“Dante’s Inferno”, a portion of the “The Divine Comedy”, was written in the fourteenth century. The author Dante Alighieri was born in Florence, Italy in May 1265. He was part of a political group called the Whites who rivaled with the political group the Blacks. The Blacks would come to seize power in Florence and then Alighieri, along with other White leaders, were exiled (Bierhorst et al. 1010). Alighieri used many things from his life to help him write “The Divine Comedy.” Alighieri used a lot of symbolism and literary devices in this work. “Dante’s Inferno” was one of the most complex and dynamic pieces of literature I have read because of this. The story begins with Dante wandering through a dark forest where he has lost his way. Traveling …show more content…
The first section is called Caina. In this section lie the betrayers of kin who have their heads lodged in ice blocks. I believe their heads are lodged in ice blocks to keep them permanently bowed because they do not deserve to stand upright like the people they betrayed. The second section, Antenora, is home to the betrayers of country. These people are forced to be cannibals. I believe they are punished in this way because in life they betrayed their country, so in Hell they are forced to betray each other by eating one another. The third section, Center, is where Brutus, Cassius, and Judas Iscariot are kept. These three are endlessly chewed by Lucifer’s jaws. In life, these three men committed the biggest betrayals, so now in Hell they must be endlessly chewed by Lucifer himself. The next section, Ptolomea, holds the betrayers of guests. These people are stuck head up in ice blocks so that their eyes freeze over with frost and so they cannot cry. I believe they are punished in this way because in life they harmed their guests without shedding a tear and now in Hell as they are tormented they physically cannot cry. The last section, Judecca, is made up of the betrayers of benefactors who are disfigured and submerged completely within ice blocks. In life, these people had cold hearts, so now in death their bodies are completely