The Inferno and The Odyssey are considered to be two of the most famous and influential

literary pieces ever written. The Odyssey is an epic poem related to ancient Greek culture, describing
Odysseus' long journey to reunite with his family. Meanwhile, The Inferno, believed to be written
several hundred years later, is a divine comedy focusing on Dante's expedition through inferno,
purgatory and paradise. The Inferno and The Odyssey have many similarities and differences linked
with each other, including the structures and functions of hell, the guidance and interactions of spirits
and the life lessons learned through the analysis of sins.
In the eras that these two literary pieces were written, the Italians were generally Christian,
while the Greeks were rendered polytheistic. Despite these religious differences, Dante diverges from
the typical Christian afterlife by throwing pagan gods and Greek monsters into the inferno. However, in
The Odyssey, only gods and heroes associated with Greek mythology and culture are included in the
text. So, while Homer's writing is limited to the culture and beliefs of his people, Dante does not limit
his writing in such a way. By placing pagan gods in Christian hell, Christianity is portrayed as being the
superior and mainstream religion at the time Dante's Inferno was written.
Although both texts include some of the same characters, they play different roles in the
respective afterlives. Dante incorporates characters, such as Minos and the three-headed dog, Cerberus,
from Greek mythology. While Minos is considered to be the judge of the dead in both works, his duties

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in The Inferno are far more descriptive and impactful than in The Odyssey. In The Inferno, Minos

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actually demonstrates a crucial impact on hell's structure. Existent only in the second circle of hell,

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Minos assigns punishments to spirits from their confessions and places them in an appropriate circle

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based on the number of times he wraps his tail around himself. In a way, Minos acts as the organizer of

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the inferno and groups souls according to how they have sinned in their mortal lives. Meanwhile, in
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The Odyssey, Minos, son of Zeus, is characterized as simply judging the dead in the underworld, with
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no specification of his duties or roles.
The structure and function of the inferno and the underworld have significant differences
between one another. A fundamental difference between the two is their entrance points; while the
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inferno is located in a forest, the underworld is in a far section of the ocean, described as an area with
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an abundance of mist and absence of sun. In The Odyssey, the underworld is a place where ghosts are
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contained in one general area, whereas the inferno contains various depths of hell in which higher
circles indicate more severe punishments. In these levels, certain monsters and demons exist to watch
over the spirits and ensure that they fulfill their punishments. While individuals generally could not
leave or escape the underworld, Virgil names several Old Testament figures that are granted permission
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to flee the first circle of hell and access heaven. The souls in the first circle of hell and the underworld
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are there simply because they did not respect the gods, did not acknowledge their presence, or were
born before Christianity (in The Inferno, specifically). As the first circle of hell is merely for
disbelievers, who flourish seemingly unpunished, it is the sinners in successive levels of the inferno
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that are eternally doomed. This first circle of hell could be compared to the underworld, where the
spirits of many great heroes roam without much severe punishment (except Sisyphus, who appears to
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suffer far worse than any other spirits). While the underworld does not seem to be as harsh as the
inferno, Achilles claims that he would prefer to be a slave on earth rather than rule over dead spirits.
Odysseus and Dante both journey through hell for similar reasons, mainly to be reunited with
their lovers and to successfully complete their journeys. As previously mentioned, Odysseus' main goal
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is to see his family again, particularly Penelope. In order to successfully reach Ithaca, Circe suggests
that he visits the underworld to receive directions from the prophet, Tiresias. Likewise, in The Inferno,
Dante's motivating force is to be unified with Beatrice, but needs to go through hell and gain spiritual
understanding before being able to meet in heaven. For this reason, Beatrice sends Virgil to guide
Dante through the various circles of the inferno.
Also, in both stories, Odysseus and Dante seek guidance from shades in hell that lived before
their time. While Dante is able to effortlessly converse with these shades, Odysseus has to undergo a

