Of the medieval texts, Dante's Inferno, offers readers an insight into a poetically described version of Hell that is full of punishment and evil. Dante travels through purgatory speaking in various nuances and converses with his guide to gain insight into man's follies. Each Canto describes some characters and the reasons why they got stuck in Hell. Through textual analysis and supported literature written by Sara Sturm, R Bates, and finally EM Hood, Canto XXVI not only provides insight into Dante's political beliefs, but also describes the end of false counselors, as well as those who they are not grateful for the gifts received from God. First, Dante Alighieri uses Canto XXVI to further describe his political beliefs and agenda to his readers. The introductory paragraph of Canto XXVI compares the eighth circle, which Dante described earlier, to his hometown, Florence. Dante writes: “be happy Florence, you are truly great, because you flap your wings on sea and on land; your name extends to every part of Hell!” which is a direct mockery of his hometown, Florence (Inferno XXVI 1-3). Dante agrees with the fact that Florence is one of the greatest cities, however he states that part of its success is due to the evil cultivated in the city. Florence is such a successful city that it is even famous in Hell even if for the wrong reasons. The previous canto, XXV, describes the eighth circle, reserved for thieves. Dante continues his analysis of the eighth circle, and claims that “among thieves I found five of your citizens [Florence] – and such, that shame has overtaken me; with them you will not be able to ascend to any high honor" (Inf. XXVI. 4-6). Dant's last lines...... middle of paper ...... humble, ultimately lead to a fruitless life and a death full of regrets. Works Cited Bates, Richard. "Dante's Ulysses and the Epistle of James." Dante Studies, with the Annual Report of the Dante Society 107 (1989): 33-44. Print.Dante, Alighieri, Allen Mandelbaum and Barry Moser. Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy Inferno, a translation into verse. New York: Bantam, 2004. Print.Homer, Allen Mandelbaum, and Romans Maria Luisa. De. Homer's Odyssey: a new translation into verse. Berkeley: University of California, 1990. Print.Hood, Edward. "The Condition of Ulysses: Dilations and Contractions in Canto XXVI of the Inferno" Annual Reports of the Dante Society, with accompanying papers 81 (1963): 1-17. Print.Sturm, Sara. “Structure and Meaning in Inferno XXVI.” Dante Studies, with the Annual Report of the Dante Society 92 (1974): 93-106. Press.