Dante 's Inferno: Hell’s Levels
Within Dante’s Inferno there are nine levels of Hell, each more gruesome than the last. Each one portrays a different group of sinners, with related sins. Each circle of Hell has a different punishment, and different gates leading to the next stage. Most every circle of Hell is made up of three mini-circles of torment, with each punishment getting progressively worse.
According to Dante, there are many circles in hell. The first circle in Hell is called Limbo. Each of the individuals who die before being baptized and those who live as virtuous pagans are condemned to spend all of eternity in this level. The people being referred to in this level are those who die before accepting Christianity, essentially it’s
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The gluttons are also subjected to a freezing slushy Hell, which is allegedly similar to the harsh environment in which pigs survive. The mythological monster considered to be the head of this group of gluttons is Cerberus. The conditions at this circle are horrible, it has clumps of mud, a stinking wasteland, and other deplorable and hideous areas. The gluttony circle is far harsher than the previous two levels. As the Circles of Hell grow closer to Satan the punishments get darker, scarier, and more creative. The surroundings are characterized by dirt, filth and other disgusting things. The gluttons will be subjected to states similar to those that pigs experience in this …show more content…
One of the forms of violence addressed in this circle is violence against one’s neighbors. This type of violence will hold for all people who wage war against people who are close to them, such as neighbors and family members. The other form of violence is that against oneself. All the people who will be found to have engaged in violent actions against themselves will be subjected to the punishment experienced by any other violent group. Additionally those found to have acted violently against God will also be subjected to similar punishments, just as any other soul confined to this circle. In this level, there are various rings, mini-circles, that souls can and will be subjected to, which vary based on the various category of violence committed. The first mini-circle consists of those who are violent against others while the second one will be made of individuals who are violent against themselves. The third mini-circle will include all the persons who perpetrate violence against God. Blasphemy and denial of God’s word are considered as some of the most serious crimes under this level.
The individuals who will be found to have committed fraud are subjects to the eighth circle in hell. The panderers and seducers are some of the main players who will greatly feature in this level. The sorcerers and false prophets who are guilty of the same crime will also be
In most ancient literature some sort of divine justice is used to punish people's acts in life. This is that case with Dante's Inferno, where the Author categorizes hell in 9 circles. Circle 9 being the lowest sins and punishments as the circles decrease. From the time this was written to now in days many things have changed, and things are not seen the same no more. Back then sins like greed and gluttony were ranked as high sins but now people would probably rank those very low with other things like murder way on top. Yet the basic structure set by Dante remains.
In the seventh circle, the harm inflicted are direct and do not include any intermediaries. The ...
In Dante’s Inferno, hell is divided into nine “circles” of hell; the higher the number, the more likely the sin and the pain you will endure. However, I do not completely agree with Dante’s version of hell, perhaps due to the difference in time periods. In this essay, I will be pointing out my concerns with Dante’s description of hell and how I would recreate hell if I were Dante. The first level of hell in the Inferno is for those unbaptized yet virtuous. Although some did not have a sinful life, if they did not accept Christ, they were sent to Limbo.
The first thing you would notice is the overall irony of Hell itself. As mentioned, most people have a view that Hell is very chaotic and in disarray. However, In Canto IV we find out that Hell is actually very organized. The structure of it is in fact “a great funnel-shaped cave… with its bottom point at the Earth’s center. Around this great circular depression runs a series of ledges, each of which Dante calls a CIRCLE.” (Alighieri 25). Most pictures you see of hell show images of very distressed people and demons running around in turmoil. They are usually all over the place and no sense of organization is apparent. There is also a map of hell that Dante has drawn in order to give us a clearer image of what Hell supposedly looks like (Alighieri 26). Through this we find that Dante has applied his use irony into the very structure of Hell. We also see that the people we thought were myths actually exist – in Dante’s eyes. Scattered throughout the book, we see several mythological characters that have indeed descended into Hell. On...
Dante Alighieri's The Inferno is a poem written in first person that tells a story of Dante’s journey through the nine circles of Hell after he strays from the rightful path. Each circle of Hell contains sinners who have committed different sins during their lifetime and are punished based on the severity of their sins. When taking into the beliefs and moral teachings of the Catholic Church into consideration, these punishments seem especially unfair and extreme.
For example, sinners in the 4th circle of Hell according to Virgil, their, “Ill giving and ill keeping have robbed both of the fair world and set them to this” (VII. 58-60). By hoarding and by spending the sinners have taken away from the world, they have ether kept too much that others could befit from. Or on the flip side of the coin, have spent too much to not be able to provide for others in their life. Additionally, Dante is Announcing to the punished sinners, “do not let your vile and filthy torment make you afraid to let me know your names.”
