dante’s inferno circle 5

DANTE’S INFERNO

Fifth Circle of Hell: Wrath and Sullenness

WRATH AND

SULLENNESSTwo forms of a single sin: anger that is expressed (wrath) and anger that is repressed (sullenness)

PHLEGYAS

- son of Ares and was killed by Apollo- got turned into a demonic giant in the afterlife after burning down the Apollonian temple of Delhi; ferryman of the river Styx- was controlled by Dante and uses him to break into the City of Dis

RIVER STYX- a vast swamp encompassing the fifth circle of hell- filled with toxic, black liquid- the angry lie at the top, fighting with each other while the sullen eternally drown at the bottom

FILIPPO ARGENTI- a Black Guelph from a prominent family; wrathful politician- took all Dante’s property when Dante was asked to leave Florence- torn by the other sinners after his encounter with Dante

THE CITY OF DIS

- holds Hell’s deepest secrets and the worst violent and treacherous sinners- fallen angels guards its walls- contains the lower circles of Hell

BRIDE OF LUCIFER

- Beatrice became a bride of Lucifer after Dante fought his way to the City of Dis

THE CREATURES

DANTE SAW BEFORE

THE CITY OF DIS

FALLEN ANGELS- defends the entrance to the City of Dis- these angels joined Lucifer in his rebellion against God- ‘rained down from heaven’- Virgil failed to convince them to let them in because they demanded to know the reason why someone alive is entering their dominion

THE FURIES-the Erinyes, namely Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, are creatures that are half-human, half-serpent-laughs at Dante and called for Medusa to turn him into stone; Virgil quickly covers his eyes

THE ANGEL

-secured entry for the poets and rebuked those who opposed them- opened the gates of the City of Dis

ERICHTHO

-a bloodthirsty witch who sent Virgil to bring back a spirit from the lowest circle of Hell so he can reveal future events in the civil war between Pompey and Caesar