In which canto of Inferno does Dante see Lucifer?

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In which canto of Inferno does Dante see Lucifer? Dante sees Lucifer in Canto 34.

This is the final canto of Inferno and takes place in Cocytus, the frozen lake at the bottom of Hell. Dante and Virgil encounter Lucifer, who is trapped in the ice at the world’s center and eternally chews Judas, Brutus, and Cassius.

Dante’s Lucifer is enormous, winged, and has three faces—an intentionally grotesque parody of the Christian Trinity. His six wings beat like those of a bat, creating the freezing wind that keeps Cocytus solid. Rather than ruling Hell, he is immobilized and powerless.

A common mix-up is Canto 31, where Dante sees the giants, including Antaeus. Canto 33 concerns the sinners frozen in Cocytus; the climactic encounter with Lucifer comes in Canto 34, after which Dante and Virgil climb down his body and emerge toward Purgatory.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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