Full Answer
How many circles of Hell does Dante go through in the Divine Comedy?
In ''The Divine Comedy'', protagonist Dante Alighieri must travel through nine different Circles of Hell to save the soul of his beloved Beatrice from eternal damnation. During his perilous journey, Dante and his guide through the Underworld, Virgil, reach the Seventh Circle of Violence guarded by the mythological half-man half-bull, Minotaur.
What is Dante's vision of Hell?
Katie teaches middle school English/Language Arts and has a master's degree in Secondary English Education This lesson explains how Dante's vision of Hell, specifically the Ninth and most treacherous Circle, is organized and how sinners are punished there in the epic 14th-century poem 'Inferno'.
What happens in the 2nd pit of Dante's Inferno?
The second pit is filled with stinking filth where those guilty of flattery are plunged. Sinners in the third pit were guilty of selling religious offices, positions, and favors. Dante finds these sinners head down in stone tubes as flames lick the bottoms of their feet.
What are the ten bolges in Dante's Inferno?
Within the Eighth Circle, there are ten bolges, or pits, where souls who committed fraud against humanity are punished. Several stone ridges form natural bridges across the pits. For the most part, Dante and Virgil use these.
What were the punishments in Dante's Inferno?
The souls here are punished by being blown about violently by strong winds, preventing them to find peace and rest. Sinners lie rotting away in a never ending icy rain, overlooked by a worm-monster Cerberus. The inhabitants drag about heavy weights and boulders with their chest all the time.
What are the 9 circles of Hell and their punishments?
More severe sins are punished in the lower circles of hell and a corresponding punishment is inflicted for each:Circle two - lust.Circle three - gluttony.Circle four - greed.Circle five - wrath.Circle six - heresy.Circle seven - violence.Circle eight - fraud.Circle nine - treachery.
What is the punishment in the 8th circle of Hell?
Inferno XXVIII. Canto XXVIII is dedicated to the ninth bolgia of the eighth circle, which contains those who through their actions caused schism and division between human beings. They are punished by having a section of their body cut or severed with a sword by a devil.
What is the punishment for wrath in Dante's Inferno?
The punishment for this type is that they choke on their own rage, gurgling in the filth of Styx, unable to express themselves because they become choked on their own malevolent hatred. Finally, the vindictive strike out at others. Dante's character begins to change in this circle.
What sin is punished most harshly in the inferno?
In Dante's imagined descent through hell, he reserved the Ninth Circle—the “lowest, blackest, and farthest from Heaven”—for the sin of treachery. The worst sinners, in his underworld, were the traitors—those who betrayed their loved ones, their country, and their God.
What is the punishment in Limbo?
The souls in Limbo are not punished directly, but are condemned to "suffer harm through living in desire"; their punishment is to be left desirous of salvation.
What is the punishment in circle 7?
Ring One in the Seventh Circle of Hell The river of boiling blood is a punishment for violence against neighbors, including murders and war crimes.
What is the punishment in circle 6?
The punishment in the Sixth Circle is clear: sinners are trapped in burning tombs, and they suffer ''horrible pain. '' Virgil explains to Dante that there are more people being punished in the City of Dis than may appear to be the case.
What is the punishment for the wrathful and sullen?
While the sullen are submerged in the muck. The only sign of life, are the bubbles rising to the surface. According to Dante, this is a fitting punishment for both the wrathful sinners and the sullen because the sullen spent their lives moping and pitying themselves, when they were given such a promising life.
What is the punishment in the fifth circle?
Fifth Circle (Anger) The Fifth Circle of Hell is where the wrathful and sullen are punished for their sins. Transported on a boat by Phlegyas, Dante and Virgil see the furious fighting each other on the surface of the river Styx and the sullen gurgling beneath the surface of the water.
What is the punishment of the heretics?
According to Dante's idea of retribution, the Heretics' punishment is to spend eternity in flaming tombs, until Judgment day, when the tombs will close and the souls inside will be sealed forever within their earthly bodies.
