Dante Inferno 1-6 Question 2

The Canti that I enjoyed the most was Canto 4, when Dante and Virgil entered the first circle. The first circle contained those who led virtuous lives. There were men, women and infants. What struck me was that in this first circle, there were famous figures from the past. I didn’t know what to expect in these different circles, especially this one. There were great poets, philosophers, and figures in the Old Testament in this Canti. I found it surprising in regards to who was represented in this section. It was interesting that this circle had the most people in it, which tells me that it had a lot more figures or leaders that weren’t mentioned. I can see this circle filled up with more figures in our history, not just those that are mentioned. It was interesting that the one’s who received permission to leave were those in the Old Testament figures, like Noah and Moses. I found this interesting because these men were Jewish. It was also interesting to me that a majority of the people didn’t receive permission to leave. When Dante goes toward the castle, he sees philosophers whom we have studied. These philosophers are Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato. A couple questions that I have are how many of these souls come into the first circle? How come there are some who receive permission to leave, and some are required to stay?