1. Inferno Key Terms/Concepts

2. DANTE
DEFINITION: A poet and statesman, Dante was born in Florence, Italy, around He wrote The Divine Comedy while in political exile.
CONTEXT: The Divine Comedy is a religious allegory and political commentary. Dante did not write in the standard Latin because he wanted it available to everyone.

3. INFERNO
DEFINITION: Literally, intense heat; also used to refer to a place with the characteristics of hell.
CONTEXT: Since the publication of The Inferno in about 1308, the word has become synonymous with the concept of hell.

4. NUMEROLOGY
DEFINITION: The study of the mystical significance of numbers.
CONTEXT:
3 = Holy Trinity
10 = Perfect Number
7 = Very Spiritual – associated with seeking truth
100 = 102
9 = 32
11 = # of syllables in each line; associated with leadership and inspiration
33 Cantos = 3 x 11

5. NINE CIRCLES OF HELL
DEFINITION: The designation of different kinds of sins beginning with sins of weakness, moving down to sins of malice, followed by sins of fraud and disloyalty, and finally descending to sins of betrayal and pride.
CONTEXT: The image of Satan frozen in ice in the last of Dante’s nine circles of hell is a powerful symbol of pure evil.

6. VIRGIL
DEFINITION: A poet who lived in ancient Rome between 70 and 19 B.C.; considered one of the greatest poets in world literature.
CONTEXT: Dante may have selected Virgil as his guide through hell because Virgil was a great literary and moral role model.