We come upon the last great sinner of hell: Count Ugolino, frozen in the ice of Cocytus, munching on the brains of Archbishop Ruggieri.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for the first of several episodes on Ugolino. His story won't allow us to forget him. And its place in COMEDY makes sure we'll keep talking about it over several episodes. And the last line he speaks will continue to bedevil Dante’s readers forever.

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

[02:38] My English translation of the passage: INFERNO, Canto XXXIII, lines 1 - 78. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment, please go to my website, markscarbrough.com.

[08:20] Count Ugolino as a historical figure.

[16:55] Close-reading Ugolino's monologue to fill in the details.

[33:34] The famed last line: "That's when fasting had more power than grief."