What is the sin of the 8th circle?
These sinners are similar to the Simoniacs, but instead of selling religious offices, they sold public offices and took bribes. Their punishment is to be submerged in boiling pitch as demons patrol the edges of the pitch with hooks. If the sinners break the surface, the demons attack them.
What is the sin of circle 8 in Dante's Inferno?
Bolgia 8: Counselors of Fraud In Dantes Inferno circle 8, the eighth pit, is for those who are considered counselors of fraud and brought about the downfall of others; they intentionally misled others for their own gain by feeding them lies. Their punishment is to be burned in flames here in the 8th circle of Hell.
Who is in the 8th circle 6th bolgia what is their punishment?
Main Sinners in Circle 8 Bolgia 6 Caiaphas and the other members of the Sanhedrin are punished in the same way here: crucified to the ground with 3 great stakes while the hypocrites walk slowly over them with their heavy robes.
What did Dante find in the third pit?
Sinners in the third pit were guilty of selling religious offices, positions, and favors. Dante finds these sinners head down in stone tubes as flames lick the bottoms of their feet. Dante speaks to Pope Nicholas III and finds out that there are more tormented souls in the pipes.
How many circles has Dante traveled?
It has been a day and a half since Dante started his descent through Hell. So far, he has traveled seven of the nine circles. Before we descend into the sins of fraud, Circle Eight, let's recap who Dante found in each circle.
What is the fourth pit in Dante's book?
In the fourth pit, the Sorcerers wander with their heads turned backward on their shoulders. In life, they tricked others by pretending to see the future. Now they can only see behind and move backward. Dante lumps all these sinners together as Sorcerers, but this pit also includes witches, astrologers, soothsayers, and fortune tellers.
What do hypocrites wear?
The Hypocrites wear beautiful golden cloaks that cover their whole bodies. However, the insides of these are lined with lead, making them heavy. The Hypocrites must walk around forever in these heavy cloaks. There are also Hypocrites crucified on the ground that the others must walk over.
What is the meaning of Pit 8?
Pit 8 - Counselors of Fraud. In the eighth pit, Dante finds nothing but pillars of flame moving around. Virgil tells him that the sinners are inside these pillars and can only speak through the flames. In this pit, Dante speaks to Ulysses, or Odysseus in Greek mythology, who conceived the Trojan Horse.
What is the eighth circle in Dante and Virgil?
The Eighth Circle. Dante and Virgil approach the sheer cliff leading to the Eighth Circle. Now, they must rely on the creature Geryon to continue. With its human face, monstrous body, and poisonous stinging tail, it's the embodiment of Fraud.
Who is Dante talking to in Pit 9?
In this pit, Dante speaks to Ulysses, or Odysseus in Greek mythology, who conceived the Trojan Horse. Pit 9 - Sowers of Discord. A demon with a sword cuts the sinners as they pass him in the ninth pit. His cuts correspond to each soul's sin.
How many circles are there in Dante's Inferno?
In Dante Alighieri's long poem Inferno, Dante imagines that he is being led through Hell by the famous Roman poet Virgil. In Dante's imagining of Hell, there are nine concentric circles, meaning one circle within the other. Each circle has different punishments that are based on the sin that a person commits.
What does Dante mean by the 9th circle?
Just as Dante sees Hell in general as concentric circles, meaning one circle within each other, the Ninth Circle has its own divisions within itself. The more serious the crime of betrayal, the further into the center of the lake a person would be sent, with Satan himself in the middle.
What does the Ninth Circle of Hell represent?
As you can see, the Ninth Circle of Hell in Dante's Inferno represents the worst kind of punishment for the worst kind of sins Dante can think of.
What is the 9th circle of Hell?
The Ninth Circle of Hell is a frozen lake and, like Dante's vision of Hell in general, the Ninth Circle itself is divided into rings of increasingly bad sections with the worst in the center. The people who are sent to the Ninth Circle are people who have betrayed the trust of someone or something close and special.
