Dante Alighieri, also known as "the Father of the Italian Language" was an influential poet from Florence, Italy, during the Middle Ages, who had a rare and intriguing about immortality. Contrary to the traditional belief that the good are taken to heaven and the bad to hell, Dante believed that along with heaven and hell there was also purgatory and that each of them had different levels. He believed that there were a sum of ten levels of heaven, seven levels of purgatory and nine levels of hell. Dante called Paradise Paradise, Purgatory Purgatory, and Hell Hell. Dante's most vivid description is that of Hell, the most lyrical and human description is that of Purgatory, and the theological description is that of Heaven. He expressed his unique beliefs through his fascinating poem The Divine Comedy. One of the greatest works composed in Italian, the Divine Comedy is a poem that describes Dante's journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven. Dante's Inferno contains nine circles of punishment, as the number increases, the cruelty of the punishment also increases and less light is visible. . The first circle is known as the limbo; limbo is reserved for those who are not baptized and for virtuous atheists. The limbo is described as pleasant and has firm grassy soil and fresh, clean air. Unlike the rest of Hell, Limbo is not depicted as a fiery pit. The punishment for its inhabitants is the loss of hope; lost souls stuck in limbo are forced to spend eternity longing for God's glory and will never receive it. The people stuck in limbo are those who were good people, but were never saved; this would include infants, the unbaptized, and non-Christians. The second circle is reserved for the lecherous. The second circle of hell is...... middle of paper...... inue without pause. Overall, Dante Alighieri's theory of the afterlife is seen in depth as he describes the intense stages of ten levels of heaven, seven levels of purgatory, and nine levels of hell. He expressed his unique beliefs through his fascinating poem The Divine Comedy. As you can see, Dante's Divine Comedy is a moving poem that truly tests everyone's thinking about whether they belong in hell, purgatory, or heaven. Now the only question is: is Dante's view of the afterlife more logical than that of traditional beliefs or is it the other way around? Works Cited Jones, Tony. "HEAVEN." Dante Alighieri's paradise. NP, 2005. Web. February 16, 2014.Jones, Tony. “HELL: THE MOANS AND THE GRAINING OF TEETH.” Dante Alighieri's Inferno. NP, 2005. Web. February 16, 2014.Jones, Tony. "PURGATORY." Purgatory by Dante Alighieri. NP, 2005. Web. February 16. 2014.