Dante Alighieri was born in 13th century Florence. Due to political strife, he was exiled from Florence and lived in Northern Italy. While in exile, he wrote The Divine Comedy, an epic poem divided into three parts that describes Dante's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. The Inferno, the first part, depicts Dante's journey through the nine circles of Hell with Virgil as his guide. In the circles, they witness sinners receiving punishments appropriate to their sins such as lustful souls swept by winds or violent souls fighting in slime.

1. THE INFERNO

2. Dante Alighieri was born in Florence in 1265. He was descended
from a well respected family. His hometown, Florence, was
growing in greatness and riches, trading in such goods as wool,
silk, and leather. Florence, like the other cities in Italy at the time,
was under the jurisdiction of Rome.
DANTE ALIGHIERI

3. YET ROME ITSELF WAS
DIVIDED. BOTH THE EMPEROR
AND THE POPE CLAIMED
POLITICAL AUTHORITY, AND
THUS ITALY WAS DIVIDED
BETWEEN THE PARTISANS OF
THE EMPEROR, THE
GHIBELLINES, AND THE
PARTISANS OF THE POPE, THE
GUELFS.

4. Due to a political strife with
the “wrong” side, Dante ended
up in exile in Northern Italy. If
he returned to Florence, he
risked being burned at the
stake for treason. He lived with
his friends and admirers and
spent his time in exile writing
The Divine Comedy.
(Dante’s tomb in Ravenna)
DANTE AND EXILE

5. BEATRICE’S DEATH BROUGHT DANTE
INTO GREAT DESPAIR, FOR BEATRICE HAD
BECOME A SYMBOL FOR DANTE. DANTE
USED BEATRICE AS A SYMBOL THROUGH
OUT HIS WORKS. BEATRICE -- A REAL
WOMAN -- BECAME THE ALLEGORICAL
SYMBOL OF GOD'S LOVE, DIVINE
REVELATION, CHRIST, SALVATION OR A
NUMBER OF OTHER INTERPRETATIONS.
Influence of Beatrice Portinari

6. The Divine Comedy is made up of 100 Cantos -- 33 in
each section plus one extra in The Inferno. It was written
in the vernacular Italian, not Latin, in a verse form
having three rhymes called terza rima.
An Italian form iambic poetry having sets of three lines,
the middle line of each set riming with the first and last
of the succeeding: aba bcb cdc. It was invented by Dante.
Each line contains 11 syllables.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE
DIVINE COMEDY

7. ALLEGORY
An expression, a narrative, by means of
symbolic fictional characters and actions,
of truths about human conduct and
experience. A large, narrative, symbol, in
other words. The allegorical journey
employing Dante and characters from
mythology, ancient Rome
• (Virgil-classical reasoning),
• Christian theology
• "real life" Florence (Beatrice-faith)
The sinners in the Inferno are punished
according to an elaborate scheme of divine
retribution, within a well established
Medieval theology. Innocence Preferring Love to Wealth

8. EPIC POEM
A long narrative poem with
an exalted style, theme, and
hero. Epic is a term
traditionally applied (first as
an adjective, later as a noun)
to narrative poems that
celebrate the achievements
of the heroes of history or
legend, such as the Iliad,
the Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid,
Milton's Paradise Lost,
the Chanson de Roland, the
Old English elegiac
poem Beowulf.

9. THE VESTIBULE
Canto I
Location: The Dark Wood
Dante, in mid-life, finds himself lost in a dark
and treacherous wood. It is Easter time -- Good
Friday.
In the distance he glimpses what he thinks is a
way out, but immediately he is confronted with
three wild beasts -- a leopard, a lion and a she-
wolf. These creatures symbolize three types of
error or sin: the leopard symbolizes mean-
spiritedness and fraud, the lion represents
violence, and the she-wolf represents
unrestrained passions.
Dante stands frozen in fear when suddenly the
figure of Virgil appears. Virgil explains that he
has been "hired" to guide Dante through the
terrors of both the Inferno and the Purgatorio.

10. CANTO II
Dante is terrified and
reluctant to make the
journey. Virgil explains that
he has been sent by
Beatrice to aid Dante.

