"Which of the two (Dante and Virgil) speaks more in canto XXXI? Why?
1. In Canto XXXI, it can be clearly seen that Virgil speaks more. The purpose that Virgil speaks more is because he is trying to inform Dante of what is happening in their surroundings. We see Dante confused at first by asking "tell me, what city is this?" (Canto XXXI, 21). Through this question, Virgil starts explaining exactly were they are located, the monsters they are going to encounter, descriptions of the monsters, and the reasons that they are there. Also in this Canto, besides the giants, there are no souls that know Dante and want to talk to him and because of this, Dante does not speak much but actually listens to what Virgil has to say instead.
What appears to be the "State" (condition) of the relationship between Dante and Virgil in Canto XXXI?
Ancient Roman bust (so-called "Bust of Vergil") fr...
Dante And Virgil In Hell by William-Adolphe Bougue...
Dante and Virgil Encountering the Shades of France...2. The "state" of the relationship between Dante and Virgil in Canto XXXI is seen to be that Dante is the student and Virgil is the teacher. Dante can be depicted as a student and Virgil as a teacher, when they go to each monster and Virgil "teaches" Dante about the particular monster. It can also be taken as Dante being the tourist and Virgil as the guide because as they reached to an unknown land, Dante asks a question that is typical of a tourist "What is this city?" Virgil then starts explaining where they are located. As the reach the "center of the city" which is the monsters in the pit, Virgil explains more to Dante about the giants as if they were tourist attractions. They stopped at the first monster and Virgil explains to Dante, who the monster is and what the monster has done.