In his epic poem, The Inferno, Dante Alighieri, the famous medieval poet, wrote a visitor's guide to the nine concentric circles of hell. Its 33 canti or episodes detail the sins and punishments meted out in hell. The ninth circle is a frozen lake and is itself divided into concentric rings of increasingly grim punishments.
What are the punishments in the 9 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.
What are the 9 levels of Hell?
This "9+1=10" structure is also found within the Purgatorio and Paradiso. Lower Hell is further subdivided: Circle 7 (Violence) is divided into three rings, Circle 8 (Fraud) is divided into ten bolge, and Circle 9 (Treachery) is divided into four regions. Thus, Hell contains, in total, 24 divisions.
What does nine circles of hell mean?
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.
What is the Ninth Circle of Hell?
The Ninth Circle of Hell is a frozen lake called Cocytus. It also has Here Centre of Hell, where Satan resides. The souls are frozen in the depths of the Lake depending on the type and severity of their sins. The ones who committed a more severe crime or sin are buried deeper. The Ninth Circle is divided into four Rounds.
What are in the 9 circles 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...
Who is in the 9th layer of Hell?
At the center of the ninth Circle of Hell, Satan is depicted as a giant and terrifying beast with six wings and three faces (one red, one black and one a pale yellow), an inversion of the Holy Trinity. Satan is frozen waist-deep in ice.
What is Circle 9 in Dante's Inferno?
The ninth circle is the deepest and darkest circle in Hell. Ice encases the worst of the sinners and Satan himself makes sure the ice continues to stay frozen. Because people who betray others lack love, this circle has no warmth and is surrounded by cold.
What are the 9 circles 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. These are associated by Dante with the nine levels of the angelic hierarchy.
What are the sins 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”.
What are the 7 levels of purgatory?
The seven levels of purgatory, called terraces, correspond to the seven deadly sins of pride, envy, wrath, sloth, avarice, gluttony, and lust. These correspond to the seven deadly.
What is the 9th circle?
The Ninth Circle is a powerful secret society inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy. The organization was created in ancient times and was responsible for the many changes in the human society, always operating from "behind the scenes".
Why can't Judas speak?
Why is Judas unable to speak? His tongue is a writhing snake. His lips are made of fire. His head lies frozen beneath the ice.
Why is Dante always in red?
One of the ways he maintains a continuity of narrative throughout the series is by consistently showing Dante dressed in red (denoting experience) and Virgil in blue (denoting the spirit). Between 1824 and 1827, when he died, Blake completed 102 watercolours which survive in varying stages of completion.
What is ninth sphere?
Ninth Sphere is a blackened death metal supergroup that originated out of Canada, the United States, and Australia, respectively. The project was created by Derek James-From of Sympathy, Nyk Edinger of Frost Like Ashes, and Jayson Sherlock, formerly of Horde and Mortification.
Why is the ninth circle of hell cold?
Satan is at the center of Hell, below the ninth circle. Satan is being punished for betraying God and is therefore the furthest from God's light. T...
What are the layers of hell called?
The layers of Hell are called circles. The nine circles spiral downward until reaching the bottom point which is as far from heaven as possible.
What are the 9 circles of hell and what do they mean?
The 9 circles of Hell in Dante's Inferno hold the souls of sinners. Each circle contains those guilty of specific sins. Lower circles hold the soul...
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 the second round of the circle?
The first is Caina, named after the biblical Cain, who murdered his brother. This round is for traitors to family. The second, Antenora —from Antenor of Troy, who betrayed the Greeks—is reserved for political/national traitors.
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.
What is the middle ring?
The Middle Ring consists of those who commit violence against themselves (suicide). These sinners are perpetually eaten by Harpies. The Inner Ring is made up of the blasphemers, or those who are violent against God and nature. One of these sinners is Brunetto Latini, a sodomite, who was Dante’s own mentor.
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.
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.
Dante's Inferno
In the early 1300's, the Italian poet Dante Alighieri wrote the Divine Comedy. The first of the three cantiche, or sections, is Inferno. In Inferno, Dante takes a journey through each of the 9 circles of hell in an attempt to save the soul of the woman he loves, Beatrice.
9 Circles of Hell
Each of the 9 circles in hell represents a different sin, each with its own degree of wickedness. The punishment, which is relevant to each sin is inflicted in the corresponding circle. As Dante travels through each circle, he encounters notable figures from history who were guilty of sin.
What Are the Layers of Hell?
People who committed the nine sins during their lifetime were assigned to an analogous circle of hell and destined to receive punishment. The following subsections will describe the 9 circles of hell punishments and the historical figures encountered in each.
The second circle of Hell: Lust
According to Dante’s Inferno 9 Circles of Hell, Lust, the second circle of Hell, exceeds Limbo. People, who were driven by Lust, suffer from torment here.
The third circle of Hell: Gluttony
In the third circle, the souls of those who indulged in voracious feasting and appetite are tortured.
The fourth circle of Hell: Greed
The person who condemns the sin of greed is explicitly punished in the fourth circle of Hell.
The Fifth Circle of Hell: Wrath
The fifth circle of Hell is present in the stinking decaying of the Styx River.
The Sixth Circle of Hell: Heresy
The sixth circle of Hell marks the beginning of lower Hell. They torture souls in successive processes, who committed heinous crimes.
The Seventh Circle of Hell: Violence
Consequently, the souls of people who indulge in violence are punished and tortured in the seventh circle of Hell.
The Eighth Circle of Hell: Fraud
The eighth circle of Hell is Mailbuch, meaning evil ditches. Dante divided this circle into ten trenches or Bolgia.
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.
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.
Where is Farinata degli Uberti located?
Located In Canto: X-XI. Icons: Farinata degli Uberti, who rises from the waist up out of a burning tomb during Dante’s encounter, recognizes Dante by his language and happens to be the Florentine leader of the Ghibellines—an enemy of the Guelphs, Dante’s ancestor’s political party.
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.
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 is succeeded by the second circle of hell?
Limbo is succeeded by the Second Circle of Hell. People who were driven by Lust are tormented here. In the poem, Dante says that strong violent winds blow in the Second Circle of Hell.
What is the third ring?
The Third Ring has souls of people who showed violence against God, Nature or Art. In the First Ring of Seventh Circle, souls of people who committed violent crimes against other humans are being tortured. It includes criminals like the murderers, tyrants, war-makers, looters and many more.
What is the third round of the ninth circle called?
The Third Round of Ninth Circle is called Ptolomaea, called after Ptolemy. He called his father-in-law along with his sons for a treat and killed them. Here, traitors who betrayed their guests are punished. The Fourth Round of Ninth Circle is called Judecca named after Judas Iscariot.
What is the meaning of the first circle of hell?
They had to cross the river Acheron on a boat to reach Limbo. The literal meaning of Limbo is ‘boundary’ or ‘edge.’ The First Circle contains people who did not accept Christ.
What is the landscape of Sodom and Gomorrah?
The whole landscape depicts the miserable end of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is all covered by the scorching-hot burning sand and flakes of flames fall from the sky. In the poem, Dante mentions seeing the Blasphemers lying on the burning sand and the sodomites running in circles on the sand.
How many parts does Dante have?
The poem has three parts, and the narrative describes Dante’s journey through the three realms namely Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. He is guided and accompanied by Virgil, an Ancient Roman poet from the time of Augustus. The nine circles of Hell are described in the first part of the poem, Inferno.
What are the nine circles of hell?
It is a long narrative poem in the Italian language. The poem has three parts, and the narrative describes Dante’s journey through the three realms namely Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
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.
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 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.