The Gluttons--Ciacco 

Gustave Doré created this illustration to accompany Dante Alighieri's epic poem *Inferno.* Published in the 19th century, it portrays the third circle of hell, inhabited by the gluttonous. Doré, working during a period of significant social change and growing class consciousness, captures the grotesque suffering of those punished for their excessive appetites. The figures, sprawled and contorted in the muck, reflect a society grappling with questions of morality and the consequences of overindulgence. They are battered by unrelenting rain and hail, a vivid metaphor for the torment of their insatiable desires. The poem reflects a deep concern with social order and moral conduct. Through his art, Doré invites us to reflect on the nature of sin, the role of punishment, and the human capacity for both excess and suffering.