Reading Notes: Dante's Inferno (Part 2)

A cool picture of the different levels of hell - fineartamerica.com

A summary of part 2 of Dante's Inferno:

• Dante and Virgil encounter a Minotaur above the seventh circle of hell. 
• The first ring of the seventh circle was home to the centaurs. 
• Virgil asked Chiron to send one of the centaurs with them to help Dante make a pass that he could not make because he is not a spirit and cannot fly. 
• Nessus helped Dante cross the river of blood, which boils everyone who shed blood in their lives. 
• The second ring of the seventh circle was home to the harpies. 
• The third ring of the seventh circle was for those who were violent against God. They lie moaning on the ground while others walk around in sadness. 
• Dante and Virgil descent toward the eighth circle of hell on a giant flying beast called Geryon.
• In the first ring of the eighth circle are the pimps and seducers like Jason who deceived a woman, got her pregnant, and left. 
• Dante and Virgil continue to a place where demons reside. As soon as they entered, the demons rushed at them. Virgil spoke to the leader and arranged for safe passage to the other side of their domain. 
• The next ring of the eighth circle contained a group of people confined by heavy lead cloaks. 
• The last two rings were home to people like Ulysses and "sowers of discord" like Muhammad. 
• As they approached the last circle of hell, they saw giants like Nimrod, Ephialtes, and Antaeus. Antaeus placed Dante and Virgil in the abyss so they can continue their journey. 
• They encountered Count Ugolito, who told them the sad story of how his children died. 
• They approach satan, who has three faces. In each mouth, he is chewing on a soul. The souls were of Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. 
• Dante and Virgil then have to climb up satan's body to exit hell. 

Dante's Divine Comedy translated by Tony Kline