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Upper Hell (first five circles): Incontinence/lack of restraint (physical and intellectual) Lower Hell: sin of rejection Aristotles Three Dispositions: Incontinence, Malice (violence), Insane Brutality (Fraud) Midway through life Dante is lost in the dark woods of sin and corruption. He attempts to climb up the hill leading towards righteousness but is hindered by his earthly desires (left foot) and stopped by a leopard (lust), lion (pride), and she-wolf (avarice). Virgil appears and offers to guide him through another route through Hell. Dante invokes the Muses to tell his tale and questions his ability to go through Hell: only two people (Apostle Paul and Aeneas) returned from the afterlife. Virgil tells him that three holy women including Beatrice sent Virgil to act as a guide and are watching him. They pass through the Gates of Hell and its inscription, entering the Ante-Inferno where people and angels who chose no definite side are stuck chasing after a meaningless banner. Upon meeting Charon at the river Acheron, Virgil tells Dante that he wont go to Hell. a. Inscription implies that God created Hell seeking justice (sin punished, virtue rewarded) They enter the First Circle/Limbo, where people who lived before Christianity. Philosophers/intellectuals like Virgil reside there, doomed to finally know about God but not be with. The philosophers live in a realm of light/sight amidst the rest of dark/unknown in Limbo. Second Circle: Lustful (sins of flesh). Minos assigns the sinners their circles here, portraying divine justice. Dante feels sympathy for the people here (Helen, Cleopatra etc.) because they were damned by love (alluding to his own love for Beatrice despite marriage). Francesca tells her story about her love for her husbands brother which led to their death. The lustful are endlessly caught turbulent in a storm of warring winds similar to being swept up with their desire. Third Circle: Gluttonous. Rain still falls, but rain of filth and excrement. Cerberus the guard dog is stopped when fed with the meat of the earth. The shades here are flailed by cold and filthy rain and tormented by Cerberus. Ciacco foretells the future of Florence. Dante himself partakes in gluttony with his persistent questioning. Three animals mentioned again. Fourth Circle. They pass the demon Plutus and Dante cries blasphemy (to the reader) about what he sees. The Avaricious (hoarders) and Prodigal (squanders) are punished to an eternal jousting match they call out each others sins. The shades are unable to discern here because they could not discern during their life (to save or to spend), and Virgil tells the tale of Fortune, who transfers worldly goods between parts of the world by the word of God. They descend to the Fifth Circle and encounter the River Styx where the Wrathful and Sullen lay. The Wrathful face each others wrath eternally and the sullen sulk, immersed in the black slime of the River Styx. Boatman Phlegyas takes them across the Styx. Dantes character changes here as he gladly watches Filippo Argenti undergo his punishment, mirroring the sin of Wrath. They approach the city of Dis Lower Hell. Virgil attempts entrance, but is refused by fallen angels and demons. The three Furies invoke Medusa, but Virgil protects Dante. Dante speaks to the reader. A heavenly messenger allows them access into Dis and into the Sixth Circle of the Heretics (whose did not believe in God). Sixth Circle: tombs of Heretics. The Epicureans, those who pursued pleasure in present life because they believed that the soul died with the body, are unable to see present and only future. Seventh Circle, Pope Anastasius tomb. Virgil and Dante pause to accustom themselves to the overpowering stench. The Seventh Circle is split into three levels of violence against neighbor, oneself, and God. The last two circles address the sins worse than any violence fraud. Eighth Circle: normal fraud (natural trust between people). Ninth Circle: betrayal (trust between kin/country/etc.). In the First Ring of Seventh Circle they encounter the Minotaur and pass the river of blood, Phlegethon, which boils the Tryants and Murderers whose violence hurt others. They encounter centaurs and Chiron, who shoot any who rise out of the blood. Chiron assigns Nessus to guide. In the Second Ring of Seventh Circle they cross a dreary wood full of those who inflicted violence upon themselves and their souls (Suicides) and those who inflicted violence against their possession (Squanderers). The Harpies feed upon the foliage of the souls, creating pain. When all souls retrieve their bodies (Last Judgment), these wont be able to because they rejected their body during life. Two shades that deliberately committed spendthrift also are chased by black dogs, eventually rendered to pieces. First Zone of Third Ring of Seventh Circle: violence against God. The desert of red-hot sand that they find is divided into three zones, with rain of fire falling throughout all three. Blasphemers in the First Zone

