The Inferno of Dante The reader is taken on an emotional journey through the deepest recesses of hell in this epic and brutal poem. As significant and enduring as the day it was composed more than 600 years ago. One of the greatest and most enduring works of Western civilization is Dante's Inferno. The eternal drama of a descent into Hell. The poetic masterpiece of Dante Alighieri, who is in the esteemed company of Homer, Virgil, Milton, and Shakespeare, is a stirring tale of human drama, an unforgettable visionary journey through the endless torment of Hell, the pinnacle of Middle Ages expression, a glorification of the ways of God, and a magnificent protest against the ways in which men have obstructed the divine plan.