Poetry, Theft, and Divine Creation in Inferno XXIV–XXV

Portraying the punishment of the thieves by metamorphosis in Inferno XXIV–XXV allows Dante not merely to revel in poetic virtuosity, but to consider the nature of poetry though comparison with both theft and divine creation. This paper identifies how the poetic process is explored in the canto of the thieves and considers these various critiques in light of the broader evolution within Western aesthetics about creation and creativity.