Hell and his circles were described in detail in his trilogy "Divine Comedy" by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. This poetic work of the late Middle Ages describes the afterlife of souls, including the nine circles of hell. Hell is the first part of Divine Comedy, a cultural monument and a synthesis of medieval culture. It describes the Christian underworld, the souls of sinners and their punishment. The story begins with the author, after reaching adulthood, falls into a terrible forest, where he is attacked by three terrible animals. He is saved by the poet Virgil, sent to Beatrice, the lady of the heart of Dante. Together they begin their journey into the kingdom of shadows.
Circle one, limb
In the first round of Dante's hell, virtuous non-Christians and unbaptized pagans are tormented, who are punished by eternal life in the likeness of paradise. They live in a palace with seven gates, which symbolizes the seven virtues. Here Dante meets outstanding people of the antiquity, such as Homer, Socrates, Aristotle, Cicero, Hippocrates and Julius Caesar.
Circle Two, adultery
In the second round of hell, Dante and Virgil meet people who are possessed by lust. Their punishment is a strong wind that circles them in the air. They have no peace. This incessant wind symbolizes people driven by a thirst for carnal pleasures. Here again Dante meets many famous people of a bygone era: Cleopatra, Tristan, Helen of Troy and other sinners, whose fault was adultery.
The third circle, gluttony
Having reached the third circle of hell, Dante and Virgil meet the souls of the gluttony, which are guarded by the monster Cerberus. Sinners there are punished by lying in a dirty mess under the incessant freezing rain. Dirt symbolizes the degradation of those who abuse food, drinks and other earthly pleasures. Gluttony sinners do not see those lying nearby. This symbolizes their selfishness and insensibility.
Circle Four, greed
In the fourth circle of hell, Dante and Virgil see the souls of those who are punished for greed. Sinners of this circle are divided into two groups: those who accumulated material wealth and those who spent them without measure. They push weights, which symbolizes their attachment to wealth. Sinners are guarded by Pluto, the Greek god of the underworld. Here Dante sees many priests, including popes and cardinals.
Fifth circle, anger
In the fifth circle of hell, the angry and gloomy serve their sentence. Phlegius carries travelers in a boat on the Styx River. On the surface of the river, sinners with anger struggle with each other, and under the water those whose vice is despondency choke.
Circle six, heresy
In the sixth circle of hell, wanderers meet the souls of heretics who lie in burning graves.
Circle seven, violence
The seventh circle of hell Dante is divided into three circles. In the outer ring, killers and other rapists are tormented. As punishment, they are immersed in a blood-fiery river. In the middle circle are suicides. They are turned into trees that bats feed on. Together with them tormentors suffer, which they pursue and tear to pieces of the dog. In the inner ring, the blasphemers and the men of men are serving their sentences. They are condemned to life in the desert of burning sand, and fiery rain pours on top of them.
Circle of Eight, cheating
The eighth circle of hell is inhabited by deceivers. Dante and Virgil get there on the back of Gerion, the flying monster. This circle is divided into ten stone moats connected by bridges. In the first moat, Dante encounters allies and seducers, in the second - flatterers, in the third - those guilty of simony, in the fourth - false prophets and sorcerers. Corrupt politicians live in the fifth ditch, hypocrites live in the sixth, and thieves, advisers, counterfeiters, alchemists, counterfeiters and false witnesses in the rest.
