1. Limbo (Circle 1):
- Limbo is reserved for those who lived virtuous lives but were not baptized or did not have complete faith in Christ before their death. Dante places unbaptized babies, virtuous pagans, and patriarchs who died before Christ's resurrection here.
- This suggests that Dante considered the rejection of God and the absence of faith to be significant sins, even if individuals led otherwise virtuous lives.
2. Lust (Circle 2):
- The second circle of Hell is reserved for those who committed the sin of lust. These souls are violently tossed by a tempest, reflecting the passionate and tempestuous nature of lustful desires.
- Dante categorizes lust as a grave sin, equating it with the loss of self-control and the inability to reason clearly.
3. Gluttony (Circle 3):
- Gluttonous souls are punished in the third circle, where they lie in foul mud, battered by icy rain and hail.
- Dante portrays gluttony as a form of self-indulgence and greed that leads to spiritual degeneration.
4. Greed and Prodigality (Circle 4):
- The fourth circle houses the avaricious and wasteful souls. They are forced to endlessly push massive boulders against each other, symbolizing the futility of their greed.
- Dante views both greed and excessive spending as sins that corrupt the soul and prevent individuals from pursuing righteous wealth and possessions.
5. Anger and Wrath (Circle 5):
- The wrathful and sullen souls are submerged in the waters of the River Styx, fighting and snarling at each other.
- Anger is regarded as a form of violence that harms both the individual and society, leading to destructive conflicts.
6. Heresy and Disbelief (Circle 6):
- The sixth circle is reserved for heretics, disbelievers, and false prophets. They are trapped in flaming tombs, symbolizing the eternal torment of those who reject God's truth.
- Heresy and disbelief were considered fundamental challenges to the religious and moral order of Dante's time, endangering the salvation of souls.
7. Violence (Circle 7):
- Circle 7 is divided into three rings, punishing different types of violence:
- The first ring houses murderers and war criminals, who are immersed in a boiling river of blood.
- The second ring is for suicides, who are transformed into twisted trees, torn by Harpies.
- The third ring is for blasphemers, sodomites, and usurers, who lie buried in burning sand, raining down flames.
- Dante considers violence against others and against oneself as grave sins that violate God's creation.
8. Fraud (Circle 8):
- The eighth circle is reserved for fraudulent souls, subdivided into ten bolge (ditches) based on specific types of fraud.
- Deceivers, falsifiers, seducers, flatterers, fortune-tellers, bribers, hypocrites, thieves, evil counselors, and sowers of discord are punished here.
- Dante categorizes fraud as a significant sin because it involves the betrayal of trust and disrupts social harmony.
9. Treachery (Circle 9):
- The final and innermost circle of Hell is reserved for treachery, the ultimate sin in Dante's eyes.
- Traitors against their lords, benefactors, country, family, and guests are trapped at the center of Hell in the frozen Lake Cocytus.
- Dante condemns treachery as the worst sin because it violates the most fundamental bonds of loyalty, trust, and kinship.
Dante's organization of Hell reflects his theological beliefs, social values, and moral principles. It reveals that he regarded sins against God, oneself, and others as the gravest offenses that could lead to eternal damnation, according to the Christian worldview of his time.