Assignment in
ENGLISH
Kreziah Jaine Galanga
(10- Amethyst)
Mr. A.H. Marasigan
(English Teacher)
Assignment in
ENGLISH
Hannah Marcelino
10- Amethyst
Mr. A.H. Marasigan
English Teacher
9 Circles of Hell
(Dante’s Inferno)
Inferno, the first part of Dante's Divine
Comedy that inspired the latest Dan
Brown's bestseller of the same title
describes the poet's vision of Hell. The story
begins with the narrator (who is the poet
himself) 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.
First Circle (Limbo)
- Dante’s First Circle of Hell is resided by 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. Here, Dante
sees many prominent people from classical
antiquity such as Homer, Socrates, Aristotle,
Cicero, Hippocrates and Julius Caesar.
Second Circle (Lust)
- In the Second Circle of Hell, Dante and his
companion Virgil find people who were overcome
by lust. They are punished by being 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. Again,
Dante sees many notable people from history and
mythology including Cleopatra, Tristan, Helen of
Troy and others who were adulterous during
their lifetime.
Third Circle (Gluttony
- When reaching the Third Circle of Hell, Dante
and Virgil find souls of gluttons who are
overlooked by a worm-monster Cerberus. Sinners
in this circle of Hell are punished by being forced
to lie in a vile slush that is produced by never
ending icy rain. The vile slush symbolizes
personal degradation of one who overindulges in
food, drink and other worldly pleasures, while the
inability to see others lying nearby represents the
gluttons’ selfishness and coldness. Here, Dante
speaks to a character called Ciacco who also tells
him that the Guelphs (a fraction supporting the
Pope) will defeat and expel the Ghibellines (a
fraction supporting the Emperor to which Dante
adhered) from Florence which happened in
1302, before the poem was written (after 1308).
Fourth Circle (Greed)
- In the Fourth Circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil see
the souls of people who are punished for greed.
They are divided into two groups – those who
hoarded possessions and those who lavishly
spent it – jousting. They use great weights as a
weapon, pushing it with their chests which
symbolizes their selfish drive for fortune during
lifetime. The two groups that are guarded by a
character called Pluto (probably the ancient
Greek ruler of the underworld) are so occupied
with their activity that the two poets don’t try to
speak to them. Here, Dante says to see many
clergymen including cardinals and popes.
Fifth Circle (Anger)
- The Fifth Circle of Hell is where the wrathful and
sullen are punished for their sins. Transported
on a boat by Phlegyas, Dante and Virgil see the
wrathful fighting each other on the surface of the
river Styx and the sullen gurgling beneath the
surface of the water. Again, the punishment
reflects the type of the sin committed during
lifetime. While passing through, the poets are
approached by Filippo Argenti, a prominent
Florentine politician who confiscated Dante’s
property after his expulsion from Florence.
Sixth Circle (Heresy)
- When reaching the Sixth Circle of Hell, Dante
and Virgil see heretics who are condemned to
eternity in flaming tombs. Here, Dante talks with
a couple of Florentines – Farinata degli Uberti
and Cavalcante de’ Cavalcanti – but he also sees
other notable historical figures including the
ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, Holy Roman
Emperor Frederick II and Pope Anastasius II. The
latter, however, is according to some modern
scholars condemned by Dante as heretic by a
mistake. Instead, as some scholars argue, the
poet probably meant the Byzantine Emperor
Anastasius I.
Seventh Circle (Violence)
- The Seventh Circle of Hell is divided into three
rings. The Outer Ring houses murderers and
others who were violent to other people and
property. Here, Dante sees Alexander the Great
(disputed), Dionysius I of Syracuse, Guy de
Montfort and many other notable historical and
mythological figures such as the Centaurus, sank
into a river of boiling blood and fire. In the
Middle Ring, the poet sees suicides who have
been turned into trees and bushes which are fed
upon by harpies. But he also sees here
profligates, chased and torn to pieces by dogs. In
the Inner Ring are blasphemers and sodomites,
residing in a desert of burning sand and burning
rain falling from the sky.
Eight Circle (Fraud)
- The Eight Circle of Hell is resided by the
fraudulent. Dante and Virgil reach it on the back
of Geryon, a flying monster with different
natures, just like the fraudulent. This circle of
Hell is divided into 10 Bolgias or stony ditches
with bridges between them. In Bolgia 1, Dante
sees panderers and seducer. In Bolgia 2 he finds
flatterers. After crossing the bridge to Bolgia 3,
he and Virgil see those who are guilty of simony.
After crossing another bridge between the
ditches to Bolgia 4, they find sorcerers and false
prophets. In Bolgia 5 are housed corrupt
politicians, in Bolgia 6 are hypocrites and in the
remaining 4 ditches, Dante finds hypocrites
(Bolgia 7), thieves (Bolgia 7), evil counselors and
advisers (Bolgia 8), divisive individuals (Bolgia 9)
and various falsifiers such as alchemists,
perjurers and counterfeits (Bolgia 10).
Ninth Circle (Treachery)
- The last Ninth Circle of Hell is divided into 4
Rounds according to the seriousness of the sin
though all residents are frozen in an icy lake.
Those who committed more severe sin are deeper
within the ice. Each of the 4 Rounds is named
after an individual who personifies the sin. Thus
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, Round 3 is named
Ptolomaea after Ptolemy (son of Abubus), while
Round 4 is named Judecca after Judas Iscariot,
the apostle who betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
