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The renowned poet [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]] did the first [[American]] translation of ''Dante's Inferno'', in 1867.

The renowned poet [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]] did the first [[American]] translation of ''Dante's Inferno'', in 1867.

The third circle of Hell punishes gluttony, which can make reading ''Dante's Inferno'' a terrific alternative to eating and drinking more, and overcoming other [[addiction]]s.

The third circle of Hell punishes gluttony, which can make reading ''Dante's Inferno'' a terrific alternative to eating excessively and drinking [[alcohol]], and overcoming other [[addiction]]s.

==Structure of Hell==

==Structure of Hell==

===The gate of Hell===

===The gate of Hell===

At the gate of Hell there is an inscription, famously ending 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here', because those condemned to Hell have lost their chance of salvation for good. Beyond the gate is the river [[Acheron]], the first of four rivers in Hell. As in classical mythology, [[Charon]] the ferryman carries the souls of the dead across the river. Gathered on the near bank are the Futile, souls of the dead who did nothing remarkable in their lives and are condemned to be forgotten.

At the gate of [[Hell]] there is an inscription, famously ending 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here', because those condemned to Hell have lost their chance of salvation for good. Beyond the gate is the river [[Acheron]], the first of four rivers in Hell. As in classical mythology, [[Charon]] the ferryman carries the souls of the dead across the river. Gathered on the near bank are the Futile, souls of the dead who did nothing remarkable in their lives and are condemned to be forgotten.

===Limbo===

===Limbo===

The first circle of Hell is [[Limbo]], home to those who led good lives but were not Christians, so cannot enter Heaven. Although it is in Hell, Limbo is relatively pleasant - the only punishment is disappointment and regret. Limbo in the Divine Comedy is analogous to the [[Elysian Fields]] in classical mythology.

The first circle of Hell is [[Limbo]], home to those who led good lives but were not [[Christian]]s, so they cannot enter [[Heaven]]. Although it is in Hell, Limbo is relatively pleasant - the only punishment is disappointment and regret. Limbo in the Divine Comedy is analogous to the [[Elysian Fields]] in classical mythology.

[[Image:Ferdinand_Victor_Delacroix_006.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Dante and Virgil are ferried across the River [[Styx]], towards the City of Dis: ''And thus the good instructor: "Now, my son, / Draws near the city, that of Dis is named"'' (Canto VIII) (Illustration by [[Eugene Delacroix]]).]]

[[Image:Ferdinand_Victor_Delacroix_006.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Dante and Virgil are ferried across the River [[Styx]], towards the City of Dis: ''And thus the good instructor: "Now, my son, / Draws near the city, that of Dis is named"'' (Canto VIII) (Illustration by [[Eugene Delacroix]]).]]

===The lesser circles===

===The lesser circles===

The next four circles are known as 'lesser Hell,' because the sins that are punished there are the result of weakness rather than malicious intent. These are:

The next four circles are known as 'lesser Hell,' because the sins that are punished there resulted from weakness rather than malicious intent. These are:

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{| class="wikitable"

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The seventh circle is split into three regions, where different forms of violence are punished:

The seventh circle is split into three regions, where different forms of violence are punished:

* Violence against others, including tyranny, is punished in [[Phlegethon]], the river of fire. This river runs right round the outer edge of the seventh circle and then down towards the center of the pit.

* Violence against others, including tyranny, is punished in [[Phlegethon]], the river of fire. This river runs right around the outer edge of the seventh circle and then down towards the center of the pit.

* Violence against oneself. On the inner bank of Phlegethon is a wood, where the trees turn out to be [[suicide]]s who have been condemned to give up their human form. Wanton spendthrifts (mainly compulsive [[gambling|gamblers]]) are also punished here, pursued through the wood by harpies.

* Violence against oneself. On the inner bank of Phlegethon is a wood, where the trees turn out to be [[suicide]]s who have been condemned to give up their human form. Wanton spendthrifts (mainly compulsive [[gambling|gamblers]]) are also punished here, pursued through the wood by harpies.

* Violence against [[God]] or nature. This category includes [[blasphemy|blasphemers]], [[Usury|usurers]] and [[homosexuals]]. All are punished in a desert of unbearable heat where fire rains from the sky.

* Violence against [[God]] or nature. This category includes [[blasphemy|blasphemers]], [[Usury|usurers]] and [[homosexuals]]. All are punished in a desert of unbearable heat where fire rains from the sky.

|-

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| [[Sorcery]] and soothsaying

| [[Sorcery]] and soothsaying

| Heads twisted backwards

| Heads twisted backward

|-

|-

| [[Barratry]]

| [[Barratry]]

|}

|}

These sins are known as minor fraud, as distinct from treachery (see below), which is considered a worse form of fraud. The imaginative, cruel and grotesque punishments of the eighth circle provide some of the most enduring images in the Inferno, and are what most people have in mind when they think of the works of Dante.

These sins are known as minor fraud, as distinct from treachery (see below), which is considered a worse form of fraud. The imaginative, cruel and grotesque punishments of the eighth circle provide some of the most enduring images in the Inferno and are what most people have in mind when they think of the works of Dante.

[[Image:Gfdyte7y6.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Satan in the Ninth Circle of Hell: ''That Emperor, who sways / The realm of sorrow, at mid breast from the ice / Stood forth'' (Canto XXXIV)]]

[[Image:Gfdyte7y6.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Satan in the Ninth Circle of Hell: ''That Emperor, who sways / The realm of sorrow, at mid breast from the ice / Stood forth'' (Canto XXXIV)]]

In the ultimate depths of this circle, the travelers come upon [[Satan]] and the three worst human offenders: [[Judas Iscariot]], [[Brutus]] and [[Cassius]]. Satan is depicted as a three-headed, winged [[demon]] of immense size, yet at the same time he is a pathetic figure: he is unable to move except to beat his wings ineffectually, and he cries constantly. The three worst traitors are punished by being chewed by Satan himself, and Judas, as the worst of all, is also lacerated by Satan's claws.

