Inferno: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 10, 2026

News •

San Diego’s OnWord Theatre plans immersive staging of war crimes drama ‘9 Circles’ • Nov. 3, 2026, 1:04 PM ET (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Lorna Goodison wins 2026 Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry • Oct. 26, 2026, 1:06 AM ET (The Gleaner)

Photos and Videos

Painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau showing Dante and Virgil watching two nude men fighting violently in a hellish landscape, with demons in the background.

Gustave Doré: Dante lost in a dark wood before entering Hell

Watercolor by William Blake showing Dante and Virgil meeting Francesca da Rimini and Paolo in the Circle of the Lustful, with swirling figures swept by wind and a glowing figure above.

Gustave Doré: Dante, guided by Virgil, observes those guilty of simony in the eighth circle of Hell

Gustave Doré: Dante and Virgil in Hell

Illustration of Beatrice and Virgil

Gustave Doré: Charon rowing to collect Dante and Virgil to carry them across the Styx

Engraving by Gustave Dore showing Virgil guiding Dante as they look upon writhing, anguished souls struggling in the waters of the River Styx, with rocky cliffs in the background.

Engraving by Gustave Dore showing Dante and Virgil standing on a rocky ledge, surrounded by winged demons in the eighth circle of Hell from the Divine Comedy.

Gustave Doré: Thieves being tormented by serpents in the eighth circle of Hell

Why has Dante's Inferno been important to Irish writers and artists?

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Topics

Beowulf Bhagavad Gita A Visit from St. Nicholas The Divine Comedy The Raven The Rime of the Ancient Mariner The Waste Land Metamorphoses Howl Sir Gawayne and the Grene Knight