Dante's Sinners in Inferno and Purgatory

3 credits

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) puts popes, cardinals, priests, emperors, kings, and politicians, among many others, in Hell, which he structures according to theEthicsof Aristotle. Based on the seven capital sins in the Christian theology, Dante organizes Purgatory in a way in which these historical figures such as poets and philosophers purge their sins. We will focus on the characters featured as sinners in both InfernoandPurgatorioin order to understand the arguments of the text and their ethical resonances.