Why is Dante's Ninth Circle frozen?
Contrary to popular depictions of Hell as a hot, fiery place, Dante's Ninth Circle is a frozen lake because it is devoid of love and warmth. Those who get sent to the Ninth Circle are stuck in the lake, their bottom halves frozen into it and unable to move.
What are the four sections of the Ninth Circle?
The four sections of the Ninth Circle signify different kinds of betrayal. The outermost layer is called Caina, named after the biblical figure Cain, who killed his brother Abel, and is for people who betray each other over money.
What does Dante mean by the gate is wide?
He also indicates that ''the gate is wide,'' meaning that sins of incontinence are some of the most common and that many souls enter this circle.
What does "incontinent" mean in Dante's book?
However, in its more abstract sense, this word refers to a general lack of restraint in some form . This is what Dante meant when he assigned Circles Two through Five of Hell to sins of incontinence.
Why are sinners in the second circle guilty of lust?
Because sinners in the Second Circle are guilty of the incontinent sin of lust, they're doomed to be caught up in and whipped around for eternity in the cyclones of wind. This punishment is symbolic. Just as the wind is forever changing direction and never settles down, so these sinners are guilty of frequently changing lovers or sexual partners.
What is the second circle of the inferno?
The Second Circle of the Inferno is dedicated to the lustful, or people corrupted by excessive or immoral sexual appetites, including adulterers. Dante describes this area as a stormy, tempestuous place with endless, ever-changing winds that have the force of a hurricane.
How does Minos judge?
Minos judges each soul, then wraps his tail around his body a certain number of times to indicate the numbered circle to which that sinner belongs. Each circle has a different punishment. In the Second Circle, sinners are doomed to be caught up in and whipped around for eternity in the stormy winds.
What is Dante's version of Hell?
In his poem, Dante addresses heresy primarily in a general sense. In Dante's version of Hell, heretics are simply people who deny that the soul is immortal, or those who don't believe in an afterlife.
What are the sinners in Dante's Inferno?
Sinners assigned to the Sixth Circle of Hell in Dante's Inferno are guilty of heresy, or having beliefs that contradict any teachings of a major religion; in this case, Christianity. These could include pagans or members of other belief systems.
What is the 6th circle of hell?
The Sixth Circle of Hell is the City of Dis , which Dante describes as a ''fortress'' with ''high parapets.''. At the top of one of the towers on the city wall are ''three hellish Furies .''. These are female monsters from Greek mythology whose bodies are wrapped in ''wreath [s]'' of ''bright green hydras,'' or multi-headed vipers.
What is the punishment in the Sixth Circle?
The punishment in the Sixth Circle is clear: sinners are trapped in burning tombs, and they suffer ''horrible pain.''. Virgil explains to Dante that there are more people being punished in the City of Dis than may appear to be the case.
What is the meaning of heresy in the context of the Inferno?
Thus, part of its evil in the context of the Inferno is that it tears apart the fabric of society.
What is the first circle of hell in Dante and Virgil?
The First Circle of Hell is Limbo and is inhabited by the unbaptized and the virtuous pagans.
Who lived in the pavilion in Dante's time?
Here Dante sees many historical figures from the eras before Christianity. Rulers, soldiers, philosophers, mathematicians and many more great men and women from all over the world (or at least what Dante would have known of the world) reside, relatively comfortably, in the pavilion.
Why do people grieve in Limbo?
They eternally grieve because they must live without hope of God's grace. Limbo is quiet compared to the rest of Hell. Most of it is still dark, but there is a shining pavilion where the great leaders and thinkers of the past reside. This pavilion is described as a castle with seven tall walls and a deep moat.
Where do the unbaptized and virtuous pagans dwell?
Virgil explains that these souls didn't sin while they were alive, but because they were not baptized or lived before Christianity took hold, they were unable to go to heaven. They are not tormented like the Futiles Dante saw in the Vestibule or the others he will encounter later on, but they do grieve because they must live eternally without hope of God's grace.
