Chelsy Hunter Research paper Dr. Schott November 11, 2014 Dante’s Inferno Throughout the poem, the author, Dante, repeatedly meets souls that are damned which he then discusses events in Italy. Some of the encounters give Dante a chance to include many religious figures, some which are similar to the main religious and moral themes in the bible. According to Dante’s Inferno, Treachery is the worse sin that you can commit to belong in the bottom of Hell. Dante believes that treachery, violation of faith or betrayal of trust, is the most important to God because if there is no faith or trust, then there is no relationship with God himself. Dante places people in different circles of Hell correspondence to the cruelty of their sin committed …show more content…
This area was related to Lucifer and the lower circles of his infernal realm. Circle six, Dante decides to make this the level of heretics, which is defined as a person that has an opinion that opposes what is usually accepted by the Church. Dante’s view on politics and views on religion comes into play by heresy being a product of acrimonious disputes over Christian doctrines in the middle ages. In circle seven, there is a division of three rings all dealing with violence. The inner ring is for blasphemers and act of sodomy, violence against God. Punishment in this realm could range from confiscation of property or capital punishment, in the presence of burning sand or rain falling from the sky. The middle ring is for people that commits suicide, violence on one’s self or their own property, and have been turned into bushes and trees. The outer ring holds the murders that showed violence against others and their property. The punishment was sinking into a river of boiling blood and fire. All of the punishments are getting worse as you go down to the pits of Hell. Dante’s emotional reactions to these punishments of the seventh circle varies from neutral observation of the murderers and suicidal to reflect the defeat or personal disgrace of the Christian …show more content…
The punishment is determined according to the relationship to the victim. In circle eight there are 10 stony ditches with bridges between them. Dante sees of course 10 different visions. They include seducers, flatters, guilty, false prophets, corrupt politicians and a few more. The ninth circle of hell is the most complex and the deepest circle that can be reached as a sinner that has committed treachery. The people that are placed in this circle have the most connection with the bible. It is divided into 4 parts with the leaders being Caina, Anthenor, Ptolomaea and Judecca. Some of the divisions are named after Cain and Judas in the bible. There are also Giants that connect circles 8 and 9. They stand on circle 9, or even on a ledge above the floors of hell, tower up to circle 8 where Dante has mistaken them for towers. They are gathered from both biblical and classical stories and examples of defiant rebels. Works Cited "9 Circles of Hell (Dante's Inferno)." - History Lists, 31 Jan. 2004. Web. 09 Nov. 2014. Alcorn J. Suffering in Hell. Pedagogy [serial online]. Winter2013 2013;13(1):77-85. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 2, 2014 Bloom H. Dante's Inferno [e-book]. New York: Chelsea House Publishers; 1996. Available from: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 9, 2014 Dante's Inferno