How can we say with certainty what life after death will be? It is the greatest mystery of the human intellect so far. Man can only speculate about what will happen after death. There are many different ideas that have appeared over the years. The ancient Greeks believed in the underworld, where all souls went after death and where they were guarded for eternity by Hades, or Pluto, god of the underworld. Before them, primitive peoples believed in the gods of the Earth. Once the time of the Greek Olympians had passed, came the time of Christian doctrine and the rise of the Roman Catholic Church. A text from this period gives reason to be believers and gives reason to repent of one's sins. Dante's Inferno has stood the test of time, and although its writer did not necessarily believe that this was the true depiction of Hell, it shows the world what his personal Inferno would consist of. Throughout the text, Dante the Pilgrim is led through Hell by one of the greatest poets the world has known and by Virgil, Dante's personal motivation for becoming a poet. At one point, near the end of their journey, when the couple reaches one of the lowest levels of Hell, Dante feels as if he can no longer travel. He collapses to the ground in despair. This angers his guide, who rebukes Dante. The passage known as “Standing” is directly related to the overall theme of Dante's Inferno, in many different ways. Dante becomes tired after passing through nearly seven of the nine circles of Hell, and Virgil becomes angry and impatient; his words to Dante reflect the overall theme of the Inferno. "'Standing! This is no time to get tired!' cried my master. (Pg.207 line 46) Dante ventured far into the depths of hell. ... middle of paper ... to order and command my will, he called me.'” (page 36 lines 51-54) Virgil explains to Dante why he must be a guide through the underworld. So when Dante decides that he will give up and venture no further into Hell, Virgil becomes angry. He doesn't want Dante to waste the gift given to him by those who love him. “'The sleeping man will never wake fame, and his desire and all his life pass by him like a dream, the traces of his memory fade from time like smoke in the air, or ripples in a stream.' ” (Pg. 207 lines 47-51) To recap, Dante had to go through Hell to save his soul from eternal damnation. His guide, Virgil, was no angel, but he wasn't technically in Hell either. He was in Limbo. He was sent to guide Dante by Beatrice, an angel from heaven who loved Dante. Dante's departure from the path of righteousness set all these events in motion.