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lie supine in the sand. They encounter Capaneus, one of the kings who besieged Thebes, who boasted blasphemously that he couldnt be defeated until Jupiter final killed him. They encounter Phlegethon again, as well as the broken statue of an *Old Man from which the rivers of Hell flow*. Second Zone of Third Ring of Seventh Circle: violence against gods child, nature, Sodomites (unnatural sex and homosexuals) who move restlessly about. They meet Dantes old mentor, Brunetto Latini, stressing irony and divine justice. Tension between poet and pilgrim is created. Still Second Zone: A group of Florentines (Guelph politicians) approach. Virgil takes Dantes belt and throws it into a ravine to signal Geryon. Third Zone of Third Ring of Seventh Circle: Virgil speaks to Geryon while Dante explores, meeting those who were violent against Gods grandchild, art (Usurers/money lenders). They sit beneath the rain of fire with bags of money around their necks bearing their family emblems. They ride Geryon into the Eighth Circle of Hell. Maleboge (Evil Pouches), outside Eighth Circle: The circle is divided into ten separate pits/pouches in which the sinners receive their punishments of normal fraud. The First Pouch contains sinners (slave drivers) constantly running as they are whipped by demons, consisting of Panders (Pimps) and Seducers. Jason (who abandoned Medea after she helped him find Golden Fleece) is here. Second Pouch has stench of human excrement: Flatterers (full of it) are plunged. Third Pouch: Simonists (used Church for money and power) are punished in openings like the ones in the baptismal fonts, stuck headfirst into pits with their feet burned . Dante the writer may be attempting to clear his name here using the broken baptismal because he may have been accused of impiety for attacking the sacred object. One of the sinners mistakes Dante for Pope Boniface (Dantes enemy), foretelling his death. Catholic Church is criticized here. Fourth Pouch: Dante talks to Reader, spotting the mute sinners whose head are twisted backwards deprived of forward vision. He feels pity, but Virgil rebukes him. Virgil identifies Astrologers, Diviners, or Magicians who attempted to foretell in their life and are now condemned to looking backward for the rest of time. Fifth Pouch: full of astounding darkness, Barrators/Barterers (who accepted bribes) are plunged into boiling pitch and guarded by demons armed with prongs. An escort of demons guide them. Still Fifth Pouch: They converse with one of the sinners while he is punished. The sinners trick the demons into falling inside the pitch. Dante stresses the punishment of the barterers because he was exiled for it. The demons from the Fifth Pouch, embarrassed, chase after Virgil and Dante. They quickly reach the Sixth Pouch, where Hypocrites are doomed to trudging along in a circle, clothed in hats, cowls, and capes lined with lead that renders them massively heavy. One of the sinners, high priest Caiphus, is crucified on the ground and trampled over by the Hypocrites (Caiphus called for the crucifixion of Christ). Virgil learns that the demons from before lied to them about the proper route of getting to the next part of Hell. They climb their way to the Seventh Pouch, Virgil urging Dante on when he runs out of breath. They enter the Seventh Pouch and encounter serpents chasing after naked sinners, binding their hands and legs . One of the serpents bites a sinner between the shoulders: he catches fire, burning up, but rises from the ashes to return to the pit again. They speak to the soul, who identifies himself as Vanni Fucci (Dante knew him). He was put in Hell for being a Thief. Angered that Dante has witnessed his grief, Fucci foretells the defeat of Dantes political party at Pistoia. Still Seventh Pouch: Fucci curses God and continues to be punished, this time around Dante relishing the sight. They meet centaur Cacu who committed theft and fraud. They encounter three souls with a giant serpent wrapped so tightly around one of them that they merged to become a single creature. Another reptile bits one of the two watching souls, and they trade form. Having stolen in life, they must constantly steal one anothers forms and constantly have their own forms stolen from them. Dante elevates himself by alluding to other poets (Ovid and Lucan). Still Seventh Pouch: Dante recognizes the five thieves as Florentines and sarcastically praises Florentine. Virgil guides him along the edges of Eighth Pouch containing flames inside a deep, dark, valley. Each flame has one sinner (Fraudulent Counselors, political cunning) except for Ulysses and Diomedes contained together. Virgil speaks to Ulysses in place of Dante, who tells his tale. Dante takes a jab at antiquity (ancient times) and precedes Christian values with Ulysses. Still Eighth Pouch: They continue, but are stopped by Guido da Montefeltro who only tells Dante his name and tale because he believes that Dante will never leave and wont be able to spread word of his infamy. Dante updates Guido on the current political affairs, showing Guidos misguided patriotism.

