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The second  part of INFERNO- journey to hell.

Now Virgil guides Dante through the Nine circles of hell. Each circle has there own representative in which sinners are punished for their crimes for eternity.

NINE CIRCLES OF HELL.


1st circle of hell- LIMBO

Dante starts his journey with Virgil again, DANTE and Virgil move to the primary circle of hell called LIMBO. Here Virgil himself resides. The primary circle of hell contains the souls, who had no faith in God or they're non- Christians. Here souls feel neither sorrow nor happiness, they feel only a relentless calm. The souls live here with neither pleasure nor pain. These souls didn't do any crime after they are alive, but because that they had no faith in God, they were unable to travel to heaven. The main punishment for these souls is that they're unable to travel to heaven that's it. Mainly he saw the souls of artists or poets. He also saw the famous Socrates and Thals in limbo. Dante asks Virgil that had anyone left Limbo.

Virgil explains that Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Rachel, and lots of biblical figures were found during this circle of hell until Jesus arrived in LIMBO and acquired them to heaven (“Harrowing of Hell”).  In Divine Comedy, Virgil himself belongs to limbo because he lacks catholic faith.

“Harrowing of Hell” 

2nd circle of hell-LUST

After leaving the primary circle Dante and Virgil move towards the second circle called LUST. The particular punishment starts from this circle. They meet here with king MINOS who is a giant beast and stand at the second circle of hell, and decide where the souls of sinners shall be sent for punishment. This circle belongs to those sinners who were overcome by Lust or any relationship which is just associated with romanticism once they were alive. Here in this circle souls are punished by blown violently back and forth by strong wind so that they don't find peace and rest. Dante saw many famous figures like Dido, Tristan, Paris, and plenty of others who were overcome by love life during their life. In an epic poem, Dante believed that lust is that the sin that harms our soul.


3rd circle of hell -GLUTTONY

Moving forward after passing the 2nd circle Dante and Virgil reached the 3rd circle called GLUTTONY. In an epic poem, Gluttony means a good obsession with food or overconsumption of food. CERBERUS the three-headed beast of hell punished the sinners in Gluttony.

Sinners in Gluttony


4th circle of hell - GREED

Now Dante and Virgil move towards the 4th circle of hell called GREED. Here they meet PLUTO (the classical ruler of hell.) This circle belongs to greedy and selfish people. In this circle, souls push heavyweights with their chests, which show their selfish nature for fortune. Here Dante sees many pops and politicians. 

 5th circle of hell- ANGER

Now Dante and Virgil reached near Styx river where souls are fighting between themselves within the river, sinners were drowning, and therefore the constant feeling of drowning was their punishment. Phlegyas transports Dante and Virgil across the river. While crossing the river, Filippo came on the boat and ask Dante that you are simply  a living soul, then what are you doing in hell. Then Virgil pushes Filippo into the river.

SINNERS

ENTRANCE IN DIS

After passing the Styx river they reached the gate of DIS. Virgil introduces Dante that they're entering the town of dis. The wall of dis was protected by fallen angels, and that they didn't allow Dante and Virgil to enter. Virgil did not convince them. Here Dante was threatened by Furies and Medusa. Then an angel came from heaven and helped them to enter. In Divine Comedy, this shows the fact that the poem is all about coping with sins.

 6th circle of hell- HERESY

Now they entered six circles of hell called HERESY. They saw souls with their earthly bodies which are burning in tombs. This circle belongs to the souls who denied the existence of god or worship false gods, demons, or souls. Here Farinata Degli Uberti, a famous leader came to Dante and said that the souls in hell can tell you the future, but not the current. Now Dante and Virgil reached a mountain and saw the lower parts of hell. Dante explains to Virgil that within the lower parts of the hell there are very bad smells so much mess. Then Virgil explains to Dante about the lower parts of hell.

SINNERS IN TOMB

 7th circle of hell- VIOLENCE.

On entering the 7th circle of hell they meet with a creature which is half bull and half-human called MINOTAUR. This creature block Dante's and Virgil's to move forward. Then Virgil convinces the MINOTAUR that  Dante is not his hated enemy, and Minotaur allows them to move in the seventh circle. This circle of hell is divided into three parts for sinners. 

1. AGAINST NEIGHBORS 

In the first ring of the seventh circle the souls of murderers, war-makers belong. In this ring, they are punished by boiling in blood and fire under the Phlegethon river. Nessus guides them to cross the Phlegethon river. Here Dante saw alexander the great. Nessus drop them in a dark forest and return to his post. 

2.  AGAINST SELF 

In the second ring of the seventh circle, the souls of those persons exist who attempted committed suicide. Their souls are converted into trees, shrubs, and thorny trees, and an animal name harpies fed upon them. This gives a lot of pain to trees. Here  Dante breaks a twig off one tree and then he saw that tree is bleeding. The tree introduces himself as  Pietro Della Vigna, who committed suicide. In divine comedy, suicide is a sin because committed suicide means insulting the body, that God gives us. 

WOODS OF SUICIDES

3. AGAINST GOD, ART, NATURE

Now Dante and Virgil reach a very hot desert where the fire is falling like rain. They saw so many sinners in that desert. and rain of fair falling on them. Dante also saw Capaneus here who tells bad about god. Moving forward the poet listens to the sound of a waterfall. Dante and Virgil proceed to the next circle of hell. 

Eight circles of hell-FRAUD 

The creature Geryon is the monster of fraud. Geryon helps them to reach the eighth circle, they sit on Geryon's back, and Geryon flies down to the eighth circle of hell. Dante now finds himself in the eighth circle of hell called fraud. This circle belongs to those sinners who did fraud when they are alive. This circle is divide into 10 ditches which represent different types of fraud. 1st ditch is for seducers, 2nd for flatterers, 3rd for simoniacs, 4rd for sorcerers, 5th for barrators, 6th for hypocrites, 7th for thieves, 8th for evil or fraud advisers, 9th for sowers of discord, 10th for falsifiers. Dante meets different personalities in each ditch. He also meets one of his relative Geri del Bello. he saw that according to their sin sinners are punished in each ditch.   

Dante and Virgil, once again move forward, they reached the central wall where the ninth and the last circle of hell lies. They saw four towers there but in actual these towers are giants. One of the giants helps him to enter the ninth circle of hell.

GERYON

The ninth circle of hell-TREACHERY

This is the lower part of the hell. Virgil and Dante found themselves on a large frozen lake: COCYTUS.  This circle is divided into 4 concentric rings. Sinners are dug in the ice according to their sin. This circle of hell belongs to those sinners who betrayed their family, friend, guests, gods, etc. They are trapped in ice so they can't feel the existence of warmth.

The first concentric rings are called Caina, this circle is named after Cain who killed his brother.

The second concentric ring is called Antenora, this circle is named after Antenor who betrayed his city to the Greeks.

the third concentric ring is called Ptolomaea, this circle is named after Ptolemy who killed his father-in-law and son. 

the fourth concentric ring is called Judecca, this ring is named after Judas Iscariot who betrayed his god. in the fourth ring sinners are not even talk because they are completely dug into the ice.

DANTE AND VIRGIL ON LAKE COCYTUS


CENTER OF HELL

 After traveling the nine circles of hell they reach near the center of hell. In the center of hell, they saw a devil who committed the ultimate sin, Rebel against god. Virgil explains that once the devil was the good angle before his pride led him to rebel against god. In divine comedy, the devil is a giant terrifying monster who is trapped deep in the ice under the Cocytus lake. He has three faces with the different colors red, yellow, and black.

LUCIFER

At 6:pm on Saturday evening Virgil and Dante came out of hell, and end their journey to  hell.