The artwork titled “Cocytus–Traitors” is a piece by the artist Gustave Doré, created within the Romanticism art movement. This illustration is part of a series based on “The Divine Comedy,” an epic poem by Dante Alighieri. The artwork depicts one of the scenes from Dante’s journey through Hell, specifically showing the traitors submerged in the frozen lake of Cocytus.
In this work, two cloaked figures stand solemnly on the icy surface amidst numerous partially submerged heads of condemned souls. The meticulous line work and shading techniques employed by Doré effectively convey a chilling and desolate atmosphere. The figures are dressed in flowing cloaks, which add a sense of gravity and somberness to the scene. The desolate landscape, paired with the eerie stillness of the frozen traitors, profoundly captures the torment and retribution central to Dante’s depiction of Hell’s ninth circle.
