Florentine represents the political scene of Italy at the time and the physiology that ended up getting Dante exiled. Dante considered the Florentine politics to be mischievous, which is why he put a character that represented this in The Inferno. After being exiled, along with many others, Dante considered the results of the politics to be a sin.

Filippo is based on a Black Guelph, Charles of Valoi, Dante’s political enemy. Charles of Valoi entered Florence with the other Black Guelphs and destroyed much of the city within a few days. The harsh treatment that Filippo sufferers in The Inferno is payback for an earlier offense that the real life Charles of Valoi had done. In The Inferno Filippo’s violent temper is highlighted in the story as a man who had crossed Dante.

Argenti is being referenced by the mention of the line “accursèd spirit” when he refuses to come forth and identify himself. This mention is in The Inferno to replace the identity of Argenti because Dante does not want to name him, he wants for him to identify himself. Although Dante is still enraged in with Argenti, he shows compassion and forgiveness in this line.

Phlegyas is the son of Mars (god of war) who became outraged after the god Apollo raped his daughter. Out of rage, he set fire to the temple of Apollo. Phlegyas is in The Inferno because Virgil uses him to represent the sins of wrathful and sullen. In The Inferno, Phlegyas is responsible for Dante and Virgil across the Styx in his boat.

The City of Dis refers to the walls that encompasses all of lower hell where the serious sins are punished. Dis, also known as Pluto, is one of the kings of the underworld. Dis represents Lucifer and the lower circles of his infernal realm. It is in The Inferno because it is where the worst sinners reside and is imperative to Dante’s portrayal of his own version of hell.

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