In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus recounts his descent into Hades so that he may be advised by the prophet Tiresias on how to get home to Ithaca.  Hundreds of years later, Virgil included a similar book within his epic poem, the Aeneid, in which the Trojan hero, Aeneas, travels down to the underworld so that he may speak with his father.  Dante’s Inferno focuses an entire poem on the descent through hell, this time with Dante being guided by the poet Virgil.  Finally, in the twentieth century, James Joyce published his epic work, Ulysses.  His book includes a chapter entitles “Hades” in which Leopold Bloom attends the funeral of his late friend, Paddy Dignam.

How much inspiration did these authors draw from each other in their illustrations of Hades? Did they emulate each others’ works at all?  The following links aim to provide the beginning of a framework with which to answer these questions, be it concrete evidence or mere coincidences.  Follow the links below for a journey through four different hells.