At the beginning of the Inferno the pilgrim hesitates before entering the underworld. He does so not out of fear, but out of a sense of unworthiness: he is about to follow in the steps of _________ whose story was told by Virgil.

Dante Alighieri, (Florence 1265-Ravenna 1321), Italian poet, known for writing the Divine Comedy, one of the fundamental works of universal literature for representing the transition from medieval to Renaissance thought.

In this epic poem, Dante's Alter Ego, the Pilgrim, travels through hell and purgatory to reach heaven. His journey is intended to impress readers with the consequences of sin and the glory of heaven.

The spirit of the poet Virgil, guides the Pilgrim through the circles of hell, leading the "pilgrim" where they will witness the terrible punishments that sinners must endure because of their liberal lives.

In the second section, Purgatory, the Pilgrim will meet the souls of those who wait to ascend to Heaven and do penance for their sins. In order to enter the gates of heaven, they will first have to cleanse themselves of their impurities.

In the third section, the Pilgrim reaches heaven. On his way there, he navigates through space and sees the planets, which are inhabited by saints. Witnessing the majesty of God in His true glory, the Pilgrim returns to earth to write this same poem.

Ladelayo84 Ladelayo84 · Answer 2 · 2020-02-07T12:09:08+01:00

Answer: Aeneas

Explanation: the pilgrim referred to here is Dante and he hesitated because he wondered if he was worthy of making the journey as he compared himself to two people who had made the journey before him and thought himself not as worthy as they were.

Virgil told the story of Aeneas in book 6 of his Aeneid where he recounted Aeneas's pilgrimage to the underworld in order to learn about his destiny. Aeneas encountered his deceased father, Anchises who showed him his future descendants that became Roman heroes.

Dante eventually entered the underworld with Virgil as his guide throughout. Virgil made a good guide as he had already been in the Inferno in his mind while writing his Aeneid.