9 Circles of Hell (Dante's Inferno)
- First Circle (Limbo). Dante’s First Circle of Hell is resided by virtuous non-Christians and unbaptized pagans who are...
- Second Circle (Lust). In the Second Circle of Hell, Dante and his companion Virgil find people who were overcome by lust.
- Third Circle (Gluttony). When reaching the Third Circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil find souls...
Full Answer
What does Dante consider monstrous in Inferno?
The first circle is the limbo which was like an inferior form of heaven, and then we can find circles for sins like lust, gluttony, greed, anger, etc, but the last and worst circle is for people that commit treachery, so we can infer that Dante considered the betrayal of friends monstrous.
What are the main ideas in Dante's Inferno?
Sin, Justice, Pity and Piety. As it narrates a journey through hell, Dante's Inferno is essentially a tour of all kinds of different punishments for different sins. Paganism vs. Christianity. Dante's epic poem is obviously a deeply Christian work. ... This World vs. the Afterlife. ...
Who are the lustful in Dante's Inferno?
In The Inferno, Dante witnesses the soul of Semiramis along with the many other lustful souls who are condemned within the Tempest of Lustful Shades, within the second circle of Hell. Armenian legend also portrays her as lustful - namely, a homewrecker and a harlot.
Why does Dante go into the Inferno?
Virgil suggests that Dante is just feeling afraid and reassures Dante by telling him that he has been sent by Dante's deceased beloved, Beatrice, who resides in heaven. Dante does find this reassuring, and they proceed toward the entrance to the underworld.
What are the circles in Dante's Inferno?
The circles are concentric, representing a gradual increase in wickedness, and culminating at the centre of the earth, where Satan is held in bondage. The sinners of each circle are punished for eternity in a fashion fitting their crimes: each punishment is a contrapasso, a symbolic instance of poetic justice.
What is circle 3 Dante's Inferno?
Inferno tells the story of Dante's journey through a vision of the Christian hell ordered into nine circles corresponding to classifications of sin; the third circle represents the sin of gluttony, where the souls of the gluttonous are punished in a realm of icy mud.
What is Dante's Inferno about summary?
The Inferno is about the poet's journey into Hell. Guided by the poet Virgil, Dante descends through the Nine Circles of Hell, eventually arriving at the center where Satan himself resides. After escaping Hell, Dante and Virgil will go on to Purgatory and then Dante will go on to Heaven.
What are the 9 spheres of Heaven?
Dante's nine spheres of Heaven are the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Fixed Stars, and the Primum Mobile.
Who is in circle 4 of the Inferno?
The Fourth Circle of Hell is for those specifically guilty of avarice, who either spend or hoard too much money. This circle of hell is divided in half between the spenders and hoarders, who are constantly brawling with each other.
What is the punishment in circle 4?
Fourth Circle (Greed) In the Fourth Circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil see the souls of people who are punished for greed. They are divided into two groups – those who hoarded possessions and those who lavishly spent it – jousting.
What is the name of the ninth circle?
It's called Judecca, named for Judas, who betrayed Christ in the Bible.
What is the main point of Dante's Inferno?
The Divine Comedy is the allegorical record of Dante's quest to overcome sin and find God's love; in Inferno, Dante explores the nature of sin by traveling through Hell, where evil receives punishment according to God's justice.
What is the main idea of Dante's Inferno?
The main themes in Dante's Inferno are morality and divine justice, the soul's journey, and the poet's vocation. Morality and divine justice: The correspondence between the sinners' actions and their punishments in hell indicates Dante's belief in the fairness of divine authority.
Why does Judas not speak in Inferno?
Why is Judas unable to speak? His tongue is a writhing snake.
What are the 9 levels of purgatory?
A Visitor's Guide to Dante's Nine Circles of HellFirst Circle: Limbo. The first circle is home to the unbaptized and virtuous pagans. ... Second Circle: Lust. ... Third Circle: Gluttony. ... Fourth Circle: Greed. ... Fifth Circle: Anger. ... Sixth Circle: Heresy. ... Seventh Circle: Violence. ... Eighth Circle: Fraud.More items...
How many rings are there in Dante's Inferno?
This is Dante's journey through the nine circles of Hell, guided by the poet Virgil.
Who is in Dante's first circle of hell?
