Divine Comedy Inferno Purgatorio and Paradiso Made Easy

Dante’s Divine Comedy Summary

In Dante’s Inferno, he finds himself lost in the forest and realizes that he has died.  Virgil helps him on his journey, accompanying him throughout Inferno and Purgatorio. He encounters the horrors happening within Inferno and goes through the nine circles of it. We will take a closer look at each of the circles of hell and determine their specifics and differences, as well as look at Dante’s Inferno—Satan himself. Purgatorio is a part of The Divine Comedy in which Dante and Virgil travel through the seven terraces of the mountain, each of them representing a deadly sin. In Paradiso, the main character, with the guidance of his beloved Beatrice, travel through the nine celestial spheres of Heaven. As opposed to Inferno and Purgatorio, in the last part of the poem the protagonist encounters virtues, not sins.

Inferno Summary

The first part of The Divine Comedy begins with Dante lost in a forest. He is confused and does not know how he got there:

His journey is an autobiographical portrayal where he includes many of his enemies and historical figures of the past to all intervene in a complicated world of Heaven and Hell. He is spiritually lost and is in need of guidance to find the way of righteousness to God—called the “True Way”. When he goes through the circles of Hell, he is often portrayed as having pity and compassion for the sinners. He realizes that they are guilty of their sins, but he still believes in the good in them and finds their suffering devastating. He is also terrified by all the horrors he encounters in Inferno and seems a little frightened. Though, Dante is very curious, so he attempts to talk with a lot of the sinners along his way. In this quote from Dante’s Inferno, we can see the vulnerability and sensitivity with which the protagonist speaks of his emotions throughout the journey. His compassion and love for the poor souls chained in Dante’s Inferno shows him as a good Christian and God-fearing man.

In the forest, he sees a mountain nearby and tries to climb it, but his path is blocked by a lion, a leopard, and a wolf. A spirit of Virgil, an Ancient Roman poet whose major work is titled Aenid, comes to help him get through this obstacle and lead him through Inferno and Purgatorio to Heaven. Virgil is a brave and courageous soul. He represents human reason and wisdom acquired throughout the ages. On their journey through Inferno they meet many beasts and scary creatures, but Virgil stands up to each and every one one of them. He is also incredibly smart and intelligent; he can trick any creature into helping them because he is a gifted speaker. He is a good friend as he supports Dante and comforts him when he feels scared or uneasy about the challenges he faces throughout Inferno and Purgatorio. Virgil understands that Dante and his fate are dependent on him. Despite this, he is fair to Dante, scolds him when he gets too soft, and pities the sinners a little too much. He encourages him to be strong and brave:

First Circle – Limbo

The first circle consists not of sinners, but people who are not baptized; either they lived before Christ when baptism had not yet spread, or they never got baptized. They reside in a castle with seven gates, symbols of the seven virtues. Technically, it is an inferior form of Heaven where pagans are stuck and punished for eternity. Here, Dante and Virgil meet many Greek and Roman philosophers, poets, and artists, such as Homer, Ovid, Socrates, Cicero, and even Julius Cesar. Virgil is one of them, which he explains in the following quote:

Second Circle – Lust

The second circle has a more traditional appearance of Hell. It is dark, full of screaming noises, and suffering. Near the entrance to the second circle stands Minos, a huge beast who decides where souls should be sent for torment. The second circle holds people who were lustful throughout their lives. They are punished by strong winds blown over them, throwing them back and forth. These winds symbolize the restlessness and instability of people guilty of lust. Dante and Virgil notice many people of Greek and Roman antiquity, mythology and history—such as Cleopatra, Tristan, and Helen of Troy. Among other sinners punished for lust, they meet the souls of Paolo and Francesca da Rimini—a couple condemned to Hell for their adultery and numerous love affairs. Francesca explains:

Third Circle – Gluttony

In the third circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil encounter souls whose sin is gluttony. A worm-monster, Cerberus, watches over them. They are punished with icy, slushy rain that pours all over them without stopping. They are not permitted to stand, so the slushy water covers their entire body as they lie. The slushy rain is a symbol of personal destruction and the inability to stop eating. People who are in this circle of Inferno have weak will and cannot resist the earthly pleasures of indulgence—food and drinks. Here, the protagonist meets the soul Ciacco, his political opponent from Florence.