11. The poets make their way to the vestibule of hell. They
must pass through a gateway with the following message
carved into the stone: Abandon all hope ye who enter
here. This place is like an anteroom or a foyer -- it is not
part of Hell-proper so to speak. Here Dante -- and we,
the readers -- see the plan of symbolic retribution that
will make up the rest of the story. Dante is horrified at
the sight before him. He is viewing the punishment of
the uncommitted.
CANTO III

12. DANTE SEES THE SOULS OF
THOSE WHO, IN LIFE, TOOK
NO STAND, KEPT NO
PROMISES, HONORED NO
LOYALTIES. THEIR
PUNISHMENT IS TO
FOREVER CHASE AFTER AN
EVER-MOVING FLAG, ALL
THE WHILE SURROUNDED
BY HORRIBLE FETID AIR
FULL OF STINGING BEES
AND WASPS. AS THE
INSECTS BITE THE SINNERS,
MAGGOTS EMERGE TO
SUCK THE PUS THAT OOZES
FROM THEIR SORES. DANTE
NOW CROSSES THE RIVER
ACHERON TO VISIT THE
FIRST CIRCLE OF THE
INFERNO.

13. Dante finds himself across the great river Acheron
and views the First Circle -- Limbo. This circle is
different from all the rest that he will visit. Here there
is no punishment or torture. This place is inhabited by
the "good pagans." These are the souls of those who
died unbaptized; their only pain is that they will never
see the face of God. Here Dante sees such great poets
as Homer and Ovid.
CIRCLE ONE: LIMBO

16. In order to pass to Circle Two Dante and Virgil must pass by Minos the great
Judge of the Underworld. Minos evaluates each sinner as he appears before
him and coils his tail reveal the sinner's assigned circle.
Two coils mean Circle Two, three coils mean Circle Three and so on.
Dante now views the punishment of the Carnal and Lustful. These are
sinners who let their passions sweep them away in life, now, in death they
are condemned to be "swept away" for all eternity. A dirty, smelly, powerful
and tempestuous wind batters and whirls these sinners at a fervid speed.
Here Dante sees such memorable characters as Dido, Queen of Carthage;
Helen, the beauty of Troy; and Cleopatra, the great ruler of Egypt. In honor
of Dante's visit, the winds cease for a short spell -- long enough for Dante to
hear the sad and famous story of the lovers Paulo and Francesca.
CIRCLE TWO: THE LUSTFUL

18. Dante and Virgil pass on to Circle Three to view the punishment of the
gluttonous. They see all around them what resembles a disgusting garbage
heap. And thus the symbolic punishment is once again revealed -- as these
sinners "pigged out" in life, now they must live in a heap of swinish garbage
as their eternal punishment.
CIRCLE THREE: THE GLUTTONS

19. To make matters even
worse, they are
guarded by the violent
and powerful three-
headed dog Cerberus.
If the sinner attempts to
move away from the
filth, Cereberus
appears to cover the
sinner over with hellish-
three-headed dog-
slobber! Dante and
Virgil then move toward
the next Circle and view
the monster Plutus.

20. In the Fourth Circle Dante and Virgil see two groups of
sinners-- the greedy, avaricious hoarders and the
immoderate and excessive wasters. These sinners are
condemned to roll great boulders towards each other.
When they meet, they divide and begin again. Thus
greed and miserliness punish each other. Dante and
Virgil also see Dame Fortune as they descend through
the Marsh of the Styx to Circle Five .
CIRCLE FOUR: THE HOARDERS AND THE
WASTERS

21. the Roman philosopher Boethius (d.
524) was a major source for the
medieval view of the Wheel, writing
about it in his Consolatio Philosophiae - "I
know how Fortune is ever most
friendly and alluring to those whom
she strives to deceive, until she
overwhelms them with grief beyond
bearing, by deserting them when least
expected. … Are you trying to stay the
force of her turning wheel? Ah! dull-
witted mortal, if Fortune begin to stay
still, she is no longer Fortune."
FATE AND THE WHEEL

23. The Wrathful, true to
their angry nature, are
fighting amongst
themselves in a pit of
disgusting and foul
slime. The Sullen, true
to their morose and
sulky nature, lie mired
underneath the swamp
of the Styx, muttering
and complaining about
their fate.
CIRCLE FIVE THE WRATHFUL AND THE
SULLEN

24. CIRCLE SIX: THE FALLEN ANGELS
AND THE HERETICS
Phlegyas, the surly
boatman of the Styx, is
forced to give Dante and
Virgil safe passage across
the disgusting waters of
the marsh.

