The Inferno, the first part of Dante’s Divine Comedy, inspired the bestselling book of the same name by Dan Brown, which depicts the poet’s vision of Hell. The story begins with the narrator (who is also the poet) lost in a dark forest, attacked by three beasts from which he cannot escape. He is rescued by the Roman poet Virgil, who has been sent by Beatrice from heaven (Dante’s ideal woman). Together, they embark on a journey into the underworld, also known as the Nine Circles of Hell.
Discovering the “Gates of Hell” in Mythology
Circle One – Limbo
In the first circle of Hell reside those who were not baptized and virtuous pagans who are punished eternally in this inferior state of Paradise. They live in a castle with seven gates symbolizing the seven virtues. Here, Dante encounters many famous figures from antiquity, such as Homer, Socrates, Aristotle, Cicero, Hippocrates, and Julius Caesar.
Circle Two – Lust
In the second circle of Hell, Dante and his companion Virgil find souls who succumbed to their desires. They are punished by being blown about by fierce winds, preventing them from finding peace or rest. The strong winds symbolize the restless state of those led by their carnal desires. Once again, Dante sees many renowned figures from history and mythology, including Cleopatra, Tristan, Helen of Troy, and others who committed adultery throughout their lives.
Circle Three – Gluttony
As they advance to the third circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil see the souls of the gluttonous being overseen by the monstrous Cerberus. The sinners in this circle are punished by being forced to lie in a disgusting, endless slush of freezing rain. This foul slush symbolizes the degradation of those who indulged excessively in food and other earthly pleasures, while their inability to see others lying nearby represents the selfishness and coldness of these gluttons. Here, Dante converses with a character named Ciacco, who tells him that the Guelphs (the faction supporting the Pope) will defeat and expel the Ghibellines (the faction supporting the Emperor whom Dante respects) from Florence, an event that occurred in 1302, before the poem was written (after 1308).
Circle Four – Greed
In the fourth circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil see the souls of those punished for greed. They are divided into two groups—those who hoarded possessions and those who squandered them—fighting each other while using heavy weights as weapons. The act of pushing the weights with their chests symbolizes their lifelong selfishness regarding wealth. Both groups are overseen by a character known as Pluto (possibly the ancient Greek leader of the underworld), who is too busy with his activities for the two poets to attempt to converse with them. Here, Dante notes that he sees many clergy members, including cardinals and popes.
Circle Five – Wrath
The fifth circle of Hell is where the wrathful and sullen are punished for their sins. Transported by Phlegyas on a boat, Dante and Virgil observe the wrathful fighting on the banks of the Styx River while the sullen submerge beneath the waters. Once again, this punishment reflects the crimes they committed during their lives. As they pass through, the poet encounters Filippo Argenti, an outstanding Florentine politician who confiscated Dante’s property after he was expelled from Florence.
Circle Six – Heresy
Upon reaching the sixth circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil find heretics condemned to eternal punishment in fiery tombs. Here, Dante converses with a pair of Florentines—Farinata degli Uberti and Cavalcante de ‘Cavalcanti—but he also sees other notable historical figures, including the ancient Greek philosophers Epicurus, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, and Pope Anastasius II. However, later, some modern scholars condemned Dante as a heretic due to a mistake. Instead, some scholars argue that the poet may have meant the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I.
Circle Seven – Violence
The seventh circle is divided into three rings. The Outer Ring contains murderers and those violent towards others and their possessions. Here, Dante sees Alexander the Great (disputed), Dionysius I of Syracuse, Guy de Montfort, and many other notable historical and mythological figures, like the Centaur, submerged in a river of boiling blood and fire. In the Middle Ring, the poet sees the suicides transformed into trees and bushes that are fed upon by Harpies (bird-women). However, he also sees here the profligate, being chased and torn apart by dogs. The Innermost Ring contains blasphemers and those guilty of sodomy and bestiality, living in a burning sand desert with fiery rain falling from the sky.
Circle Eight – Fraud
The eighth circle of Hell is for the fraudulent. Dante and Virgil arrive there on the back of Geryon, a beast with different natures, much like deception itself. This circle is divided into 10 Bolgias or stone ditches connected by bridges. In Bolgia 1, Dante sees panderers and seducers. In Bolgia 2, he sees flatterers. After crossing a bridge to Bolgia 3, he and Virgil find those guilty of simony. Upon crossing another bridge to Bolgia 4, they see sorcerers and false prophets. In Bolgia 5 are corrupt politicians, in Bolgia 6 are hypocrites, and in the remaining four ditches, Dante sees those who are falsely pious (Bolgia 7), thieves (Bolgia 8), corrupt advisors (Bolgia 9), schismatics (Bolgia 10), and various forgers such as alchemists, perjurers, and counterfeiters.
Circle Nine – Treachery
The ninth circle, the final circle of Hell, is divided into four rounds depending on the severity of the sin, although all residents are frozen in a frozen lake. Those who committed more serious offenses lie deeper in the ice. Each round is named after an individual who embodies the sin. Thus, Round 1 is named Caina after Cain, who killed his brother Abel; Round 2 is named Antenora after Antenor of Troy, who advised Priam in 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 Christ.
