There is not very much action in Canto II of Dante's Inferno. It seems unnecessary to me to include this in the piece, as all that is conveyed is Dante's hesitation. That's a given, in my opinion; who wouldn't have second thoughts about descending into Hell? After some chatter between him and his travel guide, we enter Canto III.
THROUGH ME THE WAY IS TO THE CITY OF WOE:
THROUGH ME THE WAY INTO THE ETERNAL PAIN;
THROUGH ME THE WAY AMONG THE LOST BELOW.
RIGHTEOUSNESS DID MY MAKER ON HIGH CONSTRAIN.
ME DID DIVINE AUTHORITY APPEAR;
ME SUPREME WISDOM AND PRIMAL LOVE SUSTAIN.
BEFORE I WAS, NO THINGS CREATED WERE
SAVE THE ETERNAL, AND I ETERNAL ABIDE.
RELINQUISH ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HERE.
Canto III is very exciting, as you can see from the piece above. Dante enters Hell and encounters people going through a very painful and gruesome time. Some have swarms of wasps all over their faces, others are just screaming; it's not a fun time.
The most intense moment in Canto III is when Charon appears. Charon, one of my favorite figures in mythology, is the ferryman of the river Styx (in some myths he ferries other rivers), responsible for taking damned souls across the river and into Hell. He's an angry old demon who beats his passengers with an oar. His presence leaves an impression on the reader.
So far I'm enjoying Inferno. I've quickly gotten used to the style of writing. Hopefully it gets even more exciting in the later parts.
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