Malacoda is the leader of the devils who torture souls in the fifth trench of the eighth circle of hell. His band of devils try to attack Virgil, but he stops them by telling them that God has willed his and Dante's journey. He then sends a group of devils to escort Dante and Virgil to the next trench, though this is later revealed to be an attempt to lead Dante and Virgil astray.
Get the entire Inferno LitChart as a printable PDF.
Malacoda Character Timeline in Inferno
The timeline below shows where the character Malacoda appears in Inferno. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Canto 21
...him with their weapons, but Virgil tells them to halt. The leader of these demons, Malacoda comes to speak with Virgil. Virgil tells him that he is on a journey ordained...
(full context)
