DIVINA COMEDIA

(DIVINE COMEDY)
The Divine Comedy is
Dante's record of his
visionary journey through
the triple realms of Hell,
Purgatory and Paradise.
In Inferno and in the Purgatorio,
Dante is guided by Virgil, the
great poet of the Classical Roman
Empire
He explored the political,
ethical and religious issues of
his time.
Dante represents a 'party of one‘
He wanted to ‘purify’ the Church
and the Holy Roman Empire yet
caught between those two great
worldly powers, and turning to
literature to make his voice heard.
In the Paradiso, he was guided
by Beatrice, into the celestial
Paradise, where love, truth and
beauty intertwine in his great
vision of the Christian
revelation
9 CIRCLES
OF HELL
(INFERNO)
The story begins with the narrator being
lost in a dark wood where he is attacked
by three beasts which he cannot escape.
He is rescued by the Roman poet Virgil
who is sent by Beatrice (Dante's ideal
woman). Together, they begin the
journey into the underworld or the 9
Circles of Hell.

RESIDENTS: Virtuous non-
Christians and unbaptized
pagans who are punished
with eternity in an inferior
form of Heaven.
They live in a castle with
seven gates which
symbolize the seven
virtues.
WHO STAYS HERE? Many
prominent people from
classical antiquity such
as Homer, Socrates,
Aristotle, Cicero,
Hippocrates and Julius
Caesar.
 RESIDENTS: people who
were overcome by lust

HOW ARE THEY PUNISHED?

WHO STAYS HERE? many
notable people from history
and mythology including
Cleopatra, Tristan, Helen of
Troy and others who were
adulterous during their lifetime
blown violently back and
forth by strong winds,
preventing them to find
peace and rest. Strong
winds symbolize the
restlessness of a person
who is led by desire for
fleshly pleasures
 RESIDENTS: souls of gluttons
who are overlooked by a worm-
monster Cerberus

HOW ARE THEY PUNISHED?

forced to lie in a vile slush that
WHO STAYS HERE? Ciacco who is produced by never ending
tells him that the Guelphs (a icy rain. The vile slush
fraction supporting the Pope) symbolizes personal
will defeat and expel the degradation of one who
Ghibellines (a fraction overindulges in food, drink
supporting the Emperor) and other worldly pleasures
 RESIDENTS: souls of people who
are punished for greed. They
are divided into two groups –
those who hoarded possessions
and those who lavishly spent it

HOW ARE THEY PUNISHED?

WHO STAYS HERE? They use great weights as a
many clergymen weapon, pushing it with their
including cardinals and chests which symbolizes
popes their selfish drive for fortune
during lifetime.
 RESIDENTS: wrathful and
sullen

HOW ARE THEY PUNISHED?

WHO STAYS HERE? Filippo the wrathful fighting each
Argenti, a prominent Florentine other on the surface of the
politician who confiscated river Styx and the sullen
Dante’s property gurgling beneath the
surface of the water
 RESIDENTS: heretics

HOW ARE THEY

PUNISHED?
WHO STAYS HERE? ancient condemned to eternity in
Greek philosopher
Epicurus, Holy Roman flaming tombs
Emperor Frederick II
 RESIDENTS:
Outer Ring houses murderers
and others who were violent to
other people and property;

Middle Ring, the poet sees

suicides;

Inner Ring are blasphemers

and sodomites
HOW ARE THEY PUNISHED?
OR: sank into a river of boiling blood and fire
MR: turned into trees and bushes which are fed upon
by harpies
IR: residing in a desert of burning sand and burning
rain falling from the sky.

WHO STAYS HERE?

Outer ring: Alexander the Great (disputed), Dionysius
I of Syracuse, Guy de Montfort and many other
notable historical and mythological figures such as
the Centaurus
 RESIDENTS: fraudulent
Bolgia 1: panderers and seducer.
Bolgia 2: flatterers.
Bolgia 3: guilty of simony.
Bolgia 4: sorcerers and false prophets.
Bolgia 5: corrupt politicians
Bolgia 6: hypocrites
Bolgia 7: thieves
Bolgia 8: evil counselors and advisers
divided into 10 Bolgia 9: divisive individuals
Bolgias or stony Bolgia 10: various falsifiers such as
ditches with bridges
alchemists, perjurers and counterfeits
between them
 Round 1 is named Caina after Cain
who killed his brother Abel

Round 2 is named Antenora after

Anthenor of Troy who was Priam’s
counselor during the Trojan War
divided into 4 Rounds
according to the Round 3 is named Ptolomaea after
seriousness of the sin
though all residents are
Ptolemy (son of Abubus)
frozen in an icy lake.
Those who committed Round 4 is named Judecca after
more severe sin are Judas Iscariot, the apostle who
deeper within the ice. betrayed Jesus with a kiss.