Where do the angels pass in the book of Dante?
First, they pass through the Vestibule where souls and fallen angels who refused to make a decision one way or another are on a futile chase after a whirling standard. Then they must cross the River Acheron. Charon, the ferryman, doesn't want to let the living Dante pass, but Virgil says the magic words.
Is Limbo a party dance?
Now, for modern people, Limbo might bring to mind the fun, back-breaking party dance. Not so much for Dante and his contemporaries. Still, if it helps you remember it, go for it. Limbo, the First Circle of Hell, is surprisingly nice compared to what Dante has already traveled through, so maybe thinking of it a little like a party won't hurt.
Is Limbo quiet in Hell?
Unlike the rest of Hell, which is deafening with screams, moans, and crying, Limbo is quiet ''except the sound of sighing.'' For the most part, the First Circle is dark and shadowy, but within Limbo is a special pavilion for great artists, poets, scientists, leaders, and thinkers that emit a bright light in the darkness. Virgil and Dante head for this shining beacon in the otherwise dark world, catching up with the legendary poets Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan on the way.
How many circles of hell does Dante Alighieri have?
In ''The Divine Comedy'', protagonist Dante Alighieri must travel through nine different Circles of Hell to save the soul of his beloved Beatrice from eternal damnation. During his perilous journey, Dante and his guide through the Underworld, Virgil, reach the Seventh Circle of Violence guarded by the mythological half-man half-bull, Minotaur.
Who are the names of the people in the 7th circle of hell?
Historical and familiar faces, such as Pietro della Vigna, Capaneus, and Brunetto Latini , are present in the Seventh Circle of Hell, each on a level according to the types of violence that they committed while alive. Each section carries the consequences of its own punishments and is home to familiar historical figures, as well as unfamiliar souls.
What is Crystal's degree?
Crystal has a bachelor's degree in English, a certification in General Studies, experience as an Educational Services Editor , and has assisted in teaching both middle and high school English. Dante's 'Inferno', an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri in 1300, chronicles the journey of Dante as he is guided through the Nine Circles ...
How is each soul assigned to a level of the circle?
Each soul is assigned to a level of the circle according to the kind of violence that was committed while on Earth. Each level is occupied by faces that are sometimes familiar to Dante, as they were notable historical figures while they were alive. You must c C reate an account to continue watching.
Who guided Dante through the nine circles of Hell?
This is Dante’s journey through the nine circles of Hell, guided by the poet Virgil. At the beginning of the story, a woman, Beatrice, calls for an angel to bring Virgil to guide Dante in his journey so that no harm will befall him.
What is the first part of Dante's Divine Comedy?
Dante’s "Inferno" is the first part of his three-part epic poem " The Divine Comedy ," written in the 14 th century and considered one of the world’s great works of literature. "Inferno" is followed by "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso .". Those approaching "Inferno" for the first time might benefit from a brief structural description.
What is the circle Dante and Virgil pass through?
This is the first time they pass through a circle without speaking to anyone, a commentary on Dante’s opinion of greed as a higher sin.
What is heresy in Dante's life?
Heresy: Rejection of religious and/or political “norms.”. Dante encounters 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.
How many circles of hell are there?
Nine Circles of Hell. Here are the circles of hell in order of entrance and severity: Limbo: Where those who never knew Christ exist. Dante encounters Ovid, Homer, Socrates, Aristotle, Julius Caesar, and more here. Lust: Self-explanatory.
Who did Dante meet in the first circle?
Dante also meets Epicurus, Pope Anastasius II, and Emperor Frederick II. Violence: 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.
Who wrote the Inferno?
The Structure of the Italian Poet's 'Inferno'. Adam Burgess, Ph.D. is a university professor, literary reviewer, and expert in American and classical literature and criticism. Dante’s "Inferno" is the first part of his three-part epic poem " The Divine Comedy ," written in the 14 th century and considered one of the world’s great works ...