The symbolism in the punishment of sin in Dante's InfernoInferno, the first part of Divina Commedia, or the Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri , is the story of a man's journey through Hell and the observance of the punishments incurred as a result of the commission of sin. In all cases, the severity of the punishment, and the punishment itself, have a direct correlation to the sin committed. Punishments are appropriate to the extent that they symbolize actual sin; in other words: “They got what they wanted.” (Literature of the Western World, p.1409) According to Dante, Hell has two divisions: the Upper Hell, dedicated to those who have committed sins of incontinence, and the Lower Hell, dedicated to those who have committed sins of wickedness. The divisions of Hell are also divided into levels corresponding to sin. Each of the levels and the divisions within levels 7, 8, and 9 have an analogous historical or mythological figure used to illustrate and illustrate sin. The first of the two divisions of Hell is the Upper Hell. Upper Hell is the zone inhabited by those who commit sins of incontinence or lack of self-control. This lack of self-control can take the form of anything from sex to mood. Before delving deeper into the sins of incontinence, we must first address the first inconsistency of Hell. This inconsistency is found in the Vestibule of Hell. The Hall of Hell contains the trims and neutrals. Although almost all other sins mentioned in Hell are from an ethical and universal perspective, those mentioned here are sins only from a Christian perspective. These neutrals are those who have shown no partisanship or who have not taken sides. Lines 37-39 and 46-50 read: They are joined to this choir...... middle of paper ......ion. Dante cites now historical and mythological figures to illustrate sins and provide a better understanding of sin, even to the most incompetent readers. This work stands alongside the Bible as one of the greatest religious literary masterpieces of all time. Works Cited Literature of the Western World, Volume 2. 4th edition by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1997. Works consulted Niven, Larry and Pournelle, Jerry. Hell. New York: Pocket Books, 1976. MacAllister, Archibald T. Introduction. Hell. By Dante. New York: Mentor, 1954. Pinsky, Robert. Dante's Inferno. New York: Harper Collins, 1994. Shippey, T. A. “Into Hell and Out Again.” Times Literary Supplement, July 8, 1977, .820. Spinrad, Norman. Introduction to Inferno, by Niven and Pournelle. Boston: Gregg Press, 1979.