Among medieval texts, Dante's Inferno gives readers a glimpse of a poetically described version of Hell, full of punishment and evil. Dante travels through purgatory speaking with different nuances and converses with his guide to better understand man's follies. Each song describes certain characters and the reasons why they are stuck in hell. Through analysis of the text as well as support from literature written by Sara Sturm, R Bates and finally EM Hood, Canto XXVI not only provides insight into Dante's political beliefs, but also describes the eventual demise of the false counselors, as well as those who are not grateful for the gifts God has given them. First, Dante Alighieri uses Canto XXVI to further describe his political beliefs and program to his readers. The introductory paragraph of Canto XXVI compares the eighth circle, which Dante previously described, to his hometown, Florence. Dante writes: “Be joyful Florence, you are truly great, for on sea and on land you beat your wings; through all parts of Hell your name extends! » which is a direct mockery of his hometown Florence (Inferno XXVI 1-3). Dante agrees that Florence is one of the greatest cities, but claims that part of its success is due to the evil cultivated in the city. Florence is such a prosperous city that it is even famous in hell, although for the wrong reasons. The previous song, XXV, gives a description of the eighth circle, reserved for thieves. Dante continues his analysis of the eighth circle and states that “among the thieves I found five of your citizens [Florence] – and so this shame took hold of me; with them you cannot access any great honor” (Inf. XXVI. 4-6). Dant's final lines... middle of paper ... humble, ultimately lead to an unsuccessful life and a death filled with regrets. Works Cited Bates, Richard. "Dante's Ulysses and the Epistle of James." Dante Studies, with Annual Report of the Dante Society 107 (1989): 33-44. Print.Dante, Alighieri, Allen Mandelbaum and Barry Moser. Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy Inferno, a verse translation. New York: Bantam, 2004. Print. Homer, Allen Mandelbaum and Maria Luisa Novels. From. Homer's Odyssey: a new verse translation. Berkeley: University of California, 1990. Print.Hood, Edward. “The Condition of Ulysses: Expansions and Contractions in Canto XXVI of “Inferno”” Annual Reports of the Dante Society, with Accompanying Papers 81 (1963): 1-17. Print. Sturm, Sara. “Structure and Meaning in Inferno XXVI.” Dante Studies, with the Annual Report of the Dante Society 92 (1974): 93-106. Print.