The Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy) is Dante Alighieri's epic poem describing his journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. It is divided into three sections or canticles and told over 100 cantos. In Inferno, the first section, Dante is guided through the nine circles of Hell by the Roman poet Virgil, confronting evil both outside himself and within. They journey during the three days of Easter weekend in the year 1300.

1. The Divina Commedia
Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy
Italy’s most famous

2. You reap what you sow.
1. Does a person get what he/she deserves?
2. Assuming there really is a Heaven and a Hell
division in the afterlife, what kind of people end
up in each?
3. In Hell, what kind of punishments do you
envision for:
• A thief
• A liar
• A cheater
• A traitor
• A murderer
• Others?

3. Canto – Italian word for “song”. The Divine Comedy is
divided into 3 cantitas of 33 cantos each (plus one
introductory canto = 100 total). They are titled
Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
Stanza – a poetic “paragraph”.
Virgil – Roman poet – lived during Caesar’s time – the
father of drama. Virgil guides Dante through hell in
the Inferno. Dante acknowledges that Virgil is his
mentor, or hero.
Terza Rima – a rhyming poetic form that consists of an
interlocking 3-line rhyme scheme: A-B-A, B-C-B, C-D-
C, D-E-D. Poems or sections of poems written in
terza rima end with either a single line or couplet
repeating the rhyme of the middle line of the final
tercet (3-line stanza).

4. •The poem is written in first person and
tells of Dante's journey through the
three realms of the dead, lasting
during the Easter Triduum.
– Easter Triduum: Three days including the vigil of
Good Friday, Good Friday, and the
Resurrection) in the spring of 1300.
•The Roman poet Virgil guides Dante
through Hell and Purgatory; Beatrice,
Dante's ideal woman, guides him
through Heaven.

5. Themes of Inferno
• Dante Alighieri, claims that before
achieving moral redemption, an
individual must take a hard look at evil
both in the world and in himself. Only
by confronting inner evil can people
achieve self-knowledge, which is the
first step toward redemption.
• Dante also says that people should not
be expected to make their journey
alone; they need a guide to help
them. (for him, Virgil and Beatrice)