In the Third Circle of Hell, sinners in this circle are punished by being forced to lay and eat vile filth that is produced by never ending icy rain. Dante places people who have eaten a lot in their life into this circle. Dante also speaks with Ciacco who tells him that the Guelphs will defeat and expel the Ghibellines. A person who belongs in this part of hell is Mama June Shannon
In my personal opinion I think that the first circle of Hell should be people who committed petty sins that would barely classify them as a “sinner”. This circle would contain a various amount of different people that told little lies and similar sins but still lived fairly good lives for the most part. In this circle it would include greedy people and wasters that did not affect anyone’s lives in a positive or negative way. The next layer I think should be slightly more severe fraud such as telling lies for gain. The third circle of hell I would say would be all types of betrayal. I would put those sinners here unless they committed murder along with betrayal, then they would be lower in hell. After betrayal in the fourth circle of Hell should be the lustful. In this circle there would be different degrees of lustfulness. These different levels would depend on the level, amount, and overall situation that caused one to commit lechery. For example a woman with an abusive husband who kissed another man would be really low in this circle. On the other hand a man married to a sweetheart who slept around with many woman would be punished worse. Next in the fifth circle of hell would be the violence sinners. Violence against self would not even be a sin in my Hell. The violence against god sinners would be punished worse than the violence against nature ones. The
The geography for each circle of Hell's misery is distinctly arranged to coincide with the sin of the sinners contained within. In Canto V, we are taken to the prison of those souls who were unable to master their own desires. These are those who "betrayed reason to their appetite" (1033), allowing the lust of flesh and carnal things overcome their God-given human reasoning. It is here that we see a dark and deafening Hell, full with the roar of the anguish of the condemned dead. Dante sees a great whirling storm of souls that are forever tossed and battered on their "hellish flight of storm and counterstorm" (1033). It is conveyed to us that each soul's path in the whirling cyclone is all but steady, blown about in a constantly changing torment with no direction or destination...
...judging his fellow man. He could be placed in his own circle of the corrupt politics, for he was banished for choosing the side that lost the political struggle for Florence. He could be placed in his own circle of the false prophets, for he is envisioning the afterlife, without receiving God’s revelation. He could be placed in his own circle of the hypocrites, for placing people in hell, while he himself has committed their sins.
In the poem Inferno by Dante Alighieri and translated by Allen Mandelbaum, many values are expressed through the nine different circles of hell. Souls are sent to their destined circle when Minos judges and directs them where they will then receive punishment for their sins. Within each circle, Dante encounters many historical figures who express values that Dante Alighieri has created depicting his Medieval views that contradict with contemporary values. Inside the walls of the City of Dis is the Seventh Circle of the violent where there are three rings: the violent against others, the violent to the self, and the violent against God.
Justice is one of the major building block that society is built upon. It gives people a sense of retribution when they have been wronged. In Dante’s Inferno, justice is served in the supernatural realm. Throughout this play, the reader is exposed to the inner working of hell and the nine circles of specialized punishment it is composed of. Justice, in Dante’s Inferno, differs from justice in the mortal world in that it is decided, not by humans, but by God. However, it is not God’s justice that is portrayed in this divine comedy. While this divine comedy depicts justice coming from God, the justice in the Inferno is based on Dante’s personal views of the severity of the sin and the sinner. This paper will examine this issue by looking into the life of Dante and the potential reasons for his rankings of the sin pertaining to specific circles of hell.
It is with the second circle that the real tortures of Hell begin. There lie the most heavy-hearted criminals in all of Hell, those who died for true love. Here, those who could not control their sexual passion, are buffeted and whirled endlessly through the murky air by a great windstorm. This symbolizes their confusing of their reason by passion and lust. According to Dante, ?SEMIRAMIS is there, and DIDO, CLEOPATRA, HELLEN, ACHILLES, PARIS, and TRISTAN? (Alighieri 57).
Inferno begins with Dante lost in a dark wood. When he tries to exit, three impassible beasts blocked his path. Dante is rescued when Beatrice sends the spirit of Virgil to lead him to salvation. However, Dante must journey through hell first. Dante and Virgil then journey through the nine circles of hell, with the occasional help of a heavenly messenger sent to aid Dante in his journey. Dante meets many significant people and hears their stories in each circle. The First Circle of Hell or Limbo is resided by virtuous non-Christians and unbaptized pagans. In the Second Circle, Dante and Virgil find people who were overcome by lust. In the Third Circle, they find souls of gluttons that are seen as more than the usual excessive eating and drinking but also drug addiction. In the Fourth Circle, Dante and Virgil see the souls of people who are punished for greed.
Inferno, the first part of Divina Commedia, or the Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri, is the story of a man's journey through Hell and the observance of punishments incurred as a result of the committance of sin. In all cases the severity of the punishment, and the punishment itself, has a direct correlation to the sin committed. The punishments are fitting in that they are symbolic of the actual sin; in other words, "They got what they wanted." (Literature of the Western World, p.1409) According to Dante, Hell has two divisions: Upper Hell, devoted to those who perpetrated sins of incontinence, and Lower Hell, devoted to those who perpetrated sins of malice. The divisions of Hell are likewise split into levels corresponding to sin. Each of the levels and the divisions within levels 7,8, and 9 have an analogous historical or mythological figure used to illustrate and exemplify the sin.