Dante's Inferno
Dante’s Inferno is a copy of the copy. It is mainly based off of The Aeneid, which is a copy of The Odyssey. Therefore, Dante’s Inferno is based on The Odyssey. That said, it is specifically set in the underworld portion of the book.
The book again opens with the hero, in this case Dante, seeking to escape a tormentor and arrive at a destination. He is advised to begin by entering the underworld and does so.
The hero yet again enters the underworld fearfully. He travels along until he reaches Limbo. This was Homer’s idea of the underworld, an ordinary place with nothing but death to divide it from life. Dante (the author) executes a very commendable explanation of this non Christian ideal by claiming that this is where good non Christians go after death. In this underworld, perhaps out of the author’s gratitude for his assistance, Dante (the hero) meets Homer. He also spots Hector and Aeneas and enters a catalogue of famous Roman warriors much the same as Homer’s Achean list. He speaks to several other ghosts and then departs as did Odysseus.
Home
The Aeneid
The Arabian Nights
The Matrix
His Dark Materials
