The Roman poet Virgil is Dante's guide on the journey through hell. Virgil is able to do this because he is not a Christian and so has been condemned to spend eternity in hell. Virgil has gone to hell not because he is a terrible person, which he is not, but because he was born before the birth of Christ. Therefore, he was unable to know about and benefit from Christian salvation. He is a wise guide through hell because he is so rational, but he doesn't fully understand the importance—the eternal significance—of Christ's coming, describing him only as a "mighty Lord."
Dante probably chose Virgil as his guide through hell because in Virgil's epic poem the Aeneid, he refers to a descent into hell: Virgil, on multiple levels, is therefore a knowledgeable guide to the underworld.
If we think about it, Satan, the prince of lies, would be a particularly untrustworthy guide through the underworld, providing Dante with a warped picture of it. Dante is lucky to have the reasonable Virgil who will tell him the truth about what he is seeing; though Virgil, unable to leave hell, can't guide him to Purgatory or Paradise.
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