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The Inferno describes the journey of a fictionalised version of Dante himself through Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil.
- First Circle of Hell: Limbo
- Second Circle of Hell: Lust
- Third Circle of Hell: Gluttony
- Fourth Circle of Hell: Greed
- Fifth Circle of Hell: Anger
- Sixth Circle of Hell: Heresy
- Seventh Circle of Hell: Violence
- Eighth Circle of Hell: Fraud
- Ninth Circle of Hell: Treachery
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In the book, limbo is where those who never knew Christ exist. Dante encounters several historical figures, including Ovid, Homer, Socrates, Aristotle, Julius Caesar, and more, in this circle.
In the second circle, a stormy and dark realm, Dante encounters Achilles, Paris, Tristan, Cleopatra, and Dido, among others.
The third circle is reserved for those who overindulge. Dante encounters ordinary people here, not characters from epic poems or gods from mythology. The author Boccacciotook one of these characters, Ciacco, and incorporated him into his 14th-century collection of tales called "The Decameron."
Dante encounters more ordinary people in the fourth circle but also the guardian of the circle, Pluto, the mythological king of the underworld. This circle is reserved for people who hoarded or squandered their money, but Dante and Virgil do not directly interact with any of its inhabitants. This is the first time they pass through a circle without...
Dante and Virgilare threatened by the Furies when they try to enter through the walls of Dis (Satan). This is a further progression in Dante’s evaluation of the nature of sin; he also begins to question himself and his own life, realizing his actions and nature could lead him to this permanent torture.
Representing the rejection of religious and political norms, the sixth circle leads Dante to Farinata degli Uberti, a military leader and aristocrat who tried to win the Italian throne and was convicted posthumously of heresy in 1283. Dante also meets Epicurus, Pope Anastasius II, and Emperor Frederick II.
This is the first circle to be further segmented into sub-circles or rings. There are three of them—the outer, middle, and inner rings—housing different types of violent criminals. The first are those who were violent against people and property, such as Attila the Hun. Centaurs guard this outer ring and shoot its inhabitants with arrows. The middl...
This circle is distinguished from its predecessors by being made up of those who consciously and willingly commit fraud. Within the eighth circle is another called the Malebolge (“Evil Pockets”), which houses ten separate bolgias(ditches). These ditches housed different types of people who committed fraud: panderers; seducers; flatterers; simoniacs...
The ninth circle, the deepest, is where Satan resides. As with the last two circles, this one is further divided, into four rounds. The first is Caina, named after the biblical Cain, who murdered his brother. This round is for traitors to family. The second, Antenora—from Antenor of Troy, who betrayed the Greeks—is reserved for political and nation...
Learn about the nine circles of hell in Dante's epic poem "The Divine Comedy," where sinners are punished according to their sins. From limbo to treachery, discover the characters, demons, and punishments in each circle.
- Matt Staggs
- Penguin Random House
- Paperback
- Limbo. The first circle is home to the unbaptized and virtuous pagans. It’s not Heaven, but as far as Hell goes, it isn’t too bad: It’s the retirement community of the afterlife.
- Lust. The wind-buffeted second circle of Hell is the final destination of the lustful and adulterous — basically anyone controlled by their hormones.
- Gluttony. Today’s forecast calls for plenty of icy rain and slush — a “wintery mix” for all eternity. You know those people whose Instagram feeds are full of carefully lit photos of artfully arranged entrees?
- Greed. This section of Hell is reserved for the money-grubbers and overly materialistic among us. According to Dante, those condemned to the fourth circle spend eternity fighting over money and valuables, so be prepared to meet all of your distant cousins who show up out of nowhere with empty U-Haul trucks moments the moment after a well-to-do great aunt or uncle dies.
Inferno tells the story of Dante's journey through a vision of hell ordered into nine circles corresponding to classifications of sin. The first circle is Limbo, the space reserved for those souls who died before baptism and for those who hail from non-Christian cultures.
Apr 11, 2021 · Dante’s Hell is a diorama of sin, enacted as both moral exhortation and poetic prophecy. Change is no longer possible here, and damnation is the irrevocable, total removal from God—a separation that is more terrible for being freely willed by Hell’s inhabitants.
Written in the Tuscan dialect, with the poem contributing to the development of the Italian language as a literary medium, Inferno depicts Dante’s allegorical journey through the nine circles of Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil.
Read Dante Alighieri's epic poem The Divine Comedy, which depicts his journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven. Learn about the poem's historical, literary, and religious context, and explore its themes, characters, and symbols.