In the ultimate depths of this circle, the travelers come upon [[Satan]] and the three worst human offenders: [[Judas Iscariot]], [[Brutus]] and [[Cassius]]. Satan is depicted as a three-headed, winged [[demon]] of immense size, yet at the same time he is a pathetic figure: he is unable to move except to beat his wings ineffectually, and he cries constantly. The three worst traitors are punished by being chewed by Satan himself, and Judas, as the worst of all, is also lacerated by Satan's claws.

In Dante’s time, [[Julius Caesar]] was honored as the first emperor of Rome, and Rome brought the ‘[[Pax Romana]]’. Hence, his assassins Brutus and Cassius are seen as having betrayed the divinely-ordained natural order.<ref>[[The Divine Comedy]], By Dante Alighieri, Translated by Charles Singleton, Bollingen Series 80, Vol 1: Inferno. Copyright 1970 by Princeton University Press.</ref>

In Dante’s time, [[Julius Caesar]] was honored as the first emperor of Rome, and Rome brought the ‘[[Pax Romana]]’. Hence, his assassins Brutus and Cassius are seen as having betrayed the divinely ordained natural order.<ref>[[The Divine Comedy]], By Dante Alighieri, Translated by Charles Singleton, Bollingen Series 80, Vol 1: Inferno. Copyright 1970 by Princeton University Press.</ref>

==Denizens of Hell==

==Denizens of Hell==

Some notable encounters are:

Some notable encounters are:

* [[Ulysses]], who is punished in the eighth circle for his role in the [[Trojan War]] (Dante sympathised with the Trojans as the ancestors of the founders of [[Rome]]).

* [[Ulysses]], who is punished in the eighth circle for his role in the [[Trojan War]] (Dante sympathized with the Trojans as the ancestors of the founders of [[Rome]]).

* Brunetto Latini, a teacher of Dante's, who is punished for his homosexuality in the seventh circle.

* Brunetto Latini, a teacher of Dante's, who is punished for his homosexuality in the seventh circle.

* [[Mohammed]], who is punished as a sunderer in the eighth circle. As the founder of [[Islam]], his is blamed for leading many people away from Christianity. However, not all Muslims are treated so badly - some are allowed a place in Limbo, which means they committed no sin other than lacking the correct faith.

* [[Mohammed]], who is punished as a sunderer in the eighth circle. As the founder of [[Islam]], he is blamed for leading many people away from Christianity. However, not all Muslims are treated so badly - some are allowed a place in Limbo, which means they committed no sin other than lacking the correct faith.

* Various [[Pope]]s - Dante took an extremely dim view of what he saw as the corrupt nature of the [[Church]] at the time.

* Various [[Pope]]s - Dante took an extremely dim view of what he saw as the corrupt nature of the [[Church]] at the time.

The degree of ''contrapasso'' varies from one punishment to the next. In some cases, such as the schismatics already mentioned, or the [[hypocrites]] who are crushed under lead cloaks with a thin layer of gold on the outside, the association is very direct. In others, it is more oblique; for example, the souls of the lustful are blown about by a wind, which some commentators see as representing how, in life, they were buffeted by the caprice of their own emotions. In still other cases, it is hard to see any correspondence at all - for example, [[barratry|barraters]] are boiled in tar, which is obviously painful but has little to do with political corruption.  

The degree of ''contrapasso'' varies from one punishment to the next. In some cases, such as the schismatics already mentioned, or the [[hypocrites]] who are crushed under lead cloaks with a thin layer of gold on the outside, the association is very direct. In others, it is more oblique; for example, the souls of the lustful are blown about by a wind, which some commentators see as representing how, in life, they were buffeted by the caprice of their own emotions. In still other cases, it is hard to see any correspondence at all - for example, [[barratry|barraters]] are boiled in tar, which is obviously painful but has little to do with political corruption.  

This variation could be seen as a good example of the inconsistency of style that characterises the Divine Comedy as a whole (see the discussion on [[The Divine Comedy#Style(s)|styles]] in the main article).

This variation could be seen as a good example of the inconsistency of style that characterizes the Divine Comedy as a whole (see the discussion on [[The Divine Comedy#Style(s)|styles]] in the main article).

== In Popular Culture ==

== In Popular Culture ==

A 2002 best-selling mystery novel by Matthew Pearl, ''The Dante Club,'' is a piece of historical fiction set in [[Boston]] in 1865. It is based partly on real events; the Dante Club was real, the mystery story is not. At the time, not many people in the [[United States]] knew [[Italian]] or Dante's work. A group of writers formed a club to translate Dante's work and promote his importance. Three of them were [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]], [[Oliver Wendell Holmes]], and [[James Russell Lowell]]. Like Dante's work itself, it has frightening and gruesome scenes, but is rich in historical background.

A 2002 best-selling mystery novel by Matthew Pearl, ''The Dante Club,'' is a piece of historical fiction set in [[Boston]] in 1865. It is based partly on real events; the Dante Club was real, but the mystery story is not. At the time, not many people in the [[United States]] knew [[Italian]] or Dante's work. A group of writers formed a club to translate Dante's work and promote his importance. Three of them were [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]], [[Oliver Wendell Holmes]], and [[James Russell Lowell]]. Like Dante's work itself, it has frightening and gruesome scenes but is rich in historical background.

== References ==

== References ==