Dante Inferno Levels

1st

Limbo/Virtuous Pagans

2nd

Lustful

3rd

Gluttons

4th

Greedy

5th

Wrathful

6th

Heretics

7th

Violent

Punishment of the first circle

Virtuous Pagans: Struck with grief from a lack of God's presence.

Punishment for second circle

Lustful: Blown about by violent and endless winds.

Punishment for third circle

Gluttons: Bombarded with rain, hail, and black snow.

Punishment for fourth circle, Hoarders

Forced to push boulders to the center of the circle.

Punishment for fourth circle, Spenders

Forced to push boulders back out of the center of the circle.

Punishment for fifth circle, Wrathful

Engaged in combat with one another on the surface of the River Styx.

Punishment for fifth circle, Sullen

Sunk to the bottom of the River Styx.

Punishment for sixth circle

Heretics: Locked in burning stone coffins

Punishment for seventh circle, Violent

Forced to swim in a boiling stream of blood.

Punishment for seventh circle, Suicides

Transformed into thorny trees that are ripped apart by harpies.

Punishment for seventh circle, blasphemers/sodomites/usurers

Condemned to a desert of blazing sand with a constant rain of fire.

Level 1 – Limbo (Virtuous Pagans) summary

Sin: Virtuous non-Christians and unbaptized souls. Punishment: No torment, only eternal longing. Symbolism: Reason alone cannot reach salvation. Dante’s Attitude: Respectful and sorrowful; admires wisdom but pities exclusion from Heaven.

Level 2 – The Lustful summary

Sin: Those overcome by passion and desire. Punishment: Blown endlessly by violent winds. Symbolism: Controlled by passion instead of reason. Dante’s Attitude: Deeply compassionate; faints from pity for Francesca and Paolo.

Level 3 – The Gluttonous summary

Sin: Overindulgence in food and pleasure. Punishment: Lie in filthy rain and mud, torn by Cerberus. Symbolism: Excess leads to waste and degradation. Dante’s Attitude: Disgusted but detached; learns moral restraint.

Level 4 – The Avaricious & Prodigal summary

Sin: Greed (hoarders) and wastefulness (spenders). Punishment: Push heavy weights, crashing endlessly. Symbolism: Misuse of wealth leads to futile struggle. Dante’s Attitude: Analytical and judging; sees greed’s corruption.

Level 5 – The Wrathful & Sullen summary

Sin: Anger and bitterness. Punishment: Wrathful fight on Styx; sullen sink below mud. Symbolism: Rage and resentment destroy the soul. Dante’s Attitude: Feels righteous anger; moral clarity strengthens.

Level 6 – The Heretics summary

Sin: Denying soul’s immortality and divine truth. Punishment: Trapped in flaming tombs. Symbolism: Closed minds become eternal prisons. Dante’s Attitude: Fearful but reflective; respects even in judgment.

Level 7 – The Violent summary

Sin: Violence against others, self, and God. Punishment: Boiling blood, bleeding trees, burning sand with fire rain. Symbolism: Violence destroys life, body, and creation. Dante’s Attitude: Balanced and mature; pity for suicides, clarity toward murderers.