Commentary Purg V 91-93

Dante's desire for knowledge of what happened to Buonconte's body reflects the concern of others present at the battle of Campaldino.  How could the body of so important a personage simply disappear?  Several students of this passage have suggested that the poet here has in mind Virgil's portrait of Palinurus, so deeply troubled by his unburied state, and consider the protagonist's question a recasting of Aeneas's question to Palinurus: 'Which of the gods, Palinurus, tore you from us and submerged you in the open sea?' (Aen. VI.341-342).  While the linguistic fit is not a perfect one, both the circumstance and the fact that Dante seems to have the Palinurus passage in mind at [Purg III 130] -- and surely does so at VI.28-30 -- makes the reference at least plausible.  Chiavacci Leonardi (Chia.1983.1), p. 88n., noted it, as now have Cioffi (Ciof.1992.1) and Stefanini (Stef.1995.1).  And for the view that Palinurus operates as a foil to Buonconte, see Picone (Pico.1999.2), pp. 78-80.