There are many symbols in Dante's Inferno. One of the most important symbols is the number three. Throughout Dante's Inferno, Dante uses the number three to symbolize and represent important characters and concepts of Hell. His extensive use of the number three is partly due to reasons related to his life. It is obvious that the number three is the most visible symbol and it is no coincidence that it appears so many times throughout Hell. Dante Alighieri was born in Florence, Italy in 1265 to a wealthy family. family of merchants. According to James Cocoran, "Dante's Florence was a place of political turbulence, divided between two rival political factions, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines." Cocoran also states that "Dante was probably educated at the University of Bologna, where he studied law and rhetoric." Having studied law at a time of such political unrest must have had an impact on his life and made him think about organization and justice, as evidenced in Inferno. He was not involved much in politics early in his life, but eventually, as Cocoran says, "Dante became embroiled in the political controversies of his time. He fought the Ghibellines of Arezzo at the Battle of Campaldino in 1289. In 1295 he became an official of the Florentine commune. Dante belonged to the white faction of the Guelphs at a time when Pope Boniface VIII had decided to support the blacks” (618). Dante was eventually exiled due to his support of the faction opposed to the Pope. Dante was a Christian, as evidenced by the many divine references and factors present in Inferno. He was also in love with a girl named Beatrice. Alighieri loved her even though she married another man and after her death he kept her in his memory...... middle of paper...... simple and simple subjects. Arguably, if Dante had not used the number three and all the meaning and mystique that comes with it, most of the subjects of Inferno would simply be simple, deadpan ideas and figures. Nevertheless, number three was an essential and critical part of Inferno and led many people to view the Divine Comedy as the epitome of Italian literature. Works Cited Cocoran, James. Ed. et al. Masterpieces of the World Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003. 618-619. Print.Rudd, Jay. “Hell: Songs 1 to 4.” Bloom's literature. Facts about File, Inc. Web. March 16, 2014. Rudd, Jay. “Hell: Songs 12-17.” Bloom's literature. Facts about File, Inc. Web. March 16, 2014.Rudd, Jay. “Hell: Songs 31-34.” Bloom's literature. Facts about File, Inc. Web. March 16, 2014.Vossler, Carl. “On Hell.” Bloom's literature. Facts about File, Inc. Web. March 16. 2014.