Dante's Inferno

I would like to hear from others what circle of hell they find the most interesting/compelling and why.

My favorite is the city of  Dis in the sixth circle. Here Dante managed to capture a truly monumental moment, where the forces of Hell contest Dante's Divine journey. The way Virgil called out to those behind the wall from a seemingly vulnerable stance and how the Divine Angel came down like a flash to thrust open the gates is forever etched in my memory as a truly impacting scene.

 Likewise in _White Man's Inferno_ where Dante is the guide and I am the pilgrim, near the end when we confront the White Palace it is he who challenges the forces of Evil that wish to hamper my mission. However, remembering how things turned out with Virgil, these minions decide to open the gates willingly but with a devious plot in mind...

My favorite circle to read is the ninth circle for several reasons. First, the description of Lucifer frozen in a lake that he continually refreezes with his own wings is painfully delightful. It is so ironic that Lucifer, who defied God for total freedom, is stuck for eternity in the same spot. The image of his three heads feasting on the three greatest betrayers in history adds to the drama.

Second, I think it is interesting that Dante writes hell so that it is freezing cold, instead of hot, as we tend to think of it. I think the intense cold better illustrates how one feels without the love of God.

Last, it is interesting that the lowest level of hell is saved for sins of the intellect, such as heresy. Dante poet is proclaiming that betrayal is the worse thing you can do.