Dante’s First Circle of Hell is resided by virtuous non-Christians and unbaptized pagans who are punished with eternity in an inferior form of Heaven. They live in a castle with seven gates which symbolize the seven virtues. Here, Dante sees many prominent people from classical antiquity such as Homer, Socrates, Aristotle, Cicero, Hippocrates, ...
Who were the heretics in Dante's Sixth Circle?
Here, Dante talks with a couple of Florentines – Farinata degli Uberti and Cavalcante de’ Cavalcanti – but he also sees other notable historical figures including the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, and Pope Anastasius II. The latter, however, is according to some modern scholars condemned by Dante as a heretic by mistake. Instead, as some scholars argue, the poet probably meant the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I.
How many Bolgias are there in the circle of Hell?
This circle of Hell is divided into 10 Bolgias or stony ditches with bridges between them. In Bolgia 1, Dante sees panderers and seducer. In Bolgia 2 he finds flatterers. After crossing the bridge to Bolgia 3, he and Virgil see those who are guilty of simony.
What are the 4 rounds of Hell?
Those who committed more severe sin are deeper within the ice. Each of the 4 Rounds is named after an individual who personifies the sin. Thus Round 1 is named Caina after Cain who killed his brother Abel, Round 2 is named Antenora after Anthenor of Troy who was Priam’s counselor during the Trojan War, Round 3 is named Ptolomaea after Ptolemy (son of Abubus), while Round 4 is named Judecca after Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
What are the two groups in the Fourth Circle of Hell?
They are divided into two groups – those who hoarded possessions and those who lavishly spent it – jousting.
What is the second circle of hell?
Second Circle (Lust) In the Second Circle of Hell, Dante and his companion Virgil find people who were overcome by lust. They are punished by being blown violently back and forth by strong winds, preventing them from finding peace and rest.
What are the three rings in the 7th circle of Hell?
Here, Dante sees Alexander the Great (disputed), Dionysius I of Syracuse, Guy de Montfort and many other notable historical and mythological figures such as the Centaurus, sank into a river of boiling blood and fire. In the Middle Ring, the poet sees suicides who have been turned into trees and bushes which are fed upon by harpies. But he also sees here profligates, chased and torn to pieces by dogs. In the Inner Ring are blasphemers and sodomites, residing in a desert of burning sand and burning rain falling from the sky.
Dante's Inferno: Summary and Analysis
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) was a writer, philosopher, and politician from the medieval period in the Italian city-state of Florence. He is considered a significant contributor to the western canon of literature and especially the development of Italian literature in the medieval era.
Descriptions of Dante's 9 Circles of Hell
There is a specific order to Hell as described by Dante; the nine circles of Hell are definitive in their structure and purpose, and they each are a component part of Hell's geography. The chart below gives a brief glimpse at Hell's organization of each circle's number, name, the sin it represents, and a description of punishment for that sin.
Meaning & Symbolism of Dante's Circles of Hell
Dante's circles of Hell are graphic and symbolic depictions of punishment for those who had sinned against medieval Catholic interpretations of Christianity and God. Dante expressed a sure poetic justice for those trapped in Hell: each sin precisely fitted to a different punishment.
What are the elements of Dante's Inferno?
Dante’s Inferno Literary Elements. Major Thematic Elements: The perfection of God’s justice; evil juxtaposed to God’s grace; storytelling as a vehicle for immortality. Motifs: Political arguments; allusions to classical literature; cities; fame and prestige in human life.
Why are Dante and Virgil in this circle together?
They are in this Circle together because of their imprudence with Fortune. At the end of Canto VII, Dante and Virgil descend to the Fifth Circle of Hell and see the River Styx. Covered in mud, these souls residing here fight and bite one another relentlessly. These are the souls of the wrathful.
Why does Virgil cover Dante's eyes?
Virgil covers Dante’s eyes in time to prevent this . An angelic messenger arrives to force open the gates and allow Dante entry to the Sixth Circle of Hell, home of the heretics. Here, as Canto X begins, Dante encounters a political rival, Farinata.
What does Dante feel about Hell?
Dante feels great feelings of pity and is overwhelmed at first, however he seems to come to a deeper understanding of Hell and how it functions as a spiritual realm, so by the end he possesses a certain acceptance and wisdom about Hell and its purpose.
