on this Dame Fortune--what is she, that she holds
the good things of the world within her clutch?"
And he to me: "O credulous mankind,
is there one error that has wooed and lost you?
Now listen, and strike error from your mind:
That king whose perfect wisdom transcends all,
made the heavens and posted angels on them
to guide the eternal light that it might fall
from every sphere to every sphere the same.
He made earth's splendors by a like decree
and posted as their minister this high Dame
the Lady of Permutations. All earth's gear
she changes from nation to nation, from house to house,
in changeless change through every turning year.
No mortal power may stay her spinning wheel.
The nations rise and fall by her decree.
None may foresee where she will set her heel:
Circle four, which focuses on the Hoarders and Wasters, contains many elements of language. For example, Dante's is in a curious mood, as shown when he asks Virgil about Dame Fortune, "...what is she, that she holds the good things of the world within her clutch?" (74). You can infer that Dante is interested to know about Dame Fortune, someone who he is not familiar with, when he emphasizes the word, "is" and repeats the word, "she." Virgil tells Dante that he is a gullible man, saying that error has persuaded and tricked him, but Virgil goes on to explain that Dame Fortune is selected by God to oversee the magnificence of Earth. On the other hand, Virgil reveals that Dame Fortune represents Chance in medieval symbolism. Good things and bad things happen in the world, and only Dame Fortune is responsible for them. She plays an important role in Dante's plan of the Universe. Since she is chosen to watch over Earth, the changes of Earth happen as a result of the spinning of her wheel. Spinning represents change because as a wheel turns, it changes positions and direction; the earth can also change position and direction by rotating around the sun, just like a wheel. In terms of diction, Dante says that Dame Fortune is also called the Lady of Permutations. The word, "permutations," means change, which is related to the changes of Earth she controls. In the second stanza of this passage, Virgil repeats the word, "error." This pattern of the word suggests that mistakes have impacted Dante on his journey through Hell, whether they helped him or harmed him.
The theme of Circle Four is greed. As mentioned earlier, Dame Fortune "changes from nation to nation, from house to house,/in changeless change through every turning year" (74). In other words, she changes the fortunes of people's lives. One of these changes is money, which involves greed. Individuals who are changed by fortune either lose or gain depending on his impulse. Since one is defined by money in life by being greedy, he is undefined in death.
The song below is called Money, by The Flying Lizards. Money can be acquired by greed, and greed is one thing that Dame Fortune can change with the spinning of her wheel.
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