Dante's Inferno: Key Canto Summaries and Characters

Dante

Main character; journeys through Hell

Virgil

His guide; sent by Beatrice

Beatrice

Dante's beloved who sends help from Heaven

Minos

Judge of the dead; uses tail to assign punishments

Charon

Ferryman across the river Acheron

Francesca

Punished for lust; tells her story in Circle 2

Cerberus

3-headed dog who guards the gluttons

Plutus

Demon guarding the greedy

Filippo Argenti

Wrathful soul Dante rejects

Capaneus

Blasphemer in burning desert

Satan

Frozen in ice at the center of Hell

Harpies

Birds who torment souls who committed suicide

Minotaur

Guards the violent circle, half-man, half-bull

Nessus

Centaur guide through the boiling blood of violent sinners

Furies

Mythological avengers in the City of Dis

Centaurs

Half-human creatures who patrol with bows

Acheron

First river of Hell.

Styx

River of wrath.

Phlegethon

River of boiling blood.

Limbo

First circle, no physical pain.

Dis

Capital city of Hell.

Incontinence

A lack of self-control, especially over desires or appetites. In Inferno, this refers to sins like lust, gluttony, and greed (Cantos 5-7). These sinners couldn't control themselves in life.

Contrapasso

The law of divine punishment in Inferno — the punishment fits the sin, either by resemblance or opposite. Example: the lustful are blown around by wind just like they were swept away by passion in life.