When Dante regains consciousness, he finds himself on Acheron’s opposite bank. Virgil leads him to Limbo, the very first circle of Hell.
Limbo is inhabited by the souls of those who died unbaptized and thus lived outside the tenets of Christianity.
Dante and Virgil encounter Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan. - Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Plut. 40.7, f. 9r.
Two examples of the “Dantino,” a miniature edition of Dante’s Comedy. - La Divina Commedia di Dante, Milan, Hoepli, 1878, and La Divina Commedia di Dante, Padua, Antonio and Luigi Salmin, 1878. McGill Rare Books and Special Collections, PQ4302 E78 and PQ4302 E78b.
While the two poets make their way through this circle, a voice proclaims Virgil’s return; Virgil, after all, belongs in this circle. Four great ancient poets approach: Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan come to greet Dante and his guide, solemnly admitting the medieval poet into their group and accompanying him and Virgil for a stretch as they continue on their journey.
EXCERPT OF THE COMEDY: Inf. 4. 79-84
The six poets reach a well-lit castle where the souls of the virtuous and the wise reside. A mix of philosophers, poets, warriors, and military leaders, both ancient and contemporary, these are pagan souls who, while unbaptized, have nonetheless proved themselves worthy of praise in the eyes of God, and are permitted to spend their afterlives in peace in the most brightly illuminated section of Hell.
Dante in the castle of virtuous and wise souls. - Dante Alighieri, La Divina Commedia, imagini di Amos Nattini, Milan, Officine dell’Istituto nazionale dantesco, 1939, plate 4. McGill Rare Books and Special Collections, elf PQ4302 F23.
Dante experiences great sorrow when he discovers that virtuous souls must remain in Hell -- even though they find themselves in a peaceful circle -- if unpurified by the rite of baptism. He questions Virgil to find out if anyone has ever been granted salvation from Limbo; Virgil replies that, prior to the death of Jesus Christ, every virtuous soul resided in Limbo, because the gates of Heaven were closed to all.
Only Christ’s death atoned for original sin and reopened the gates, allowing the blessed to rise up to Paradise. At the time of his death, between his Crucifixion on a Friday and his Resurrection the following Sunday, Christ came to Limbo to free the souls of the biblical patriarchs and of the other worthies, who have since enjoyed a state of bliss in Paradise. Virgil, who died and joined the other souls in Limbo before Christ, witnessed this event.