The Divine Comedy · Chapter
Canto III: The Gate of Hell explained
Dante and Virgil approach the gate of Hell, where they read the famous inscription warning all who enter to abandon hope.
What happens
Dante and Virgil approach the gate of Hell, where they read the famous inscription warning all who enter to abandon hope. Virgil comforts Dante and leads him inside, where they encounter the souls of the indifferent—those who lived without praise or blame—including the shade of Pope Celestine V, who made the 'great refusal.' They then reach the river Acheron, where the ferryman Charon transports the damned across. Charon initially refuses to carry Dante, but Virgil asserts divine will. As the souls board the boat, the ground trembles, and Dante falls into a swoon.
Themes in this chapter
Divine Justice
The inscription on Hell's gate declares that justice inspired the Creator, and the souls of the indifferent are punished by both mercy and justice for their neutrality.
Suffering and Compassion
Dante weeps at the cries of the damned and is horrified by the torment of the souls, reflecting his compassionate response to suffering.
Characters to notice
- Dante Alighieri
Dante reads the inscription on Hell's gate, weeps at the lamentations of the damned, recognizes the shade of Pope Celestine V, and faints after the earthquake.
- Virgil
Virgil comforts Dante, explains the nature of the indifferent souls, and asserts divine authority to Charon to allow Dante's passage.
- Pope Celestine V
Referenced as 'the shade of him who made through cowardice the great refusal,' identified as Pope Celestine V, who abdicated the papacy.
Key passages
“Through me the way is to the city dolent; Through me the way is to eternal dole; Through me the way among the people lost. Justice incited my sublime Creator; Created me divine Omnipotence, The highest Wisdom and the primal Love. Before me there were no created things, Only eterne, and I eternal last. All hope abandon, ye who enter in!”
I am the gateway to the sorrowful city, to eternal pain, and to the lost souls. Divine Justice, Omnipotence, Wisdom, and Love created me. Nothing was made before me except eternal things, and I will last forever. Abandon all hope, you who enter here.
This is the inscription on the gate of Hell, emphasizing its divine origin and the hopelessness of the damned.
“This miserable mode Maintain the melancholy souls of those Who lived withouten infamy or praise. Commingled are they with that caitiff choir Of Angels, who have not rebellious been, Nor faithful were to God, but were for self.”
This wretched state is for the sorrowful souls who lived without fame or shame. They are mixed with the cowardly angels who were neither rebels nor faithful to God, but only served themselves.
Virgil explains the punishment of the indifferent, both human and angelic, who chose neutrality.