The Eighth Bolgia: Evil Counsellors and Ulysses

Dante and Virgil ascend to the eighth Bolgia, where the evil counsellors are hidden within tongues of flame. Each flame contains a sinner who used his intellect to deceive. Virgil points out a double flame containing Ulysses and Diomed, who are punished together for the ambush of the Trojan horse, the deception of Achilles, and the theft of the Palladium. At Dante's request, Virgil speaks to them, and the greater horn of the flame tells the story of Ulysses' last voyage: how he and his crew sailed beyond the Pillars of Hercules, driven by the desire for knowledge and virtue, until they sighted a great mountain and were sunk by a whirlwind. This episode is one of the most celebrated in the poem, exploring the limits of human reason and the tragic consequences of overreaching.