Dante S Inferno Paper

Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. Inferno is an allegory telling of the journey of Dante through Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is described as nine circles of suffering located within the Earth. Allegorically, the Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul towards God, with the Inferno describing the recognition and rejection of sin. Because Dante is an educated Christian, he uses mythological references to make Hell visually appealing. Dante is guided By Virgil because he believes Virgil represents human reason, something very important to Dante. The two poets begin their journey to Purgatory by descending into the first circle of Hell. The first circle of the nine is Limbo. Limbo is “a region on the edge of hell for those who are not saved even though they did not sin” (University of Texas). In Limbo, there is a castle with seven gates which symbolize the seven virtues (historylists.org). This castle houses the great poets Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan; it also houses great philosophers such as Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Heraclitus, Orpheus, and Euclid. Dante uses the allusion of Aristotle as “[a] man with honor and respect” (http://apliterature-sasd.wikispaces.com). The second circle is known as Lust. Lust consists of the “people who were overcome by lust” (University of Texas). The souls in Lust “are punished by being blown violently back and forth by strong winds, preventing them to find peace and rest” (historylists.org). The strong winds symbolize the restlessness of a person who is led by desire for another person. Dante comes across a couple, Francesca and Paolo, who were murdered because they were practicing adultery. Lust is guarded by the mythological creature Minos. Minos’ tail determines which level each and every soul belongs. Once a soul has told Minos why they are in Hell, his tail coils around his body and each coil represents a circle in Hell. Dante