Tyler GolatoFinal PaperBoccaccio and ChaucerThree great poets are said to have emerged from 14th century Italy: Giovanni Boccaccio, Francis Petrarch, and Dante Alighieri. Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of English literature and widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages, undoubtedly knew all three. In examining Boccaccio's work, one would see themes borrowed heavily from Petrarch and Dante, but none would be as obvious as Boccaccio's influence. In many ways, Chaucer strove to imitate Boccaccio. This is very evident in The Canterbury Tales, many of whose stories are taken directly from The Decameron. Interestingly, there is no evidence of this, since Chaucer never directly quotes Boccaccio, but the stories are so strikingly similar that parallels must be drawn. More fascinating are the work's contrasts, which paint a picture of each author's literary worldview. Ultimately, the most valuable insight into Chaucer's mind might be gained from an analysis of Chaucer's treatment of Boccaccio's Decameron, noting the points where Chaucer deviates from the original and how a new emphasis is placed on themes considered less important by Boccaccio. four Canterbury Tales, several stories seem to be taken directly from Boccaccio's Decameron. The three I chose 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, the analogue of which is Day 3, Tale 4. There are additional tales which may also contain elements taken from Boccaccio, but much of this is still the subject of much debate. The Clerk's Tale tells the story of a nobleman from Saluzzo who goes by the name Walter. Walter is a bachelor under pressure to marry... middle of paper ... from the beginning of the tale, when Nicholas opens with the weather forecast. The exploitation of religion to obtain sexual pleasure is a theme in both Chaucer and Boccaccio. The narrative element that most closely connects Miller's Tale to Boccaccio's work, however, is the long introductory speeches in which the lovers trick the husbands into believing false secrets and swearing them to secrecy. In both stories, however, the husbands immediately tell their real wives, but Chaucer develops this point further, perhaps to emphasize John's stupidity. Chaucer modifies Boccaccio in interesting ways through his portrayal of the wives' response. Chaucer suggests that Nicholas and Allison have already discussed the plan, while in the Decameron Monna Isabetta learns of the plan for the first time and quickly settles into it.