Where do Dante and Virgil meet Minos?
In Canto V , Virgil and Dante descend to the Second Circle of Hell where they meet the monster Minos. His job is to assign punishments to the condemned souls who enter. The Second Circle of Hell is where the lustful wind up. Overcome with pity, Dante faints for the second time since he’s arrived in Hell.
What is the conflict in Dante's poem?
Conflict: Dante attempts to find his way to God, to Heaven, to Beatrice, but obstacles in Hell hinder his journey. Plot: The story is told in Cantos—sections of the poem. Mostly, the Cantos align with where the characters are in their journey through Hell. Major Symbols: The entire poem is allegorical, so every aspect serves as a symbol.
What is the first poem in the Divine Comedy?
Inferno is the first poem in a three-part series called The Divine Comedy. Inferno is an allegorical journey through Hell. In part, Inferno is a political allegory, and in part it is a religious allegory. It is also a story following the classic elements of a comedy—it starts in the depths of Hell but ends with the joys of Heaven.
What is the second circle in Dante?
Dante continues into the Second Circle of Hell, reserved for the sin of Lust. At the border of the Second Circle, the monster Minos lurks, assigning condemned souls to their punishments. He curls his tail around himself a certain number of times, indicating the number of the circle to which the soul must go.
Who did Dante meet in the 7th circle?
Going deeper into the Seventh Circle of Hell, the travelers find those who were violent toward God (the Blasphemers); Dante meets his old patron, Brunetto Latini, walking among the souls of those who were violent toward Nature (the Sodomites) on a desert of burning sand.
What is the fourth pouch in Dante's book?
In the Fourth Pouch are the Astrologists or Diviners, forced to walk with their heads on backward, a sight that moves Dante to great pity. In the Fifth Pouch, the Barrators (those who accepted bribes) steep in pitch while demons tear them apart.
What is the name of the monster that transports Dante and Virgil to the Eighth Circle of Hell
The monster Geryon transports Virgil and Dante across a great abyss to the Eighth Circle of Hell, known as Malebolge, or “evil pockets” (or “pouches”); the term refers to the circle’s division into various pockets separated by great folds of earth.
What river did Dante go to?
Dante witnesses their suffering with repugnance and pity. The ferryman Charon then takes him and his guide across the river Acheron, the real border of Hell. The First Circle of Hell, Limbo, houses pagans, including Virgil and many of the other great writers and poets of antiquity, who died without knowing of Christ.
What is the fifth circle of hell?
The Fifth Circle of Hell contains the river Styx, a swampy, fetid cesspool in which the Wrathful spend eternity struggling with one another; the Sullen lie bound beneath the Styx’s waters, choking on the mud.
What year is Inferno?
Inferno. Inferno opens on the evening of Good Friday in the year 1300 . Traveling through a dark wood, Dante Alighieri has lost his path and now wanders fearfully through the forest. The sun shines down on a mountain above him, and he attempts to climb up to it but finds his way blocked by three beasts—a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf.
Who leads Dante to the second circle of hell?
Virgil leads Dante on to the second circle of hell, which is darker and full of more suffering and screaming. Here they see Minos, the judge of the underworld, who dictates where in hell souls will be punished. Like Charon, he tries to stop Dante, since he is a living soul.
Where does Dante see sinners?
Dante sees numerous sinners walking around the desert or lying in the burning sands, including a giant man named Capaneus, who scorned God. Virgil and Dante come to a river whose banks are safe from the burning sands and falling fire.
What does Virgil tell Dante to do before Medusa appears?
Virgil tells Dante to cover his eyes, but before Medusa appears an angel arrives. The angel rebukes the inhabitants of Dis trying to thwart Dante's journey and opens the gate by simply touching it with a wand. Dante and Virgil walk through the gate and see a field with burning tombs, within which heretics are punished.
Why does Charon refuse to transport Dante?
Charon first refuses to transport Dante, because he is a living soul, but Virgil tells him that Dante's journey is sanctioned by God, so Charon relents. Get the entire Inferno LitChart as a printable PDF. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof.". -Graham S. Download.
What happens in the fourth circle of hell?
In the fourth circle, Dante sees spendthrifts and hoarders of money.
What does Dante do in Canto?
