The nine circles of hell, as depicted in Dante's Inferno, represent a gradual descent into increasing levels of sin and punishment—from the first circle, Limbo, to the ninth circle, which is reserved for the worst sinners. Each level represents various types of moral wrongdoing and the corresponding punishment.

In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine concentric circles of torment located within the Earth; it is the "realm... of those who have rejected spiritual values by yielding to bestial appetites or violence, or by perverting their human intellect to fraud or malice against their fellowmen".

Dante’s depiction of the circles of Hell is not just a theological map but a profound exploration of human morality and justice. Each circle serves as a reflection of the sins committed in life, with punishments that are poetic in their appropriateness.

Here are the circles of hell in order of entrance and severity: ​ Limbo: Where those who never knew Christ exist. Dante encounters ​ Ovid, Homer, Socrates, Aristotle, Julius Caesar, and more here. Lust: Self-explanatory. Dante encounters Achilles, Paris, Tristan, Cleopatra, and Dido, among others. Gluttony : Where those who overindulge exist.