"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here," reads the now-famous words above the gate through which Dante, the protagonist of Inferno, crosses the threshold. This forbidding inscription applies only to those without faith. And although Dante's journey through the nine circles of Hell begins with terror and confusion, it culminates in an understanding of the divine plan and the realization of divine love. Along his path, Dante encounters a series of sinners from Christian and classical history and legend - a fascinating range of characters that has intrigued and taught readers since the first publication of Inferno in 1317.