This paper discusses the journeys into the underworld of three epic books: Dante’s Inferno, Virgil’s “Aeneid” and Homer’s Odysseus.
This paper describes the concept of Habes, hell, in each of the three books. The author states that in each book, the underworld is an allegory for the travails of life itself. The author presents similarities and differences in each book. The paper concludes that, in all three narratives, there is one common thread: good triumphs over evil.
In these stories, Hades plays a pivotal role for largely different reasons. Dante uses Inferno as a pure description of hell, a sinister warning to likely sinners. In the narrative, each sin is categorized and has its own gruesome punishment. Virgil’s sends Aeneus through Hell to allow him to seek and cement his destiny, the forefather of Rome’s creation. Today, the word Odyssey: has become synonymous with adventurous journeys.