Key Takeaways

• Each Canto deals with the confrontation of various levels of sin — the progression getting worse as they go lower.
• Dante does an incredible job of using metaphors and symbolism to relate the specific punishment of people in that level of hell, with the spiritual and figurative impact it was having on them and their environment during the time of sin.
• The lowest level of hell being frozen took me back by surprise, especially when the worst sin at that level is betrayal (with Satan having three heads attached — Judas, Brutus, and Cassius).
• There were a surprising number of people Dante admired that still found a place in hell — because even noble or virtuous pursuits can be sinful if they come at the cost of spiritual development.
• I was shocked when he insisted that the road to heaven requires going through hell first.