Dante’s Divine Comedy

The Divine Comedy is an Italian poem by Dante Alighieri in the 1300s. It is considered one of the greatest works of Western literature. The poem's imaginative vision of the afterlife reflects the medieval, Catholic worldview. It is divided into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno represents Hell, with its various levels of sinners, described in great detail by Dante. Pugatorio is where souls get purged of sin before ascending to Heaven, or Paradiso.

In The Hesperus Prophecy, Declan finds himself detained by the US Navy after being found in a lifeboat filled with Nazi paraphernalia. One of the guards in the interrogation room says to the professor “Welcome to Dante’s Inferno.” Despite being scared and confused, when the guard adds “You’re in purgatory, here for your last chance at redemption”, Declan responds like the guard is one of his Intro to Bio students. The professor chastises the guard for not recognizing the difference between Purgatory and Hell, predictably worsening his plight.

Levels of Hell according to Dante - the worst involves waiting in line at the DMV