Boccaccio And Chaucer Analysis

Tyler Golato

Final Paper

Boccaccio and Chaucer

It is said that three great poets came out of 14th century Italy: Giovanni Boccaccio, Francis Petrarch, and Dante Alighieri. Geoffrey Chaucer, the Father of English literature, and widely regarded as the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages, was no doubt familiar with all three. Upon reviewing Boccaccio’s work, one would see themes borrowed heavily from Petrarch and Dante, but neither would be as apparent as Boccaccio’s influence. In many ways, Chaucer strove to emulate Boccaccio. This is very apparent in The Canterbury Tales, of which many tales were drawn directly from The Decameron. Interestingly, there is no proof of this, as Chaucer never directly quotes Boccaccio, but the stories are so strikingly similar that parallels must be drawn. More fascinating are the contrasts in the work, which paint a picture of each author’s view of the literary world. Ultimately, the most valuable insight into the mind of Chaucer could be gained from an analysis of how Chaucer treats Boccaccio’s Decameron, noting where Chaucer deviates from the original, and how new emphasis is placed on themes deemed less important by Boccaccio.

Of the twenty-four Canterbury Tales, several stories appear to be drawn directly from Boccaccio’s Decameron. The three I have chosen to analyze are Clerk’s Tale, which parallels Day 10, Tale 10 in The Decameron; Reeve’s Tale, which parallels Day 9, Tale 6; and Miller’s Tale, whose analogue is Day 3, Tale 4. There are additional tales that may also have elements drawn from Boccaccio, but much of this is still widely debated.

The Clerk’s Tale tells the story of a nobleman of Saluzzo who goes by the name of Walter. Walter is a bachelor who is under pressure to marry...

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... from the beginning of the tale, when Nicholas opens with weather predictions. The exploitation of religion to gain sexual pleasure is a theme in both Chaucer and Boccaccio. The narrative element that most closely connects the Miller’s Tale to Boccaccio’s work though, is the introduction long speeches in which the lovers trick the husbands into believing fake secrets and swearing them to secrecy. In both stories, however, the husbands immediately tell their true wives, but Chaucer develops this point further, perhaps to emphasize John’s stupidity. An interesting way that Chaucer modifies Boccaccio is through his portrait of the wives’ response. Chaucer suggests that Nicholas and Allison have already discussed the plan, whereas in the Decameron, Monna Isabetta learns of the scheme for the first time and quickly places herself within it.

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