As we're reading The Inferno, it is helpful to remember that while Dante lived in a very religion-influenced culture (the Church had significant power at this time), he was not himself a clergyman, and his commentary on Hell should not be read as a monolithic example of Church doctrine. Why, then, would he choose Hell as his particular backdrop for attacking political and personal enemies, rather than attacking them directly? Some background reading on Dante himself is recommended for this prompt; the supplementary readings in the Week 6 lesson may be helpful here