Probably one of the main influence on Souls by the Banks of the River Styx was Doré's illustrated edition of Dante's Divine comedy, published in 1867. Like Doré, the painting is unusually dark and the wretched figures have much in common. As Burne Jones at this date was interested in creating complex subjects divided into sections, as demonstrated by the Troy polyptych (Birmingham Art Gallery), it is probable that the present painting is part of a dyptych, the missing section containing Charon's Boat. Doré's illustration "The Embarkation of the souls" is taken from The Inferno, part 3 Lines 109 -111.