Dante’s Inferno: Virtual Tour of Hell
Historical Context: “The Divine Comedy
(Italian: Divina Commedia), written by Dante
Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321, is
widely considered the central epic poem of Italian
literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works
of world literature. The poem's imaginative and
allegorical vision of the Christian afterlife is a culmination of the medieval world-view as it had
developed in the Western Church” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Comedy).
“The Divine Comedy is a narrative poem describing Dante's imaginary journey. Midway on his
journey through life Dante realizes he has taken the wrong path. The Roman poet Virgil searches for the
lost Dante at the request of his deceased wife, Beatrice; he finds Dante in the woods on the evening of
Good Friday in the year 1300 and serves as a guide as Dante begins his religious pilgrimage to find God.
To reach his goal, Dante passes through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise”
(http://www.enotes.com/inferno).
Task: Visit http://www.web.eku.edu/flash/inferno/ to take a virtual tour of Hell according to Dante’s
Inferno. Fill in the table below based on what you view on the website as you navigate through the
medieval view of hell. Answer the summary questions when you are done with the table.
Circle
Name of
Level/ Kind
of Sinners
Vestibule
One
Limbo
Two
The lustful
Three
The
gluttonous
Description of sinners found
there
Punishment
Other significant
features (symbols,
creatures)
Four
The
hoarders
Five
The wrathful
Six
The heretics
Seven The violent
1.
2.
3.
Eight
The
Fraudulent
Nine
Traitors
1.
2.
3.
4.
Summary Questions:
1. How is earthly happiness symbolized in hell and how is it achieved in the medieval view?
2. Where does Dante get many of the ideas for who is in hell from? List some examples. (Can we
say, “cultural diffusion” anyone?)
3. Did anything surprise you about what hell is like (according to Dante)?
4. If you lived in medieval Europe and read this book, what effect do you think it would it have on
you?
5. Do any modern-day stories have any similarities to the creatures from this story?
Other Websites to Check out!
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/inferno/summary.html