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Lust | |
Circle Number | 2 |
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Boss | Cleopatra and Marc Antony |
Creatures | Temptress |
Locations | Tower of Lust |
Host | Francesca Da Polenta |
Prev. Circle | Limbo |
Next Circle | Gluttony |
Lust was the second Circle of Hell.
Overview
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Below Limbo was the second circle of Hell, Lust. Here, Dante discovered that Lucifer made Beatrice his bride. Lucifer told her about Dante's betrayal to her by having sex with the slave girl. Dante journeyed to The Carnal Tower in the center of this circle's endless hurricane of souls who are ruled by sexual desire. Here, he defeated Queen Cleopatra who ruled as one of Lucifer's regents.
Description
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The Circle of Lust was comprised of a vast, rocky chasm with the structural ends of a broken bridge residing on each side. The bridge itself was lined in gold statues of lovers, separated at the left and right of the bridge, purple lightning arching between them.
The center piece and main section was The Carnal Tower, a phallic shaped structure massive in size which rose out of the chasm between the bridges. As well as a throne to the circle's guardian, Queen Cleopatra, the tower also acted as a focal point for the violent purple lightning storms that swirled around it, ensnaring the souls of the lustful for eternity.
The Tower itself had many floors and it's architecture and decor continued with the theme of sex and the human genitalia, for example, pillars and columns resembling penises, doors and arches reminiscent of the vagina and rooms resembling the womb as well as statues of lovers in intimate poses.
Areas of the Circle
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- The Tempest of Lustful Shades: A giant vortex storm summoned by Cleopatra which surrounded The Tower of Lust and punished the lustful shades. Dante used a bolt of energy to open a breach in the winds and enter the tower.
- The Carnal Tower: A giant, phallic-shaped tower in the center of the circle which Cleopatra climbed, taunting Dante and trying to hinder his journey. It's architecture, walls, pillars and floors resembled human genitalia.
Dante's Journal
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- In the Divine Comedy, Dante sees Semiramis, Dido, Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, Achilles, Paris, Tristan, Francesca da Polenta, Paolo Malatesta, and others blowing around in the Winds of Lust.
Gallery
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Trivia
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- The sin of Lust, in Latin luxuria, is listed among the Seven Deadly Sins, which were used by Dante Aligheri to craft his versions of Hell and Purgatory in The Divine Comedy. Lust originally was not only an obsessive desire for sex, but also for expensive items and excessive comforts (over-pampering of the body).
- In the Divine Comedy, the Deadly Sin of Lust is considered the least offensive of the seven, and thus, aside from the virtuous pagans of the previous circle (Limbo), sinners in this circle receive a relatively light punishment. As these sinners let lust drive them constantly through life, day or night, in Hell their lust now manifests as the whirlwind that keeps forcing them to move eternally without allowing them to stop for rest.
- According to Dante, Lust was a form of Divine Love for others, perverted into an obsession with the flesh, which is why it is only designated as the second circle rather than a lower one. Other sins derived from corrupted Divine Love (Gluttony, Greed) are also found in the higher circles of Hell (Circles 3 and 4 respectively).
Nine Circles of Hell |
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Limbo · Lust · Gluttony · Greed · Anger · Heresy · Violence · Fraud · Treachery |