Dante Alighieri, a poet from the beginning of the 14th century, wrote in Inferno of his journey through hell. Virgil, an ancient Roman poet from the Augustan period, wrote the Aeneid which tells the legendary story of Aeneas. In both of these poems there was a visit to the underworld, creating a skewed image of the underworld. THESISAfter getting lost in his ways of life, Dante introduces his first character, Virgil. By introducing Virgil, Dante foreshadows the Aeneid's thought process in relation to Hell. In Canto I, Virgil becomes Dante's guide through the underworld after being titled "You are my master, my author." (page 7, line 85), a bit like the Sibyl in the Aeneid. Throughout Dante's Inferno, he continually imitates the literary styles of Virgil's epic poem. Virgil's Aeneid defined the imperial Rome of its day and Dante wanted the same honor for 14th century Italy. Much of Dante's inspiration came from Virgil, although he believed there were flaws in Virgil's work that required adjustment, hence Hell. Both the Aeneid and Inferno present a version of the underworld with a defined structure of separation. Although Dante was a deep Christian, Virgil's pagan religious views created an altered underworld. Virgil was unable to believe in Jesus Christ because he died in 19 BC. This difference in religion has created variation in the definition of sin. Virgil creates a loosely related hell that is less particular about those who reside there. Dante's Hell is specific in that it has nine different circles with different sublayers, creating an area for every type of sinner. Virgil's version of limbo does not have the same force as Dante's limbo because it is not as defined..... .middle of paper.....expectations. The key moment comes when we ask: "Those who deserved so well, from Giacopo/Arrigo, Mosca and the others, who leaned/Their minds on good. Oh! tell me where/They wait, and at their knowledge, let me come./For I am urged by a keen desire to hear” (Canto VI). The answer, of course, is that those with good intentions open the way to a much deeper part of hell; certainly a scary thought for many Christians. Dante's Inferno is a testament to the power of propaganda; the poem clearly has an ideological point of view that Virgil lacks. It is, however, this slight difference in perspective that elevates Dante's inferno to the rank of a much greater literary creation than Virgil's. PARAGRAPH - In Canto III, for example, you can compare Dante and Virgil's approach to the river Acheron with the parallel episode in Book VI of the Aeneid.