Midway through his life, Dante wakes up in a dark, unfamiliar forest. He attempts to climb up a mountain, but his path is blocked by a leopard, a lion, and a wolf. The spirit of the Roman poet Virgil appears to him and tells him that he must take another path out of the forest.
How many souls does Dante see?
Dante sees four souls: three men and a six-legged worm. The worm clings to one of the men until they merge into one creature, which then slithers off. A lizard comes up and exchanges bodies with another of the men, and the third runs off to chase this lizard. In the eighth trench, Dante sees many twinkling flames.
What are the nine circles of hell?
The nine Circles of Hell, punishing progressively more serious sins, gives the sinners what they ultimately desire, but not the way they expected. Start here to learn what Dante experiences in Hell and how the punishments fit the sin. Gate of Hell – Cowards who refused to take a stand for or against God.
What is the meaning of Circle 7?
Circle seven – The violent, the suicides, the blasphemers, the sodomites, the usurers. A river of boiling blood guarded by Centaurs. Souls become a forest of suffering trees, others torn apart by dogs, rain of fire, mutilation. Dante and his guide, Virgil.
How many circles of hell are there in Dante's Inferno?
Dante’s Inferno 9 Circles of Hell. 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 of Hell by an ancient poet named Virgil. This lesson will focus on the Seventh Circle of Violence. Dantes Inferno 9 Circles of Hell.
Who are the heretics in Dante's Sixth Circle?
Here, Dante talks with a couple of Florentines – Farinata degli Uberti and Cavalcante de’ Cavalcanti – but he also sees other renowned historical characters including the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, and Pope Anastasius II. The latter, however, is according to some convenient scholars denounced by Dante as a heretic by confusion. Instead, as some scholars claim, the poet probably meant the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I.
What monster is in the third circle of hell?
When reaching the Third Circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil find souls of gluttons who are faced by a worm-monster Cerberus. Sinners in this circle of Hell are penalized by being compelled to lie in a vile slush that is presented by never-ending icy rain.
What are the three rings in the 7th circle of hell?
Here, Dante sees Alexander the Great (disputed), Dionysius I of Syracuse, Guy de Montfort, and many other important traditional and imaginary figures such as the Centaurus, submerged into a river of boiling blood and fire. In the Middle Ring, the poet sees self-murders who have been transformed into trees and bushes which are fed upon by harpies. But he also sees here profligates, scattered and torn to pieces by dogs. In the Inner Ring are blasphemers and sodomites, residing in a desert of burning sand and burning rain falling from the sky.
What are the two groups of people in the Fourth Circle of Hell?
They are divided into two groups – those who acquired possessions and those who lavishly filled it – jousting. They use great weights as a weapon, forcing it with their chests which symbolizes their selfish drive for fortune during their lifetime. The two groups that are guarded by a character called Pluto (probably the old Greek ruler of the underworld) are so controlled with their actions that the two poets don’t try to speak to them. Here, Dante speaks to see many clergymen including cardinals and popes.
What are the 4 rounds of Hell?
Those who performed more severe sin are more buried within the ice. Each of the 4 Rounds is called after an individual who represents the sin. Thus Round 1 is named Caina after Cain who killed his brother Abel, Round 2 is called Antenora after Anthenor of Troy who was Priam’s counselor during the Trojan War, Round 3 is named Ptolomaea after Ptolemy (son of Abubus), while Round 4 is named Judecca after Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
What is the first circle of hell?
1st Circle of Hell (Limbo) Dante’s First Circle of Hell is inhabited by virtuous non-Christians and unbaptized pagans who are punished forever in an inferior form of Heaven. They live in a palace with seven gates which symbolize the seven virtues.
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 next ring in the ninth circle?
The next ring of the Ninth Circle is called Antenora, named after the Trojan prince Antenor who is featured in Homer's Iliad. This layer is reserved for people who betray their political party or country, because many believe Antenor betrayed Troy.
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.
How many circles does Dante have in Hell?
As a Christian, Dante adds Circle 1 (Limbo) to Upper Hell and Circle 6 (Heresy) to Lower Hell, making 9 Circles in total; incorporating the Vestibule of the Futile, this leads to Hell containing 10 main divisions. This "9+1=10" structure is also found within the Purgatorio and Paradiso.
Where do Canto V#N#Dante and Virgil enter the second circle?