Fourth Circle – Greed

The fourth circle of Dante’s Inferno is guarded by Pluto, a Roman god of the underworld who is also regarded as the god of wealth. Here, the sinners are divided into two groups: those who hoarded their possessions, and those who spent sumptuously. Their punishment is to push very heavy weights up a mountain—mostly boulders, which symbolize their lust for never-ending money and possessions. There, Dante recognizes many people he is familiar with, such as clergymen, popes, and cardinals—all of whom have been greedy throughout their lifetime.

Fifth Circle – Anger

In this circle of hell, Dante and Virgil encounter people who are guilty of wrath and fury. Those found guilty of being angry and impatient are immersed in the river Styx, or simply are forced to fight among each other on its surface. They gurgle the water of the river, struggle, and drown. The water is made up of a black toxic liquid and they are left there to suffer. Dante encounters another political enemy of his, Filippo Argenti, who confiscated his possessions when he was banished from Florence. He tries to climb up into a boat, but gets pushed away.

Phlegyas is the boatman who helps Dante and Virgil get across this river. They are stopped by a group of fallen angels. Furies threatens to summon Medusa so that she can turn Dante into stone, because he does not belong in the world of the dead. An angel arrives and opens the gate for them before Medusa is able to get to them.

Sixth Circle – Heresy

The sixth circle of Inferno is for heretics – people who have contrary opinions to Christian beliefs. There, they lie in tombs that burn them alive. Dante talks with Farinata degli Uberti, a political leader and his contemporary, who did not believe in God. He also sees Epicurus, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, and Pope Anastasius II.

Seventh Circle – Violence

The passage to the seventh circle is blocked by a Minotaur—half-man, half-bull. Virgil insults him, and the minotaur bursts into a violent outrage, letting Dante and Virgil sneak past him. The seventh circle of Hell of Dante’s Inferno is divided into three rings. Nessus is a centaur who carries the protagonist through the first ring. In this circle, they see a forest inhabited by harpies – mythological creatures with birds’ bodies and womens’ heads. Dante tears off a branch from a tree that shrieks in horror and pain. The tree turns out to be the soul of Pier della Vigna. He ended his life because he was accused of conspiracy against the emperor. They blinded him for treason and threw him into jail where he killed himself. He explains that all the souls who commit suicide are kept in the seventh circle and become trees. There, their leaves are eaten by harpies, which cause the trees a lot of pain.

In order to get from the seventh to the eighth circle of Inferno, Virgil and Dante get help from Geryon – a giant Monster of the Fraud. He has a dragon-like body and wings, the paws of a lion, and a human face.

Eighth Circle – Fraud

This circle is divided up into ten Bolgias – ditches with bridges between them, that are placed around a circular well. Malacoda is the leader who guards the entrance to the eighth circle of Hell. He lies and deceives both the poet and Virgil by telling them that there are bridges in this circle, and that they have nothing to worry about. Nonetheless, their path is very dangerous. Each Bolgia has different kinds of people who sin is fraud:

They encounter panderers, seducers, sorcerers, false prophets, corrupt politicians, hypocrites, thieves, evil counselors and advisers, alchemists, counterfeits, and perjurers. Pope Boniface VIII, Dante’s political enemy, is among the sinners they meet in this circle. In the journey from the eighth to the ninth of Dante’s Inferno circles of hell, they get help from Antaeus, a giant who carries them down the well, which is the path to the ninth, and final circle of Hell.

Ninth Circle – Treachery

This circle is made up of a lake – Cocytus. The sinners here are submerged in ice, only their heads stick out. Dante sees Bocca degli Abati, a Florentine traitor, who is so ashamed of his sins, he does not want to tell Dante his name, at first. As Dante and Virgil proceed through the lake, they see the giant figure of Lucifer, also stuck in ice. Lucifer is the Prince of Hell. He has three mouths, and in each of them he holds a sinner: Judas, Brutus and Cassius: