What Are the Seven Deadly Sins of Dante’s “Inferno”?

The seven deadly sins of Dante’s “Inferno” are lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. Dante crossed paths with souls condemned to eternal damnation as he journeyed through the Inferno, gaining deeper understanding as he studied their plight. The sinners that Dante encountered were being punished for the specific deadly sin which they were most guilty of in life.

The list of seven deadly sins was compiled by Catholic Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th Century. Each sin stands in opposition to one of the seven holy virtues: chastity, temperance, abstinence, patience, diligence, humility and kindness. Lust is defined as excessive sexual desire. Gluttony is wasteful over-indulgence. Greed, or avarice, is another sin of excess, most commonly referring to the excessive love of money. Dante viewed sloth as the middle sin, characterizing it as a failure to love God and His creation. Wrath is synonymous with anger or hatred and leads to transgressions such as desire to seek revenge, abject violence and refusal to forgive. Envy or jealousy is the act of coveting something admirable which belongs to another person. Pride is the sin which led to Lucifer’s fall from heaven. Catholicism considers pride the foremost and ultimate sin from which all others are derived.