Although Dante uses the Christian idea of Hell in The Inferno, he makes numerous references to classical mythology, at times intertwining the Christian faith with Greek and Roman mythology. These references are made in the form of people, places, and things. It is interesting to see how Dante's use of classical mythology clashes with the underlying Christian theme of the poem.

There are several references to classical mythology in The Inferno. In Canto III, Dante includes Greek mythology with the Acheron River. He then includes Styx, also from Greek mythology, as a marsh in Canto VII. Numerous other figures from classical mythology, such as Minos and Ulysses, are also encountered by Dante in Hell. Minos, like all monsters assigned to the offices of Hell, is from Greek mythology. Minos was the king of Crete, but in The Inferno, his role is to sit at the second circle of...