Fifth Circle In Dante's Inferno

Dante’s Inferno Essay There are many works of literature that we have studied in English class throughout high school that can be compared to hell. However, in this essay I will assessing the major characters in five different novels and how they fit into Dante Alighieri’s vision of hell. There are 9 circles of hell that Dante explores with the poet Virgil in Dante’s Inferno. Each circle has its own unique punishment for the sin committed in the overworld. For example, those that commit violent acts against others are condemned for eternity to the Phlegethon, a river of boiling blood. This is how five different characters would best fit into the rungs of hell as described by Dante. Jack, as described by William Golding in his novel Lord

Signs such as his sickening name, his dark visage, and body deformities support this claim. Chillingworth best fits in Circle 5, with the Wrathful. Throughout his cruel life, he chooses to enact revenge on his enemies by using physical and psychological warfare. His actions of wrath are what drive him as a human being, he cannot survive without the torment of other humans. Ultimately, he shriveled away due to his lack of will to live on the dark earth he once trod. The fifth circle in Dante’s hell is divided into two groups: The Wrathful and the Sullen. Unfortunately for Arthur Dimmesdale, Chillingworth’s object of torture, the physician chose to express his anger which falls under the category of the Wrathful. Hester Prynne exclaims, "You search his thoughts. You burrow and rankle in his heart! Your clutch is on his life, and you cause him to die daily a living death." He is to spend his days committing acts of violence in the Styx of the Underworld. Chillingworth could not suppress his anger towards Hester Prynne nor Dimmesdale, causing him to act in rage and revenge. The fuel that ignited him is now fueling his fury in the fiery pits of hell along with others whose anger