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Ninth Pouch: Sowers of Scandal and Schism circle perpetually, bearing wounds worse than those suffered at the battles of Troy and Ceparano. A devil splits open each sinner who walks by, but their wounds close up only to be struck again once they circle back. One of the sinners is Mohammed, Muslim prophet and Ali. People ask Dante to deliver messages, including foretells. Still Ninth Pouch: Virgil reprimands Dante for watching the wounded for so long, but Dante continues for a little while longer to encounter Geri de Bello, an unavenged ancestor. They spot the Tenth Pouch, divided into four zones. First Zone has Falsifiers of Metals huddled in heaps on the ground scratching at scabs that cover them head to toe. He meets Italians Griffolino who practiced alchemy and Capocchio who was also an alchemist. Second Zone of Tenth Pouch of Eighth Circle: Falsifiers. Dante refers to a tale of antiquity where humans turned on each other like animals, but here the Countefeiters of Others Persons tear at each other with their teeth. He spots, Myrrha, who lusted after her father and disguised herself as another in order to gratify her lust. In Third Zone, Countefeiters of Coins are racked with thirst. Fourth Zone resides Countefeiters of Words/Liars. Virgil warns Dante and the reader against tarrying because the desire to witness Hell and know about its inhabitants must not become a form of voyeurism (we must not watch torture merely for the sake of watching it) this creates irony with Dante the poet encouraging it with his imagery and description. Center of Eighth Circle: They approach to encounter giants whose feet stand in the Ninth Circle. Nimrod, who helped build the Tower of Babel and brought different languages to the world, speaks gibberish. Antaeus takes them down to the Ninth Circle, realm of Traitors. First Ring of Ninth Circle (Caina): Dante cant describe terror of what he sees adequately. Approach a frozen lake (Cocytus). Traitors to their kin stand frozen up to their heads in the ice. Dante accidently kicks one of the sinners, but upon apologizing he recognizes him to be Bocca degli Abati, an Italian traitor. He instead threatens Abati and tears some of his hair. Reaching Second Ring (Antenora), they discover those who betrayed their homeland/party. Dante spots one of the sinners gnawing at anothers. Still Second Ring of Ninth Circle (Antenora): Gnawing sinner identifies as Count Ugolino: he is chewing Archbishop Ruggieri. Traitor Archbishop had started Ugolino and his sons until Ugol ino ate his sons corpses in hunger. Dante rants about Pisa, a community remained unpunished despite its scandals. They reach Third Ring (Ptolomea) which houses those who betrayed their guests. They lie on their backs in the frozen lake, with only their faces poking out of the ice. Virgil and Dante encounter Alberigo and dOria with horror: they havent died on Earth yet, but their crimes were so great that devils occupied their bodies aboveground and their souls entered Hell before their time. They near the last ring. Fourth Ring (Judecca): Dante becomes aware of a shape in the distance, but notices Traitors against their Benefactors completely covered in ice. Upon nearing, he recognizes the shape and the sight unnerves Dante to a point where he doesnt kno w whether he is alive or dead. The figure identifies to be Lucifer/Dis/Satan (several names because one does not do justice). Lucifer has three faces, each mouth holding the three greatest sinners of history: Brutus and Cassius are on the left and right for murdering Julius Caesar (they appear with heads out). Judas (betrayed his master Jesus) is lodged headfirst. Virgil grabs hold of Dante and climbs onto Lucifer lowering under the lake, through the center of Earth and up again to emerge on the opposite side from which they began their journey.