The Inferno

In Dante’s Inferno, Dante narrates his descent and observation of hell through the various circles and pouches. One part of this depiction is his descriptions of the various punishments that each of the different sinners has received. The various punishments that Dante envisions the sinners receiving are broken down into two types. The first type he borrows from various gruesome and cruel forms of torture and the second type, though often less physically agonizing, …

…origin of the idea for the punishment. Second, there is a difference in the intention of the punishment: to punish with psychological or physical anguish. Finally, the differences in the punishments can be viewed as a metaphor for The Inferno as a whole. Not only is The Inferno a combination of borrowed visions of hell and original ideas, but The Inferno is also a journey with elements both physical and mental, or spiritual, in nature.