Third Circle: Gluttons

Circle Three describes the sin of gluttony and the corresponding punishment for that sin.  Instead of accepting the gifts of God during their lives, gluttons indulged themselves with food and drink.  As a result of their sin, gluttons endured the harsh punishment of being half buried in cold fetid slush with slushy snow raining upon them.  Dante describes their circle as follows, "Everything about this Circle suggests a gigantic garbage dump.  The souls of/ the damned lie in the icy paste, swollen and obscene..." (65).  This represents what the gluttons were like in their life.  By eating and drinking an inordinate amount, they made no contribution of value to the world.   The gluttons did not have a positive influence or impact on others, but rather were excessive consumers.  Consequently, they were viewed as trash or garbage to society.  The cold temperature of the slush that surrounded the gluttons in their circle was significant because it was the opposite of the temperature they felt while eating and drinking during their lives. In Hell, gluttons were eternally punished because they would never have the gratification of experiencing that warmth again. Another part of their punishment was constantly being picked at and eaten by Cerberus, the three-headed dog, just as they had so often picked at and eaten food and drink while alive.  Cerberus' swollen belly resembled the gluttons' obesity.  Although gluttons did not have Cerberus' red eyes, dirty beard, and claw hands, these features were symbolic of the disgust with which Dante viewed them.  As Dante wrote, "Cerberus, the ravenous three-headed dog of Hell, stands guard over them, ripping and tearing them with his claws and teeth" (65).  The violent way in which Cerberus treated the gluttons echoes the destructive manner the gluttons used to devour their food and drink.

Dante expresses disgust towards the gluttons and their circle because this part of Hell is dirty and extremely unpleasant. "Huge hailstones, dirty water, and black snow/ pour from the dismal air to putrefy/ the putrid slush that waits for them below" (66).  Circle Three was full of torment and gloom.  Dante makes it obvious that he considers gluttons to be garbage and believes they should be punished harshly because of their lack of importance or value to civilization. He described and created a Hell for gluttons that was horrible and miserable, punishing them by being permanently stuck in a storm of pungent slush, essentially a huge garbage dump. By envisioning and depicting the glutton's Hell as he does, Dante indicated that gluttons were as insignificant as the garbage that they consumed.