25. AS THE BOAT SPEEDS ACROSS THE WATER, DANTE
RECOGNIZES FILLIPPO ARGENTI. ARGENTI, AN
ENEMY OF DANTE'S FAMILY, IS SOUNDLY CURSED
BY DANTE AND THEN ATTACKED BY THE OTHER
SINNERS. DANTE AND VIRGIL REACH A GREAT
IRON GATE GUARDED BY THE FALLEN ANGELS. IN
CIRCLE SIX DANTE SEES MANY STRANGE AND
DISTURBING SIGHTS. DANTE HAS A CLOSE CALL
WITH MEDUSA, MOST DREADED OF THE INFERNAL
FURIES. DANTE BEHOLDS THE SUFFERINGS OF THE
HERETICS, THOSE WHO DID VIOLENCE AGAINST
GOD, AS THEY SUFFER IN FIERY TOMBS.

27. In Circle Seven Dante sees the punishments of the Violent. The
organization of this circle, and those that follow, becomes
increasingly complex. Circle Seven is divided into three parts (or
"rounds") with each section providing appropriate torments for
different types of violence. In order to enter the Seventh Circle
Dante and Virgil must first pass by the dreaded beast the Minotaur
and circle around the Phlegethon River, the river of boiling blood.
This boiling blood provides proper torment for the inhabitants of
the First Round--the Violent Against Neighbors. In this section
of the circle Dante sees the famous violent sinners Attila the Hun
and Alexander the Great.
CANTOS XII-XVIII: CIRCLE SEVEN - THE
VIOLENT

30. The poets progress to Round Two--the Violent Against Themselves. Here the
inhabitants are imprisoned in trees. The leaves and branches are fed upon by Harpies,
causing the wounds to bleed profusely.

32. IN ROUND THREE DANTE
SEES THE VIOLENT AGAINST
GOD, NATURE AND ART. THESE
SINNERS ARE TORMENTED ON
A BURNING PLAIN.

34. IT IS IN THIS CIRCLE
THAT DANTE SEES THE
HIDEOUS MONSTER
GERYON, A CREATURE
THAT IS EMBLEMATIC
OF FRAUD. THIS
DISGUSTING CREATURE
SERVES A "FLYING
FERRY" AND CARRIES
DANTE AND VIRGIL
DOWN THE CLIFFS TO
CIRCLE EIGHT.

35. In Pouch One demons spur and drive the Panderers and
Seducers.
Pouch Two contains the Flatterers who are sunk up to their
necks in excrement.
Pouch Three holds the Simoniacs (sellers of church favors).
These sinners are positioned upside down in "bins" that
resemble baptismal fonts. The soles of their feet are set
ablaze. They stay in this position until new sinners arrive,
then they drop down into the rock crevices for all eternity.
CANTOS XVIII- XXXI
- CIRCLE EIGHT: MALEBOLGE

37. In Pouch Four Dante sees the Fortunetellers. These sinners have their heads
on backwards and must walk "backwards" for all time. In life, they attempted
to "see" the future, now in death they must see the past. It is here that Dante
sees Tiresias, the soothsayer from the ancient Greek myths.

39. Pouch Five holds the Grafters. They are immersed in sticky tar pitch-- a
perfect punishment for their lives of "sticky fingered" crime. In Pouch Six
Dante sees the Hypocrites who now wander through all eternity weighed
down by heavy weighted robes -- robes which, on the outside appear golden
and bright, but on the inside lack any sort of luster.

