The Vestibule = Home to the Opportunists--those who, in life, were only for themselves and were neither good nor evil. These souls took no side with good and evil, so they, in turn, have no real place in the afterlife. Also included here are the angels that did not take sides during the Rebellion of the Angels. (People who don’t take sides)
1st / Limbo = Virtuous Pagans -- Here rest souls who are not in torment, the virtuous pagans. They lived without the revelation of Christ, but still lived virtuous lives. Included here are mostly classical poets and philosophers. They reside here without hope of seeing God. (People who were good, but lived before Christ; people who are not Christian, but are good people)
2nd = The Lustful -- These souls are caught up in a constant whirlwind. Just as they abandoned all reason to be caught up in their passion; forever will they be blown around by the wind of Hell. (People who gave in to sexual desire)
3rd = The Gluttons -- A dump of garbage and filth. The souls here, guilty of gluttony, did nothing more with the gifts of God than to consume food and drink--they themselves produced nothing but garbage, and therefore, that's what they receive and live in for all time. They are further tortured by freezing rain and are ripped apart by the jaws of the beast, Cerberus. (Greedy people)
4th = The Hoarders and Wasters-- Like misers, the Hoarders amassed their wealth all for themselves. While the Wasters, used up all they had on fruitless ventures and materials.
Their punishment is the same: great weights, boulders, they push upon and strain at, clashing them against each other again and again for all time. (hoarder = lots of $, don’t spend , waster = spend $ on unimportant things)
5th = The Wrathful and Sullen -- The River Styx, which is the whole of Circle 5 in Hell, is used as a dirty marsh. The souls of the Wrathful are trapped in the filthy slime of Styx, violently attacking each other. Deep below the surface, unseen by anyone, are also the souls of the Sullen--those that shut out the light of sun from their lives, they forever suffer in the darkest place in Hell. (wrathful = angry and lets everybody know it, sullen = angry and hides it)
6th = Heretics -- The City of Dis is the capital of Hell. The walls of the city, and its towers of flames, mark a division in Hell; up to now Dante has been in Upper Hell. Beyond the gates is Lower Hell. Rebellious Angels have now turned from beautiful to hideous. They refuse the Poets passage, and even Virgil cannot convince them to allow it, as he did many times before. Allegorically, Human Reason cannot deal with evil by itself; therefore, divine assistance must help them; for that reason, Virgil prays. (People that speak out against the church)
7th = Violence--
1) Violent against Neighbors on the bloody River Phlegethon;
2) Violent against Self in the Wood of Suicides; and
3) Violent against God, Art, and Nature on the Burning Sand.
8th = Fraud -- Here begins the Sins of the Leopard. Home of the Fraudulent, the Malebolgia, or the 'ditches,' holds many types of sinners of simple and compound fraud. (People who are fake)
1) Panderers & Seducers
2) Flatterers
3) Simoniacs
4) Fortune Tellers
5) Grafters
6) Hypocrites
7) Thieves
8) Evil Counselors
9) Sowers of Discord
10) Falsifiers
Fraudulence
9th = The Treacherous -- The final circle, called is the coldest place Hell. Everything from the rivers, to the blood, to the guilt, all drain here and solidify into a terrible sheet of ice that encases the worst sinners of all, including Satan (Dis) himself. Treachery lacks all love, and therefore, these sinners are denied any warmth. Since they denied God's love, they are the farthest down in the pit of Hell. The ninth circle is also the farthest point in the Universe away from God. There are four rings of the frozen lake of Cocytus: 1) Caina, (Betrayal of Family) 2) Antenora, (Betrayal of Country) 3) Ptolomea, (Betrayal of Guests) 4) Judecca (Betrayal of Their Masters). (People who betray / traitors)
Dante’s Inferno Final Project
Creating Your Own Hell
Dante Alighieri created a detailed picture of Hell; according to the medieval beliefs of the time. Despite the change in values and beliefs, Dante’s creative tale still appeals to the modern reader.
Your assignment is to create a modern Hell, using Dante’s structure from The Inferno. You may use any medium you would like for your project (video, art, stacking boxes, a spiral wire mobile, a book, a poster…). The more creative – the better!
1) You must choose modern day figures to place in the appropriate area (circle) of Dante’s Hell. YOU MUST GIVE A BRIEF DESPRIPTION OF THEIR SIN AND WHY YOU HAVE PLACED THEM IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA OF HELL (at least three sentences). Use our recent warm up activity as an example – do not copy.
Gandhi =
Bill Clinton and Monica =
Dr. Adkins =
Bill Gates =
Cindy Sheehan =
L. Ron Hubbard =
Charles Manson / Heaven’s Gate Cult =
Sigmund Freud =
Robert Rey (Dr. 90210) =
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg =
2) You must think of an appropriate punishment for your modern figure. Show poetic justice. Let the punishment fit the crime. For example, Dante shows that fortune tellers must walk with their heads turned backwards, because they tried to see too far ahead of themselves, in life.
DUE: ______
Please put all of your effort into this assignment. It is taking the place of two quizzes (100 points).
Take your time be creative, and have fun!
* Website reference… an excellent site…
Dante's Inferno - A Virtual Tour of Hell
web.eku.edu/flash/inferno/Additional Notes: