Reading Notes: Dante's Inferno, Part B

I finally made it to my last reading notes of the semester! That's crazy. I was honestly thinking about find some shorter stories to read so I could get done quick. However, I'm glad I decided to read Inferno for this last week's reading.

As I was reading, I learned that some of the circles have different levels to it which I think is interesting because that just adds even more depth to the entire "inferno" of hell. I got really confused during these part B readings so I had to use Wikipedia to help me figure out what these circles were about.

The Seventh Circle is divided by three rings, which house all of the violent people. Dante and Virgil have to first go around the Minotaur from the Sixth Circle to get to the Seventh Circle.

• First ring: for the people who do violence against neighbors.
• Second ring: for the people who do violence against self.
• Third ring: for the people who do violence against God, art, and nature.

The Eight Circle of Hell is called Malebolge which means "evil ditches." Malebolge is part of the upper half of the Hell for the Fraudulent and Malicious people. A bolgia is the singular form for a ditch or trench. Malebolge itself is divided into ten concentric circular trenches for the people who committed simple fraud. Each bolgia has a certain group of people who were punished for some kind of fraud.

• Bolgia 1: for the panderers and seducers
• Bolgia 2: for the flatterers
• Bolgia 3: for the simoniacs
• Bolgia 4: for the sorcerers
• Bolgia 5: for the barrators
• Bolgia 6: for the hypocrites
• Bolgia 7: for the thieves
• Bolgia 8: for the counsellors of fraud
• Bolgia 9: for the sowers of discord
• Bolgia 10: for the falsifiers

After Bolgia 10, there is the Central Well of Malebolge. The well is also called the Giants' Well because of the classical and Biblical giants such as the Titans of Greek mythology. At the bottom of the well is where the ninth circle of hell is.

The Ninth Circle is the circle for the treacherous people. In this circle are some of the worst of the sinners who committed sins against those they had a close relationship with. The circle itself is made up of a large frozen lake, Cocytus, which is divided into four rings (or rounds) for each traitor. It's organized by order of the seriousness of each betrayal. 

• Round 1: Caina- named after Cain who killed his own brother. This round is for the Traitors to their Kindred.
• Round 2: Antenora- named after Antenor, a Trojan soldier who betrayed his city to the Greeks. This round is for the Traitors to their Country.
• Round 3: Ptolomaea- named Ptolemy who invited his father-in-law and his brother-in-laws to a banquet and then killed them. This round is for the Traitors to their Guests.
• Round 4: Judecca: named after Judas. This round is for those who are Traitors to their Lords.

And at the very center of Hell is Lucifer who committed the ultimate sin- personal treachery against God. Also in the center of Hell is Cassius, Judas, and Brutus, who betrayed Julius Caesar. 

Reading: Dante's Inferno
from Dante's Divine Comedy
translated by Tony Kline

Source: Reading Books.

I really like this diagram. I think it's cool how it breaks apart the circles and explains what each circle is. 

*Side note: I think I spent the most time on this reading notes post than I have on any other one throughout this semester. I think this also my best reading notes post.