Bolgia

Throughout Cantos 18-23, I was very interested in the various circles where the different categories of sinners were separated. Reading through the various sinner groups, (the hypocrites, those of simony, flatterers, sorcery, and political corrupters, etc). I never quite understood why the Catholics separated sins into categories where some were considered worse than others. This may not be the main purpose of the different circles, but it struck me as such. Dante even places people, such as Jason, leader of the Argonauts in Hell. He obviously has opinions on certain people and their lives at the time, in literature and in real life. I'm curious to know more about the historical background at the time Dante wrote this and how it influenced who he threw down into hell in Inferno. 

P.S. I commented on Daniel's and Natalie's posts.