Dante Alighieri, also known as “the father of the Italian language” was an influential Florentine poet during the Middle Ages, who had an unusual and intriguing perspective on immortality. Contrary to the traditional belief that good people are taken to Heaven and bad people to Hell, Dante believed that along with Heaven and Hell there was also a Purgatory and each of these had different levels. He believed there were ten levels of heaven, seven levels of purgatory, and nine levels of hell. Dante referred to Paradise as Paradise, Purgatory as Purgatory, and Hell as Inferno. Dante's most vivid description is that of Hell, the most lyrical and human description is that of Purgatory and the theological one is that of Paradise. He expressed his unique beliefs through his compelling poem Divine Comedy. One of the greatest works composed in Italian, the Divine Comedy is a poem describing Dante's journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Dante's Inferno contains nine circles of punishment, as the number increases, the cruelty of the punishment also increases and less light is seen. . The first circle is known as limbo; limbo is designated for those who are not baptized and for virtuous atheists. Limbo is described as pleasant, with firm grassy ground and fresh, clean air. Unlike the rest of Hell, Limbo is not depicted as a fiery pit. The punishment for its residents 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 newborns, the unbaptized, and non-Christians. The second circle is designated for the lustful. The second circle of hell is... half of the paper... inue without pauses. Overall, Dante Alighieri's theory of the afterlife is seen in depth as he describes the intense phases of ten levels of heaven, seven levels of purgatory, and nine levels of hell. He expressed his unique beliefs through his compelling poem Divine Comedy. As you can see, Dante's Divine Comedy is a rousing poem that truly challenges everyone's thinking as to whether they belong in hell, purgatory, or heaven. Now the only question is: is Dante's vision of the afterlife more logical than that of traditional beliefs or is it the opposite? Works Cited Jones, Tony. "PARADISE." Dante Alighieri's Paradise. Np, 2005. Web. 16 February 2014. Jones, Tony. "HELL: THE CRYING AND GRANKING OF TEETH." Dante Alighieri's Inferno. Np, 2005. Web. 16 February 2014. Jones, Tony. "PURGATORY." Dante Alighieri's Purgatory. Np, 2005. Web. 16 February. 2014.