Dante begins Inferno by embarking on a journey to Hell with his poet guide, Virgil. Throughout the journey, the reader gets a taste of the horrific images and depictions of the punishments meted out to different levels of sinner. Throughout this journey, Dante encounters many sinners that he knew or had knowledge of in the real world, and at first, the sinners wanted their name to spread throughout the world when Dante was released from Hell. But, as Dante explored more and more of the underworld, the sinners became less and less enthusiastic about themselves, which eventually turned into pure shame among the sinners of the lower depths of the underworld. 'hell. Dante uses examples of punishments for sins committed and the varying levels of shame felt by sinners to cause the reader to reevaluate their own life in the context of religious wrongdoing. Exaggerated punishments and shaming are necessary in this work of art to relay the predominant meaning. The intense and imaginative punishments that Dante conveys to the reader cause the reader to look at his life and think about the sins he has committed. The punishments for sin in The Inferno increase in severity with sin. In the vestibule of Hell, Dante meets the opportunists. They run in circles chasing a waving banner while constantly being stung by wasps and hornets, causing a constant flow of blood to the sinners' bodies. Dante then meets the limbo sinners in the first circle. Dante considers these “virtuous pagans” to be the least serious sin. “They have not worshiped the Trinity of God to the full extent of their duty,” therefore the punishments given to these sinners are that they have no hope (Dante, 28). This fits the story and the reader well because I...... middle of paper......a much less enthusiastic tone than the previous characters. This example follows the same pattern as mentioned above regarding Dante's reactions to sinners. The deeper you go into hell, the more contemptuous people become. This is because sinners are further from the Light of God and live in eternal damnation. Dante's goal, including the sinners' reactions when they encounter Dante, plays an important role. Dante wants the reader to know that committing a less serious crime results in better treatment in Hell, and therefore a desire to be remembered in the real world. Dante is not saying that we should commit a less serious sin. He simply said that if one did so, the punishment would be far better than that of the lower depths of Hell. It gives the reader's mind a feeling of examining their own life and inspires them not to commit sin..