The Divine Comedy or Divina Commedia is considered the masterwork of Italian literature. Written between 1308 and 1321, it is the most well known of Dante Alighieri's poems. It is translated by Thomas William Parsons and contains the first of three canticles, known as Inferno, providing readers with the opportunity to read some of the most heralded literature ever composed. The Divine Comedy follows the author on his allegorical journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven. The poem Inferno is about hell, and consists of thirty-four cantos, each composed of three line tercets. Alighieri's hell is made up of nine circles of suffering on Earth, which the author navigates throughout the poem. Guided by Roman poet Virgil, Alighieri is attempting to cleanse himself through the rejection of sin. The nine circles of hell are explained in detail, with each circle reserved for a different level of sinner. Inferno concludes with Alighieri and Virgil escaping hell and passing through to purgatory, which is the subject of the second of The Divine Comedy's canticles. The epic poem is a work of genius. The structure, story, and execution are all brilliant, and it becomes clear to the reader why this work is held in such high regard. The book is best appreciated by those with experience reading epic poetry, although there is truly no better introduction to the genre than the work of Alighieri. The First Canticle, Inferno of the Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri is one of the great works of literature. The English translation presented here is highly recommended to all readers as one of the most influential texts ever written. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.