Canto V#N#Dante and Virgil leave Limbo and enter the Second Circle – the first of the circles of Incontinence – where the punishments of Hell proper begin. It is described as "a part where no thing gleams". They find their way hindered by the serpentine Minos, who judges all of those condemned for active, deliberately willed sin to one of the lower circles. Minos sentences each soul to its torment by wrapping his tail around himself a corresponding number of times. Virgil rebukes Minos, and he and Dante continue on.
What does Dante perceive in the distance?
In the distance, Dante perceives high towers that resemble fiery red mosques. Virgil informs him that they are approaching the City of Dis. Dis, itself surrounded by the Stygian marsh, contains Lower Hell within its walls. Dis is one of the names of Pluto, the classical king of the underworld, in addition to being the name of the realm. The walls of Dis are guarded by fallen angels. Virgil is unable to convince them to let Dante and him enter.
What is the name of the circle in Canto IV?
Canto IV#N#Dante wakes up to find that he has crossed the Acheron, and Virgil leads him to the first circle of the abyss, Limbo, where Virgil himself resides. The first circle contains the unbaptized and the virtuous pagans, who, although not sinful enough to warrant damnation, did not accept Christ. Dorothy L. Sayers writes, "After those who refused choice come those without opportunity of choice. They could not, that is, choose Christ; they could, and did, choose human virtue, and for that they have their reward." Limbo shares many characteristics with the Asphodel Meadows, and thus, the guiltless damned are punished by living in a deficient form of Heaven. Without baptism ("the portal of the faith that you embrace") they lacked the hope for something greater than rational minds can conceive. When Dante asked if anyone has ever left Limbo, Virgil states that he saw Jesus ("a Mighty One") descend into Limbo and take Adam, Abel, Noah, Moses, Abraham, David, and Rachel (see Limbo of the Patriarchs) into his all-forgiving arms and transport them to Heaven as the first human souls to be saved. The event, known as the Harrowing of Hell, would have occurred in AD 33 or 34.
What is the name of the first part of the Divine Comedy?
Canto I from the Inferno, the first part of the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. v. t. e. Dante 's Divine Comedy. Inferno ( Hell) Purgatorio ( Purgatory) Paradiso ( Heaven) Inferno ( Italian: [iɱˈfɛrno]; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri 's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy.
What are the nine circles of Hell?
Virgil proceeds to guide Dante through the nine circles of Hell. The circles are concentric, representing a gradual increase in wickedness, and culminating at the centre of the earth, where Satan is held in bondage. The sinners of each circle are punished for eternity in a fashion fitting their crimes: each punishment is a contrapasso, a symbolic instance of poetic justice. For example, later in the poem, Dante and Virgil encounter fortune-tellers who must walk forward with their heads on backward, unable to see what is ahead, because they tried to see the future through forbidden means. Such a contrapasso "functions not merely as a form of divine revenge, but rather as the fulfilment of a destiny freely chosen by each soul during his or her life". People who sinned, but prayed for forgiveness before their deaths are found not in Hell but in Purgatory, where they labour to become free of their sins. Those in Hell are people who tried to justify their sins and are unrepentant.
What does Dante say about the gate of hell?
Dante passes through the gate of Hell, which bears an inscription ending with the famous phrase " Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate ", most frequently translated as "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." Dante and his guide hear the anguished screams of the Uncommitted. These are the souls of people who in life took no sides; the opportunists who were for neither good nor evil, but instead were merely concerned with themselves. Among these Dante recognizes a figure implied to be Pope Celestine V, whose "cowardice (in selfish terror for his own welfare) served as the door through which so much evil entered the Church". Mixed with them are outcasts who took no side in the Rebellion of Angels. These souls are forever unclassified; they are neither in Hell nor out of it, but reside on the shores of the Acheron. Naked and futile, they race around through the mist in eternal pursuit of an elusive, wavering banner (symbolic of their pursuit of ever-shifting self-interest) while relentlessly chased by swarms of wasps and hornets, who continually sting them. Loathsome maggots and worms at the sinners' feet drink the putrid mixture of blood, pus, and tears that flows down their bodies. This symbolizes the sting of their guilty conscience and the repugnance of sin. This may also be seen as a reflection of the spiritual stagnation in which they lived.