We've come beyond Satan and are standing in a giant, empty, baronial hall, waiting to get out of hell.

But not before our pilgrim, Dante, gets some answers.

And from whom would he get those answers if not from Virgil--who remains true to himself to the end of INFERNO, despite all the ribbing and drubbing he's been through.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the next to the last passage of INFERNO: Virgil's explanation time and the very formation of the universe.

Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:

[01:19] My English translation of the passage: INFERNO, Canto XXXIV, lines 94 - 126. If you'd like to read along, drop a comment, or print it off, go to my website, markscarbrough.com.

[04:00] The way out of hell is indeed long! But Virgil is still our guide.

[05:54] For the first time, Virgil tells the time by the sun's position.

[08:20] Dante and Virgil step into irony: an empty baronial hall at the middle of the universe.

[09:41] How does Dante "pull himself up by the roots" from hell?

[11:34] Dante gets close to a concept of gravity--and perhaps we can understand how Satan is held in hell.

[14:19] Virgil offers a geography lesson on the earth's hemispheres by indirectly mentioning Jesus Christ.

[17:19] Virgil names the final circle of Cocytus: Judecca, which may be an antisemitic slur.

[20:29] The clocks have been set back by twelve hours.

[21:55] Virgil tells the story of Satan's fall from heaven.

[23:30] Which is absurd heresy. Who then is in the garden of Eden?

[26:06] Virgil's myth-making lets Virgil remain Virgil until the end of INFERNO.