What are the Nine Circles of Hell Dante?
- 2.1 Overview.
- 2.2 First Circle (Limbo)
- 2.3 Second Circle (Lust)
- 2.4 Third Circle (Gluttony)
- 2.5 Fourth Circle (Greed)
- 2.6 Fifth Circle (Wrath) 2.6.1 Entrance to Dis.
- 2.7 Sixth Circle (Heresy)
- 2.8 Seventh Circle (Violence)
How many levels are in Dante's Inferno?
Dante’s Inferno is organized into nine different levels, each distributing a different and awful punishment to every different sin. The main sins include the seven deadly sins, “Wrath, Sloth, Lust, Greed, Pride, Gluttony, Envy”, he also included “Treachery” and “Violence”.
Why did Dante travel through Hell?
Thirty-five years old at the beginning of the story, Dante—the character as opposed to the poet—has lost his way on the “true path” of life; in other words, sin has obstructed his path to God. 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 eighth circle of Hell Dante?
The circle is a funnel of gray stone leading down to the pit of the Ninth Circle. Dante calls it malebolge, which roughly translates to Evil Pits. 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.
What are the 9 levels of Hell?
We offer this short guide to the nine circles of Hell, as described in Dante's Inferno.First Circle: Limbo. ... Second Circle: Lust. ... Third Circle: Gluttony. ... Fourth Circle: Greed. ... Fifth Circle: Anger. ... Sixth Circle: Heresy. ... Seventh Circle: Violence. ... Eighth Circle: Fraud.More items...
What are the 10 levels of Hell?
10 stages in the Court of Hell at Haw Par VillaFirst Court of Hell – Yama: King Qinguang.Second Court of Hell – Yama: King Chujiang.Third Court of Hell – Yama: King Songdi.Fourth Court of Hell – Yama: King Wuguan.Fifth Court of Hell – Yama: King Yanluo.Sixth Court of Hell – Yama: King Piencheng.More items...
What are Dante's levels of 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.
What is the 7 level of Hell?
the Circle of ViolenceThe Seventh Circle of Hell, the Circle of Violence, embodies three levels of souls who have committed acts of brutality. Each soul is assigned to a level of the circle according to the kind of violence that was committed while on Earth.
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.
What is the punishment in Circle 8?
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.
What do the 9 circles of Hell represent?
The nine circles of Hell represent nine categories of sin. They grow in severity as they descend through the inner levels of Hell toward Lucifer hi...
What's the worst level of Hell?
The ninth circle of Hell is the deepest circle, reserved for those guilty of treachery against kin and country. Lucifer himself dwells here.
Who rules the 9 circles of Hell?
While Lucifer sits at the center of Hell and could be said to be chief in that realm, he sits as one condemned and bound. The God of Heaven rules a...
What is the third circle in Dante's day?
Third Circle: Gluttony. Today’s forecast calls for plenty of icy rain and slush — a “wintery mix” for all eternity.
What is the Divine Comedy?
Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy is considered an epic masterpiece and a foundational work of the Western canon. We offer this short guide to the nine circles of Hell, as described in Dante’s Inferno. The first circle is home to the unbaptized and virtuous pagans.
What is the first level of hell?
The first level in Hell is called Limbo. All the individuals who die before being baptized and those who live as virtuous pagans are condemned to spend the rest of etern ity at this level. The people being referred to in this level are those who die before accepting Christianity.
What is the last level of Satan?
The last level and the closest to Satan is that of treachery. In this level, the individuals who will be condemned are those who betray special relationships, including all traitors to family members, those who betray their country, those who are disloyal to their guests and those who conspire against their masters. Cain, Judas, Ptolomea and Guelph, are considered as the potential leaders of all the people who will be condemned to this level. This level is therefore considered to be the most severe in terms of punishment as compared to the rest.
What is the 5th level?
The fifth level allegedly consists of the individuals guilty of wrath and sullenness. The wrathful are regarded as those who fight each other and they will be subjected to eternal conflict against each other. Anger and fury will be considered to be part of the fifth level and the perpetrators of these two acts will be subjected to various conflicts in opposition to each other.
What is the 6th level of heresy?
The sixth level will seize all followers of heresy and those who stand for opinions and doctrines that go up against Christian beliefs. All the people who oppose the church and profess opinions that differ from those that are in line with Christian doctrines will be condemned to suffer under this level.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
How many levels of hell are there in Dante's Inferno?
9 Levels of Hell According to Dante’s Inferno. Dante Alighieri’s ‘Inferno’ is the most recognized and popular non-religious description of hell and its various levels, and frankly he has done a great job!
How many levels of hell are there?
Some say there are 7 levels of hell, some also claim that there are 9 levels instead of 7, however, the most famous description is the one from Dante Alighieri’s ‘Inferno’, which happens to be the most sought after non-religious description of hell. Below, we shall discuss the levels of hell in both ways, from the point of views ...
How many bolge are there in the 'Bolge' level?
This level is for those who were fraudulent in their lives, who betrayed the people who put their trust on them. This level is divided into 10 bolge depending upon the kind of fraud and betrayal one has done.
What are the seven deadly sins?
If you know what are the seven deadly sins, you would know that gluttony is one of them. The souls of the Glut tons who failed to utilize the gifts given to them by God in a meaningful and higher way, and wasted their lives in consuming excess and giving back nothing but garbage in their lives, are the ones who reside in the third level of hell. Dante describes this level as a gigantic garbage dump, the atmosphere being freezing with rain and stinking snow with the damned spirits lying in the freezing icy paste, swollen, and lewd.
Where are the bubbles in Dante's slime?
Therefore, as punishment, these souls are buried under the stinking water of river Styx.
What does the Bible say about the different levels?
( Luke 12: 47-48,”That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants, will be beaten with many blows.
Why do spirits live here?
These spirits reside here because there was lack of hope and eternal believe in God. People who were born before the time of Christ, the unbaptized, the infants who still bear the burden of the original sin, etc., are the people who reside here.
What is the deepest circle in Dante's hell?
The deepest circle in Dante’s hell is a frozen lake, Cocytus, home to betrayers and oathbreakers.
Who are the people Dante sees in the second circle of Hell?
2nd Circle: Lust. In the Second Circle of Hell, Dante and his companion Virgil find people who were overcome by lust.
How many Bolgias are there in the circle of Hell?
Dante and Virgil reach it on the back of Geryon, a flying monster with different natures, just like the fraudulent. 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.
What is the meaning of the flapping of Satan's wings?
The flapping of Satan’s wings freezes the lowest level of Hell. Dante used something called “Contrapasso” in devising the punishments in Hell. It’s sort of like “poetic justice” or irony based on the sins of the damned. The irony for Satan is that he’s flapping his wings in an attempt to escape Hell, yet that very action is what keeps him ...
What is the irony of Satan flapping his wings?
The irony for Satan is that he’s flapping his wings in an attempt to escape Hell, yet that very action is what keeps him imprisoned. It follows the metaphor of sinners returning to their sins or relying on their own will rather than reaching out to God for salvation. 9.7K views. ·. View upvotes.
How many levels does Hell have?
In some sense it is metaphorical. He describes Hell in 9 levels, the 9th being the coldest, as it is the farthest away from God's warmth. People picture God, or the Great Spirit, or The Goddess, etc, as being full of warmth and joyous feelings. It would make sense for Hell to be the complete opposite of that.
What is the point of the Inferno?
The entire point of the “Inferno,” from both a metaphorical and literal point of view, is for the protagonist to “go through hell in order to change,” and to “go through hell” to learn about himself, amend his ways, and grow.