Opizzo da Esti

Profile

The name Opizzo da Esti appears in Dante's Inferno at verse 111 of Canto XII, introduced by a clause that identifies him directly: 'è Opizzo da Esti, il qual per vero'. The mention is located in the section of the twelfth canto dedicated to the tyrants, where the poet is listing figures known for cruelty and ruthlessness. The authorized critical notes for Canto XII, devoted to clarifying the two ancient examples of ferocity recalled in that passage (Dionysius the Elder of Syracuse and Alexander), provide the historical-moral context of the catalogue, without however adding specific elements on the biography of Opizzo da Esti. The entry therefore limits itself to recording the presence of the name in the cited verse and its inclusion among the tyrants mentioned by Dante at this point of the infernal journey.