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 specific process to do so. He must follow a certain ritual in order to call the shades, where he uses his
sword to dig a hole, pour libation, sprinkle barley, pray and slit a sheep's throat. The sheep's dark blood
is essential to this ritual, for it allows the ghosts to “speak truly” to him. Tiresias drinks the blood of the
sheep so that he can speak truly to Odysseus. Following this, Tiresias gives Odysseus many warning
about his upcoming travels; he tells him to not consume Helios' cattle in Thrinakia, to kill the suitors
when he returns to Ithaca and to pray to Poseidon. This is only one instance of the guidance Odysseus
receives through interactions with spirits. Odysseus' mother, Anticleia, manages to provide him with
useful information regarding what is going on at his home in Ithaca She discusses how Telemachus is
grown up, yet still helpless against disposing off the suitors, and how Penelope is suffering from
loneliness from Odysseus' excessive absence. All of this information is helpful in Odysseus' goal to
reunite with his family and motivates him to complete his journey. Similarly, in The Inferno, Dante
associates with spirits to guide him through hell. Virgil, originally a spirit, is granted a temporary
escape from the inferno by Beatrice in order to escort Dante through the inferno. Virgil begins by
showing Dante the seven-walled castle in the first circle of hell, where the spirits of the most notable
and honorable individuals existed. Following this, Dante learns about the monster, Minos, in the second
circle of hell and his responsibilities in categorizing levels of punishments by designating people to
their torments. Their friendship becomes so strong over time that Dante's bravery is often motivated

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and reflected by Virgil's confidence and courage. As they progress deeper into hell through these

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various sections, Dante learns more about how earthly actions reflect underworldly reactions and how

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one's destiny depends on their fallacies. Virgil, temporarily a mortal but naturally a spirit, acts as

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Dante's tour guide, showing him everything he needs to know to get by.

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Through communicating with ghosts and listening to their stories, sins and punishments that
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occur in both versions of hell teach the protagonists valuable life lessons. In Dante's Inferno, most of
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the punishments are directly related to the individuals' misdoings on Earth. This is known as
contrapasso, which defines a process where one's punishment either resembles or contrasts their
respective sin. One famous example of this is demonstrated through Francesca's and Paolo's fate in the
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inferno. Francesca was originally bound to marriage with an old, unattractive man, but eventually falls
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in love with her husband's younger brother, Paolo. When her husband notices the romantic bond
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between the two young lovers, he has them killed. Now, Francesca and Paolo have to spend eternity
with each other in the inferno, suffering from fond memories and grief of their past lives. This story of
Francesca and Paolo shows Dante why he should be loyal to women in relationships. Another example,
although indirect, is related to the lustful in the second circle of hell, or those that have committed sins
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of the flesh. These spirits, that used to lay prone, relaxed and in the dark, are now constantly being
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swept by a raging infernal storm. Initially experiencing excessive pleasure in their past lives, their souls
are now bound to a state of restless calamity. The lustful shades teach Dante why he should not commit
adultery and the destiny that awaits him if he does. Meanwhile, in The Odyssey, Odysseus still learns
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important life lessons, although there are no instances of contrapasso. One example is when
Agamemnon tells Odysseus the story of how he dies in Aegisthus' house, with the help of his own wife.
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This shows Odysseus that wives cannot always be trusted and how they can turn out to be
backstabbers. Another infamous story is Sisyphus' eternal punishment of pushing a massive boulder up
a hill, then letting it fall down, only to push it back up again. The moral here is that the gods should not
be disrespected, as Sisyphus' punishment is believed to be a result of betraying Hades. All of the stories
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Dante and Odysseus hear from spirits teach them important morals on how to properly behave on
Earth, so they are not eternally doomed in the afterlife.
The Inferno and The Odyssey both describe the physical makeup of hell, the influences of spirits
and the morals learned through interpretations of sins. In The Inferno, Dante's journey portrays a vast
representation of the various circles of hell, including the souls and the respective sins correlated with
each successive level. As for The Odyssey, Odysseus, a Greek hero, finally returns home after he
ventures the world and experiences the adventure of a lifetime. Despite the contrasting norms of both

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 cultures and the time periods in which the texts were written, these two stories have a myriad of
similarities and differences associated with each other, granting the reader insight as to who the
characters truly are and the physiological impact that the journeys served on their identities.

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