Seventh Circle Of Fraud And Treachery In Dante's Inferno

In society, people are often labeled. Once categorized, it is extremely difficult for people to remove the branded labels. Similar to society, souls are stamped with labels of their own and categorized in Dante’s Inferno. Sinners are put by their most evil deeds in their designated pouches, which specify in a specific act of crime underneath an overarching circle. Each circle represents a general sin with pouches inside that specify the type of sin. However, there appears to be an error in the order of circles and pouches. As one descends down to meet Lucifer himself, the circle of fraud is much closer to the pit of hell than murder. Taking away a person’s life is a much more serious crime than committing fraud, but not as malicious as an act of treachery. Thus, murder should be designated between the circles of fraud and treachery. Murder, or the act of violence against one’s neighbor, is found in the seventh circle. Dante and Virgil descend to this ring after passing the Minotaur and reaching a vast river. “But fix your eyes below, upon the valley, for now we near the stream of blood, where those who injure others violently boil” (107). Those who have committed the crime of taking the life of another are placed in the seventh circle, specifically in the Phlegethon

Consequently, its rightful position in Hell would be between the two circles of fraud and treachery. Fraud does not consist of ending another person permanently, but only temporarily hurts another human being. In contrast, murder is a heinous crime of one human being killing another. Additionally, it is a single immoral act of sin and requires no love. Whilst pertaining to treachery, the wrongdoer deliberately causes the unsuspecting person to love him or her in order to betray continuously and ultimately ruin the victim. Hence, the sin of murder deserves to be situated amidst the acts of fraud and