at Cana (John 2:3) was for decorum and not because she wanted more wine. Lesson in temperance heard spoken from the tree on the terrace of the gluttonous. Purg. XXII, 142–144.
    • Cited as an example in sexual abstinence by souls on the terrace of the lustful. Purg. XXV, 128.
  • Master Adam: Possibly an Englishman, who came to Bologna by way of Brescia. He was employed by the Guidi, counts of Romena, to counterfeit the Florentine florin. Stamped with the image of John the Baptist, the florin contained 24 karats of gold. His contained 21, for which crime he was burned at the stake in 1281.
    • Among the falsifiers, he points out two liars, Potiphar's wife and Sinon, with whom he exchanges insults. Inf. XXX, 49–129.
  • Matilda: Sole permanent resident of Terrestrial Paradise.
    • Dante encounters her gathering flowers on the banks of the River Lethe. Purg. XXVIII, 40.
  • Saint Matthias: After Judas' betrayal and suicide, he took his place as one of the twelve apostles (Acts of the Apostles I:23–26). Late legends state he was either crucified in Colchis or stoned by the Jews.
    • How he became an apostle is contrasted with the Simoniacs. Inf. XIX, 94–6.
  • Medea: Mythical daughter of Aeetes, king of Colchis, she helped Jason get the Golden Fleece, but was abandoned by him. She took revenge by killing their two children.
    • For her also is Jason punished. Inf. XVIII, 96.
  • Medusa (also known as the Gorgon): In Greek mythology, a female monster whose gaze could turn people to stone. See Erinyes.
  • Megaera: See Erinyes.
  • Meleager: Ancient Greek hero who died when his mother completed the burning of a stick. Purg. XXV, 22.
  • Melicertes: See Hera.
  • Metellus: Lucius Caecilius Metellus, tribune of the plebs 49 BC, resisted Julius Caesar when he wanted to plunder the treasury.
    • Mentioned in connection with the Tarpeian Rock. Purg. IX, 138.
  • Michael: Archangel
    • Defeated Satan. Inf. VII 11–2.
    • Souls in Purgatory call on him to pray for them. Purg. XIII, 51.
    • Beatrice tells Dante that Michael may be depicted in human form, but that this form is an accommodation to the limits of the human imagination. Par. IV, 47.
  • Michal: daughter of King Saul and wife of King David.
    • Depicted as an example of arrogance in a wall carving in Purgatory. Purg. X, 68.
  • Midas: legendary Phrygian king who greedy asked that all he touched be turned to gold.
    • Cited by souls in the terrace of the greedy as an example of the tragedy of greed. Purg. XX, 103–105.
  • Minerva: Roman goddess of wisdom, equivalent to the Greek goddess Athena.
  • Minos: A semi-legendary king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. In The Divine Comedy, he sits at the entrance to the second circle in the Inferno, which is the beginning of Hell proper. Here, he judges the sins of each dead soul and assigns it to its rightful punishment by indicating the circle to which it must descend. He does this by circling his tail around his body the appropriate number of times.
    • Encountered by Dante. Inf. V, 4–24.
    • Sends suicides to their appointed punishments. Inf. XIII, 96.
    • Amphiaraus falls down to him. Inf. XX, 35–6.
    • He can also speak, to clarify the soul's location within the circle indicated by the wrapping of his tail. Inf. XXVII, 124–7.
    • Who "cannot mistake", condemns Griffolino of Arezzo to the tench pouch. Inf. XXIX, 118–20.
    • Virgil not bound by Minos because he resides in Limbo. Purg. I, 77.
  • Minotaur: In Greek mythology, a creature that was half man and half bull. It was held captive by King Minos of Crete, inside the Labyrinth, an elaborate maze designed by Daedalus. It was slain by Theseus.
    • Guards the seventh circle. Inf. XII, 11–27.
  • Miserere: ("Have mercy.") Incipit of Psalm 51 (Psalm 50 in the Vulgate Bible.) It is one of the Seven Penitential Psalms.
    • Chanted by souls waiting to enter Purgatory. Purg. V, 24.
  • "Modicum, et non videbitis me; et iterum, modicum, vos videbitis me." ("In a little while, you will not see me; and in a little while, you will see me again.") Spoken by Jesus to his disciples at the Last Supper. John 16:16.
    • Quoted by Beatrice before her departure with Dante into Paradise.
  • Mongibello: Sicialian name for Mount Etna, though to be Vulcan's furnace.
    • "The sooty forge". Inf. XIV, 56.
  • Mosca de' Lamberti: Ghibelline who in 1215 rekindled feuding with the Guelphs by urging the killing of the Guelph Buondelmonte dei Buondelmonte, for breaking a marriage engagement.
    • One of a group of famous political Florentines, "who were so worthy … whose minds bent toward the good", asked about by Dante of Ciacco. Inf. VI, 77–81.
    • Found among the Sowers of Scandal and Schism in the eighth circle, Ninth Pouch. He was a "seed of evil for the Tuscans". Inf. XXVIII, 106–9.
  • Moses
    • Raised by Jesus from Limbo into Paradise. Inf. IV, 57.
  • Mucius: Gaius Mucius Scaevola, ancient Roman soldier from a noteworthy family. When captured by enemies, he held his right hand in a fire to show his steadfast willingness to give his life for Rome.
    • Mentioned by Beatrice as an example of a constant will in the face of adversity. Par. IV, 84.
  • Muhammad (c. 570–632): The founder of Islam.
    • Found among the "sowers of dissension", he points out his son-in-law Ali, and through Dante, warns Fra Dolcino. Inf. XXVIII, 22–63.
  • Muses: In Greek and Roman mythology, the inspiring goddesses of song, poetry and art. It was a standard literary device to invoke their aid when undertaking a difficult writing task.
    • Dante invokes them nine times in the Comedy. Inf. II, 7–9, Purg. I, 7, Purg. XXII, 58, Purg. XXIX, 37, Par. II, 8.
  • Myrrha: In Greek Mythology mother of Adonis, who in disguise committed incest with her father (Ovid, Metamorphoses, X, 298–502)
    • Among the falsifiers, "taking another's shape", she "loved her father past the limits of just love". Inf. XXX, 37–41.

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