The first part of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy is called Inferno.
Inferno describes Dante’s journey through Hell, guided first by the Roman poet Virgil. The poem is structured as a descent through nine circles, each associated with particular sins and punishments. Its vivid landscapes, moral arguments, and memorable figures made it the most widely recognized section of Dante’s larger poem.
Inferno is followed by Purgatorio, which describes the mountain of Purgatory, and Paradiso, which presents Dante’s ascent through Heaven. Together, the three canticles form the Divine Comedy, written in Italian rather than Latin and composed in the early fourteenth century. Dante uses terza rima, a linked-rhyme form built around interlocking three-line units.
A frequent mistake is to call the entire Divine Comedy “Inferno.” Inferno is only its first canticle. Another common confusion is Dante’s guide: Virgil leads him through Inferno and most of Purgatorio, while Beatrice becomes his guide in Paradiso.