Canto VI of the Inferno lends itself well to the traditional format of a lectura Dantis, in which one canto is lifted from the context of the whole work, and considered as a single poetic entity. This canto is one of the shortest in the Comedy: only one other, Inferno XI, has as few as 115 lines. Canto VI can be regarded as a self-contained unit, since it holds the complete description of one circle of Hell, the third, where Gluttons are punished. The action of the canto is symmetrically framed by two mythological demons, Cerberus and Plutus, who preside over its opening and closing scenes respectively. At the center, a single character emerges, standing out vividly from nameless crowds of prostrate sinners. He is the Florentine glutton, known
