The vision of hell. By Dante Alighieri. Translated by Rev. Henry Francis Cary, M.A. and illustrated with the seventy-five designs of Gustave Doré.

"The Vision of Hell" by Dante Alighieri is an epic poem, the opening act of "The Divine Comedy," crafted in the early 1300s. As an allegorical journey, it shows the reader the circles of Hell, with the Roman poet Virgil guiding Dante through a world full of the damned to teach him about sin and justice. Dante is the main character, traveling through the layers of Hell, meeting many suffering souls in search of redemption and truth. The story starts with Dante lost in a dark forest, representing his own confusion and sin. Wild beasts appear, blocking his path to salvation, and represent a variety of evils. Virgil appears to guide Dante through Hell and Dante begins his lesson about sin and its repercussions.