In Dante’s Inferno, which circle of Hell contains the Minotaur?

In Dante’s Inferno, the Minotaur appears at the entrance to the seventh circle of Hell.

Dante encounters the creature while entering the realm associated with violence. In the poem, the Minotaur is linked to the violent and destructive nature of the circle, and Virgil distracts or provokes it so that the travellers can pass. The Minotaur is not presented simply as the guardian of the Greek Labyrinth; Dante adapts the classical monster for his Christian moral structure.

The seventh circle is divided into three rings: violence against neighbours, violence against oneself, and violence against God, nature, and art. The Minotaur’s placement therefore reflects Dante’s symbolic use of inherited mythology. This literary appearance is distinct from the earlier Greek story in which Theseus kills the creature inside the Labyrinth.