“Abandon all hope, you who enter here,” reads the gates of hell in Dante Alighieri's Inferno. After waking up at the foot of a hill, Dante learns that he must descend through Hell, Hell, to reach Heaven. Virgil appears to Dante as his guide after Dante's futile attempt to climb the hill. The duo begins their dive into the underworld and it soon becomes apparent that Dante is the only living soul in Hell. Despite this fact, the two continue their journey through Hell, giving the reader an in-depth tour of the Dantesque conception of Hell. As the two travel through the different levels of Hell, Virgil introduces Dante to the sinners and punishments of each circle. The reader witnesses emotional ups and downs as Dante sympathizes with the sinners and eventually becomes numb to their suffering. Hell is the most popular episode of The Divine Comedy and its fame has lasted for more than six centuries. The poem is a multi-layered allegory, which exists in literary reality and contains religious, political and spiritual references. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The Inferno is full of references to historical and literary figures. The protagonist, Dante, is not only the poet and narrator, but also the personification of humanity. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish Dante the writer from Dante the character. For example, the writer Dante chose how to punish sinners, but the character feels empathy towards the damned. This creates a dual perception of the story and facilitates in-depth reflection. His guide, Virgil, also has a multi-layered identity. He is both Dante's guide and the Roman author of the Aeneid, as well as a figure of human reason. Virgil also has direct experience of Hell as he spends eternity in Limbo, where all pagans reside. This, in addition to his ability to reason and persuade, makes him an excellent guide through Hell. Many characters from Virgil's works also appear in Inferno. In the first level of Hell, Dante is introduced to Dido, who committed suicide for love. Therefore, she spends her death being blown away by winds which symbolize how, in life, she was swept away by her passions. Countless other characters from literature and mythology appear in Dante's poem. An interesting feature of this work is the mixture of Christian, Greek and Roman references. The work is primarily within a Christian framework, but includes many Greek and Roman allusions. Dante opens his journey through a very Catholic version of Hell on the afternoon of Good Friday, both Christian references. However, he encounters many non-Christian characters from both literature and mythology. These characters include Charon, the ferryman, and Minos, the judge of sins and assign a level of hell. These two characters come from Greek mythology. It also includes many ancient literary figures, such as Virgil, Odysseus and Homer. Dante introduces these characters to assimilate to their renowned literary skills. Dante incorporates not only pagan characters but also mythological places, for example the rivers Styx and Acheron. These non-Christian allusions enrich the story and help it speak to a broader audience that includes all human beings. This is due to Dante's belief that his journey is one that all humanity should participate in. Every soul in hell is justly penalized for sins committed against God, all.