Isaac Hertzog
Pd. 2 Ms. Tucci
AP English
11/10/11
Throughout Dante’s Inferno, Dante and Virgil trek across nine circles of Hell. These circles are divided into three different levels depending on how serious the sins were. In each circle, Dante displays divine retribution for the punishments, based on the sin committed during the sinner’s life. The three levels of sin are the sins of incontinence, violence, and fraud. In each level, the punishment increase in pain, starting in the first level. The first type of sin is the sin of incontinence. Incontinence is the inability to have control over actions one’s own actions. This level includes the lustful, gluttonous, and the wrathful. The lustful were those who were self-indulgent, therefore denying the light of God. People such as Cleopatra, Achilles, and Helen of Troy are in this level. These souls are constantly blown around uncontrollably by heavy winds and strong rains. This was used as a literal interpretation of the sinner’s emotions. The person was caught in a “whirlwind” of lust and a tempest, or storm, of passion. The next group of sinners is the gluttonous who wasted their money on unnecessary things. Gluttony is considered one of the seven capital sins. They wasted God’s gifts and now they have to suffer for it. They lay, half buried in garbage while more falls on them. Each person “wasted” what they had and now are covered in waste materials. Another group of sinners in the incontinence level is the wrathful. Wrathful beings actively express their wrath, unlike the sullen who passively express it. These people are trapped in the mud of the Styx River while they are punching, kicking, and beating each other. On Earth, these sinners constantly hurt people and beat them up. Now, in Hell, they have to beat each other for eternity. The next level of Hell includes the sin of violence. The three sublevels