Dante AlighieriThe Inferno

“Abandon all hope ye who enter here”

The Divine Comedy• Written bet. 1308 and 1321 (Dante’s

exile)• A journey through Hell, Purgatory,

and Paradise• Encounters with historical figures

from ancient Rome, characters from classical Greek mythology, and political enemies from Dante’s era

Structure• Form:– Epic poem: a lengthy tale of a hero’s journey

• Number:– 100 is the perfect number– Dante’s Inferno has 33 cantos (or chapters)

divided into 3 sections, and 1 introductory canto– Tercet: 3-line stanza– Terza rima: middle line of one stanza rhymes

with the first and third line of the next (aba, bcb, cdc, ded, efe…etc.)

• The number 3– Importance in the Divine Comedy because of

its connection to the Christian Trinity• Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

– Division of the poem into 3 parts• Hell, Purgatory, Paradise

– Journey over 3 days• Begins on Good Friday and ends on Easter Sunday

– Guided by 3 women• Mary (the Virgin Mother), St. Lucia (patron saint of

all those without spiritual sight) and Beatrice

Beatrice• Symbolic of love and faith• SHE sends Virgil to Dante• Beatrice leads Dante to Paradise (as Virgil

cannot leave Purgatory)• Dante’s journey is blessed by the love of

Beatrice– To turn Dante forever from error– “It is a journey toward truth and grace, made

possible by the love of the woman who first gave Dante a glimpse of spiritual perfection.”

Dante & Beatrice• 1274• Meet at a party and Dante falls in

love with her• 9 years later, they have an argument

(after Beatrice speaks to him for the first time)

• Dies in 1290 after marrying another man

The Circles of Hell• Dark Wood/Vestibule• Top third:– Circle 1 – Virtuous Pagans– Circle 2 – The Lustful– Circle 3 – Gluttonous

• Middle third:– Circle 4 – Hoarders and Wasters– Circle 5 – The Wrathful– Circle 6 – The Heretics

Innermost Sector• PART 1: Circle 7 – The Violent– Violent against Neighbor– Violent against Self– Violent against God

• PART 2: Circle 8 – The Fraudulent– Panderers & Seducers– Flatterers– Simoniacs– Fortune Tellers– Grafters– Hypocrites– Theives– Evil Counselors– Sowers of Discord– Falsifiers

• PART 3: Circle 9 – The Treacherous– Caina

• Treacherous to their Kin– Antenora

• Treacherous to their Country– Ptolomea

• Treacherous to their Guests– Judecca

• Treacherous to their Masters– Satan

• The way out of Hell is found beyond Satan, leading to the River Lethe, the ancient river of forgetfulness – its waters wash away the grime and evil of Hell