Dante's Inferno

Dante in front of the circles of hell, in Florence. Painted by Domenico di Michelino

        Dante Alighieri was a major Italian poet in the Renaissance era. One of his most famous and greatest works is his epic poem Divine Comedy (originally called La Comedia) written between c.1308 and his death in 1321. Divine Comedy describes Dante's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, guided first by the Roman poet Virgil and then by Beatrice, the subject of his love and of another of his works, La Vita Nuova. Dante's Inferno, which is the first part of his poem, has been described as the most vivid descriptions of hell by many modern readers. Inferno is about Dante's "journey" through hell, which ultimately symbolizes recognition and rejection of sin. Hell is described to be in 9 circles. The circles of hell as Dante describes them are; Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery.

        As I was reading on the circles of hell, a thought crosses my mind - What circle of hell would end up in if I knew I was going too? While I was baptized as a Lutheran and grew up in a Southern Baptist family, I'm very open to all religions and understanding. I really thought about what I would fall in and I think under the standards of what the society and religion said back then, I would fall into the first circle, Limbo.

        What circle of hell do you think you would fall into, if you knew you were going to hell?