“When Braun Strowman arrived at the Swamp, there was a sign that read ‘Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here’ which could be a hint about the Firefly Fun House.” –Phillipa Marie, Sportskeeda, July 20, 2020
posted on October 25, 2020 by
“WWE Extreme Rules 2020: 5 Important Details You Probably Missed From the Wyatt Swamp Fight”
posted on October 19, 2020 by
Robert King on CBS’s Evil (2019)
In an interview about the CBS series Evil (2019), showrunner Robert King made reference to the show’s resonance with Dante’s Inferno:
“Having the potential of 60 evil friends opens the show up to the possibility of a string of guest stars. This also gives the writers a good opportunity to go into the wide variety of types evil the Kings want to examine in society. ‘Some may be in the White House. Some may be in ICE. There are elements of evil all around so it’s a great world to explore. Dante had so much fun putting people in hell,’ Robert King extrapolated tongue-in-cheek.” –Heather Taylor, “Exploring the Roots of Evil, a New Series on CBS,” Script Magazine (October 28, 2019)
See also the appearance of Doré’s Inferno illustrations in S01E07, posted here.
posted on October 19, 2020 by
Evil (S01E07), CBS
Photo: Elizabeth Fisher/CBS ©2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
“In the television show Evil (2019, CBS) in Season 1, Episode 7, the main character receives a drawing in a journal given to her daughter by a demon, and the drawing is a sigil ‘from’ the Lesser Key of Solomon. When they research the sigil, they find it represents a demon called ‘Anatas’ who the show explains as a king of demons. While researching, they show multiple plates from the Doré illustrations from Dante’s Inferno. It is worth noting, however, that while the Lesser Key of Solomon is a real document, the symbols from the show are not exactly the same as the ones from the document, and the Lesser Key of Solomon was written after Dante’s time.” –Contributor Alex Lee
See a recap of the episode on TV Guide‘s website.
Contributed by Robert (Alex) Lee, Florida State University ’21
posted on October 13, 2020 by
“Lelouch’s Little Light Reading” in Code Geass R2 (2006)
“Eagle-eyed viewers of Code Geass R2‘s first episode may have spotted that Lelouch is reading Dante’s Divina Commedia while Rollo gives him a lift. (As a child, I never loved anyone enough to give them my last Rolo.)
Slightly more obsessive viewers will have discovered that he is in fact reading the Purgatorio Canto XXII.” –Thaliarchus, Animanachronism, April 9, 2008
Learn more about Sunrise’s 2006 anime Code Geass here.
posted on September 10, 2020 by
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Vegas Revue S01E02
“On Season 1 Episode 2 of Rupaul’s Drag Race: Vegas Revue, Yvie Oddly claims that she is ‘in the seventh circle of hell’ when describing the chaos backstage of a live performance.” –Contributor Ellie Marvin
Watch the full episode, which aired August 28, 2020, on VH1.
Contributed by Ellie Marvin (Florida State University MA ’21)
posted on September 4, 2020 by
Dante, Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)
“Dante (ダンテ, Dante) is the central antagonist of the Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 anime series, first introduced in Episode 32. She is a heartless elderly woman and a formidable alchemist herself. Posing as the master and the benefactor of the Homunculi, Dante is responsible for setting in motion the events of the series and the challenges its protagonists must face along the way, and orchestrates her agenda within the shadows of the Amestrian government and military.
[. . .]
She may be named after the Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, famous for writing the Divine Comedy, a three-part poem with the first chapter, Inferno, taking place in the Nine Circles of Hell. In fact in the Italian dub of the episode title ‘Dante of the Deep Forest’ was translated to ‘Dante Della Selva Oscura’ (lit. ‘Dante of Dark Forest’ [sic]), a reference to the beginning of Alighieri’s poem.” —Fullmetal Alchemist Wiki, February 24, 2020
Learn more about the Fullmetal Alchemist series here.
Contributed by Andrea Beauvais (Luther College)
Originally posted January 26, 2010. Post updated September 4, 2020.
posted on August 23, 2020 by
“American Horror Story: Dante’s Inferno Theory Explained”
“Ryan Murphy’s long-running horror anthology series, American Horror Story, has no shortage of fan theories surrounding it; one suggests that the first nine seasons correspond with the nine circles of hell in Dante’s Inferno.
[. . .]
Inferno is part of a 14th century epic poem by Dante Alighieri, the first part of the Divine Comedy. The concept of nine circles – or layers – of hell has been utilized many times throughout horror’s cinematic history, as it addresses sin, purgatory, and serves as a journey into the dark underworld. This theory surfaced long before all nine seasons of American Horror Story aired, and clever fans have been able to make each circle work to correspond with a different season of the show. While there are theories as to which season best suits a specific circle, they are all represented by Inferno in some way; everything is neatly accounted for.
In 2014, the theory surfaced, and in 2017, Murphy posted a list on Instagram that brought the theory back to life; he assigned seven of the nine seasons to specific circles, which has become the accepted ‘norm’. Since then, seasons 8 (Apocalypse) and 9 (1984) have aired; they also fit the remaining two circles, interestingly enough. The nine circles of hell discussed in Dante’s Inferno are: limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. While these are listed in order, the seasons do not correspond with each circle sequentially. The commonly-accepted connections are: Murder House (limbo), Asylum (fraud), Coven (treachery), Freak Show (greed), Hotel (gluttony), Roanoke (anger), Cult (heresy), Apocalypse (violence), and 1984 (lust).” –Jack Wilhelmi, Screen Rant, June 2, 2020
posted on February 22, 2020 by
My Cat From Hell Season 2, Episode 4 – “Pissed Off!”
On the season 2 episode of My Cat From Hell titled “Pissed Off!”, Rob tells Stephanie “It’s like going into… Dante’s Inferno of piss.” (My Cat From Hell, Animal Planet, January 28, 2012)
Contributed by Victoria Nicholls (The Bolles School, ’22)
posted on February 21, 2020 by
Downton Abbey Season 3, Episode 8 (2013)
On the ITV drama Downton Abbey, in season three, episode eight, Matthew Crawley says “This is like the outer circle from Dante’s Inferno!” (Downton Abbey, ITV, February 10, 2013)
Contributed by Victoria Nicholls (The Bolles School, ’22)
posted on February 21, 2020 by
Lucifer Season 4, Episode 2 – “Somebody’s Been Reading Dante’s Inferno” (2019)
In season four of the Netflix drama Lucifer, the second episode is titled “Somebody’s Been Reading Dante’s Inferno.” (Lucifer, Netflix, May 8, 2019)
Contributed by Audrey Cheng (The Bolles School, 22′)
