The Encounter with Lucifer

Dante and Virgil enter the final ring, Judecca, where traitors to their lords and benefactors are completely encased in ice. They see Lucifer, the Emperor of the dolorous kingdom, emerging from the ice from his mid-breast. He has three faces: one vermilion, one between white and yellow, and one black. Under each face come two mighty bat-like wings, which beat and freeze Cocytus. In each of his three mouths, he chews a sinner: Judas Iscariot, with his head inside and legs kicking; Brutus; and Cassius. Virgil explains that Judas suffers the greatest pain. They then climb down Lucifer's shaggy sides, passing through the center of the earth, and emerge to see the stars. This is the climax of the Inferno, the confrontation with the source of all evil, and the beginning of the ascent to Purgatory.