Tyler GolatoFinal DocumentBoccaccio and ChaucerThree great poets are said to have come from 14th-century Italy: Giovanni Boccaccio, Francesco Petrarca, and Dante Alighieri. Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of English literature and widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages, was undoubtedly familiar with all three. Analyzing Boccaccio's work, one would see themes borrowed heavily from Petrarch and Dante, but neither would be as obvious as Boccaccio's influence. In many ways, Chaucer strove to emulate Boccaccio. This is very evident in the Canterbury Tales, many of which were taken directly from the Decameron. Interestingly, there is no evidence of this, as Chaucer never directly quotes Boccaccio, but the stories are so strikingly similar that parallels need to be drawn. More fascinating are the contrasts in the work, which paint a picture of each author's vision of the literary world. Ultimately, the most valuable insight into Chaucer's mind might 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. four Canterbury Tales, several stories seem to be taken directly from Boccaccio's Decameron. The three I chose to analyze are The Chancellor's Tale, which parallels Day 10, Tale 10 of 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 other tales which 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 from Saluzzo who calls himself Walter. Walter is a bachelor who is under pressure to get married... in the middle of the paper... from the beginning of the story, 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 links the Miller's Tale to Boccaccio's work, however, is the long introductory speeches in which the lovers deceive their husbands into believing false secrets and making them swear to secrecy. In both stories, however, the husbands immediately tell their real wives, but Chaucer develops this point further, perhaps to highlight John's stupidity. One interesting way in which Chaucer modifies Boccaccio is through his portrayal of the wives' response. Chaucer suggests that Nicholas and Allison have already discussed the plan, while in the Decameron Mona Isabella learns of the plan for the first time and quickly takes part in it. One of the most interesting