Updating Inferno

One of the most fascinating things about Dante’s Divine Comedy is the way he mixes famous figures from history and literature (Cerberus, Frederick II, Judas) with well-known people from his own time (Ugolino, even his own mentor Brunetto Latini: see this listicle!). He even throws shade by “reserving space” in Hell for people who aren’t dead yet (Pope Boniface VIII). Sometimes this means that 700 years later we have very little idea what someone did to merit their appearance in a particular section in Hell—their scandal was clearly widely known in Dante’s time, but it was a fleeting thing and now we have no idea who they were apart from what Dante tells us (cf. Filippo Argenti, canto 8, who also appears in the Decameron).

To bring Dante's Inferno up to date, our students nominated new people for Hell—well-known historical or literary figures, and celebrities or people recognizable from current events—and placed them in the ring of Hell they thought most appropriate to their sins. I have also included nominations from the last time I ran this exercise in 2015 (in italics). Note: This was intended to be a lighthearted exercise: the 2015 class had lively discussions of BOTH where to put Hitler, and where to put the entire Kardashian family. I also note that some of these categories are very culturally constructed: for example, the sin of the “sodomites” (7.3) is not generally considered a sin these days (and in fact there’s a whole fascinating thread of Dante studies arguing about whether Dante disapproved of it at all).

2nd circle: The lustful.

• The Marquis de Sade

• Paris of Troy

• Bill Clinton

• Don Juan

• Hugh Hefner

• Newt Gingrich

4th circle: The greedy and prodigal.

• Justin Bieber

• Louis XIV

• Charles Koch

• Dan Bilzerian

• Elon Musk

• Ivanka Trump

• Kim Kardashian

• Joe Exotic

7th circle: The violent.

1) Violent against their neighbors (tyrants and murderers).

• The Unabomber

• George Zimmerman

• Attila the Hun

• Nicholas Cruz

• King Leopold II of Belgium

• Andrew Jackson

• Oliver Cromwell

• Adolf Hitler

• Ted Bundy

• David Duke

• Caligula

2) Violent against themselves (suicides).

3) Violent against God and nature (blasphemers, sodomites, etc.)

• Rick Scott

• Pewdiepie

9th circle: Traitors and betrayers.

1) Caina: Betrayers of kin.

• Philip V of Spain

• Cain

2) Antenora: Betrayers of their country.

• Benedict Arnold

• Recep Erdoğan

• Richard Burr

• Albert Speer

3) Ptolomea: Betrayers of guests.

• Al Capone

4) Giudecca: Betrayers of benefactors.

• Brutus