Circle I: Limbo

Circle I: Limbo
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,
and Julius Caesar.
Circle II: 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. Strong winds symbolize the
restlessness of a person who is led by the desire for fleshly pleasures. Again, Dante sees
many notable people from history and mythology including Cleopatra, Tristan, Helen of
Troy and others who were adulterous during their lifetime.
Circle III: Gluttony

When reaching the Third Circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil find souls of gluttons who are
overlooked by a worm-monster Cerberus. Sinners in this circle of Hell are punished by
being forced to lie in a vile slush that is produced by never-ending icy rain. The vile
slush symbolizes personal degradation of one who overindulges in food, drink, and
other worldly pleasures, while the inability to see others lying nearby represents the
gluttons’ selfishness and coldness. Here, Dante speaks to a character called Ciacco who
also tells him that the Guelphs (a fraction supporting the Pope) will defeat and expel the
Ghibellines (a fraction supporting the Emperor to which Dante adhered) from Florence
which happened in 1302 before the poem was written (after 1308).
Circle IV: 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. They use great weights as a weapon, pushing 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 ancient Greek
ruler of the underworld) are so occupied with their actions that the two poets don’t try
to speak to them. Here, Dante says to see many clergymen including cardinals and
popes.
Circle V: 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.
Again, the punishment reflects the type of the sin committed during their lifetime.
While passing through, the poets are approached by Filippo Argenti, a prominent
Florentine politician who confiscated Dante’s property after his expulsion from
Florence.
Circle VI: Heresy
When reaching the Sixth Circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil see heretics who are
condemned to eternity in flaming tombs. 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.
Circle VII: Violence

The Seventh Circle of Hell is divided into three rings. The Outer Ring houses murderers
and others who were violent to other people and property. 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.
Circle VIII: Fraud

The Eight Circle of Hell is resided by the fraudulent. 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. After
crossing the bridge to Bolgia 3, he and Virgil see those who are guilty of simony. After
crossing another bridge between the ditches to Bolgia 4, they find sorcerers and false
prophets. In Bolgia 5 are housed corrupt politicians, in Bolgia 6 are hypocrites and in
the remaining 4 ditches, Dante finds hypocrites (Bolgia 7), thieves (Bolgia 7), evil
counselors and advisers (Bolgia 8), divisive individuals (Bolgia 9) and various falsifiers
such as alchemists, perjurers, and counterfeits (Bolgia 10).
Circle IX: Treachery

The last Ninth Circle of Hell is divided into 4 Rounds according to the seriousness of the
sin. Though all residents are frozen in an icy lake. 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.
DANTE
He is the only living person in the Inferno, as he is allowed to enter, unharmed, the Gates of Hell and
witness the suffering that awaits sinners. He is guided through hell by the soul of the Roman poet
Virgil, one of the great poets, whom Dante seeks to emulate. Dante the poet and Dante the character
have.
VIRGIL
Virgil serves as Dante's guide through Hell
BEATRICE
- Beatrice is a young woman, and Dante's true love. She is pure of heart and has been allowed to enter
Heaven. Dante is distraught by her loss and at the beginning of the Inferno, he has become lost
(literally and metaphorically). In the depth of his despair, Dante is contemplating suicide. Beatrice
saves him by asking an angel to send Virgil to Dante and allowing Dante to make the journey through
Hell.
CHARON
Charon was the ferry man who ferried the souls of the dead over the river Acheron to Hell. He is not
an entity recognized in Christian mythology of Biblical teaching. Dante has adopted this figure because
of the powerful poetic imagery of this archetypal myth.
ANTEUS
Antaeus is a giant borrowed from Roman mythology. In the Inferno, he transports Dante and Virgil
from the Eighth to the Ninth Circle of Hell.
LUCIFER
The Devil. He resides at the very bottom of the Inferno, in the Ninth Circle of Hell. He is represented
as an enormous giant with his body jutting out of a frozen lake. In Dante's conception, Lucifer has three
mouths which are busy eternally chewing three of the greatest traitors in history: Judas, Cassius and
Brutus
MINOS
Minos is himself portrayed as a giant beast. He stands at the entrance to the Second Circle of Hell and
hears the confessions of the sinners that enter. Upon hearing their sins, King Minos signals with his tail
to which circle of hell they will be sent.
MALACODA
Malacoda is one of the demons who reside in the Inferno. His name means evil tail" in Italian.
Malacoda is a the leader of a the demons who guard a part of the Eight Circle of Hell. He gives Virgil
and Dante misleading directions.
NESSUS
In the Inferno, this centaur carries Dante through the First Ring of the Seventh Circle of Hell. In the
Inferno, this centaur carries Dante through the First Ring of the Seventh Circle of Hell.
PHLEGYAS
The boatman who rows Dante and Virgil across the river Styx.

Circle I: Limbo

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Circle I: Limbo

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Circle I: Limbo

Circle II: Lust

Circle III: Gluttony

Circle IV: Greed

Circle VII: Violence

Circle VIII: Fraud

Circle IX: Treachery

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