40. THE THIEVES ARE PUNISHED IN POUCH SEVEN.
THE THIEVES ARE PROVIDED WITH A
PARTICULARLY COMPLICATED PUNISHMENT.
THEY ARE AT FIRST SURROUNDED BY
MONSTROUS SNAKES THAT COIL AROUND EACH
SINNER=S HANDS, BINDING HIM FAST. WHEN
THUS IMMOBILIZED, ANOTHER REPTILE DARTS
OUT TO STRIKE THE SINNER=S THROAT,
CAUSING THE SINNER TO EXPLODE INTO FLAME.
BUT THE PUNISHMENT IS NOT OVER YET--- FROM
THE FLAMING ASHES, THE SINNER RE-EMERGES
TO UNDERGO THE TORMENT AGAIN AND AGAIN.

42. The Evil Counselors are punished in Pouch Eight, hidden in great cups of
flame that symbolize their guilty consciences. Here Dante sees Ulysses and
Diomede, the instigators of the Trojan Horse ploy.
Pocket Nine holds the sowers of religious, political and family discord. In life
thee people ripped apart peace and placidity; now in death they are ripped
apart physically. Dante sees Mahomet, who, in Dante=s view represents
religious schism. Mahomet=s torso is ripped by a sword slice. As he
approaches, Dante observes that Mahomet is "mangled and split open." Dante
then sees Bertrand de Born, a French troubadour/knight traditionally blamed
for the rift between Henry II and his son. As he comes closer, Dante sees that
de Born=s head has been severed-- as he advances he holds his head before
him like a lantern. This is surely one of the most horrifying scene in the whole
poem!

45. IN POCKET TEN DANTE VIEWS THE FALSIFIERS--
ALCHEMISTS, EVIL IMPERSONATORS ( NOT ELVIS
IMPERSONATORS!), COUNTERFEITERS, AND FALSE
WITNESSES. THESE SINNERS, WHO IN LIFE,
CORRUPTED ALL, NOW ARE MADE TO ENDURE
EVERY SORT OF CORRUPTION AND PAIN.
DARKNESS, DIRT, FILTH, DISEASE, HUNGER,
THIRST AND NOISE SURROUND THEM. DANTE
AND VIRGIL NOW MOVE ON PAST A VAST HORDE
OF GIANTS WHO GUARD THE "CENTRAL PIT" OF
MALEBOLGE.

46. Dante and Virgil begin the last part of their journey.
They have arrived at the Ninth and final circle of hell.
The landscape here, perhaps surprisingly, is that of a
vast frozen lake. It is described as "a lake so frozen/it
seemed to be made of glass." Here are the sinners
farthest away from the warm love of God. First Dante
views the Treacherous Against their Kin. This
particular section of hell -- Cocytus -- is called Caina,
named of course, after the Biblical Cain.
CANTOS XXXII-
XXXIV
CIRCLE NINE :
COCYTUS

48. Next Dante arrives at Antenora and sees the Traitors to Country. Here
Dante, along with the reader, is mesmerized by the terrifying story of Count
Ugolino and Archbishop Ruggieri.

50. The third section of Cocytus is called Ptolomea is the home of
the Treacherous to Guests and Hosts. These sinners are
pinned in the ice, their eyes shut with frozen tears. Section four,
Judecca, named for Judas Iscariot, punishes the Treacherous to
their Masters. At the center of this horrid ice-pit we find Satan.
Although he is imprisoned in the ice, his great wings are free to
beat the frozen air. He is a monster of the most grotesque nature.
He has three faces. In each of his mouths Satan chomps on the
greatest traitors in Dante=s view -- Judas, the betrayer of Christ,
is ripped and guzzled in the center mouth of Satan. The other
mouths shred Cassius and Brutus, the betrayers of Caesar.
Dante=s reaction to this sight is one of the most awesome fear.

52. After observing the horrible image of Satan, Dante and Virgil must climb down the furry
body of Satan, "repelling" off of this torso to arrive at the exit of Hell. They walk along
the banks of Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness and emerge at the foot of Mount
Purgatory. It is Easter Sunday morning.