ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the Inferno, the first canticle, which describes the realm of hell as the darkest seat of evil. It examines the background to the Commedia, the representation of evil in the Inferno, and finally the transpositions of Dante's insights to contemporary contexts, especially in film. Even with radical changes in the philosophical and theological contexts, the structures and images of evil expressed in Dante's Inferno poem continue to haunt and shape the cultural imagination. The sociopolitical context of Dante's life was a paradoxical mix of order and disorder, riches and poverty, with complex, diverse cultural influences. But their sheer number and diversity testify to the extraordinary fecundity of Dante's account of evil, and its ability to serve as inspiration within radically altered social, political, and theological frameworks. The classical and Christian elements are also blended with the earthly landscape and society of Dante, his predecessors and contemporaries, subject to rulers such as Frederick II and Boniface VIII.
