Divine Comedy-I: Inferno Forum

I'm just curious as to what Canto of the Inferno speaks to the most people, or is the best visualized in your mind. For me, it was canto 13, the wood of suicides. It just seemed really vivid, and it's become one of my favorites.

i have a ? can anyone help me?

Why did Dante choose the represent the last part of hell as a frozen lake

Hi,
In Dante's inferno, the 9th level of hell has a frozen lake called Cocytus.  It's a frozen lake, because hell is envisioned by Dante as a funnel to the center of the earth, and in Dante's time, people didn't know that the earth became hotter towards the center due to the molten core.  He thought that the earth became colder towards the center.  It's a lake because it's the origin of all the other rivers of Hell.  Dante tells us that the lake is caused by Satan who was banished to the bottom of Hell by God and as Satan trieds to escape, he flaps his wings, and the lake continues to freeze.   The 9th layer of hell is reserved for traitors who are frozen in the lake and can spend eternity lamenting. 

Good luck!
Jamie