Chaucer\u27s Pandarus: The Preserver of Innocence

One reading Chaucer\u27s Troilus and Criseyde and Boccaccio\u27s Il Filostrato immediately notices similarities and differences in the two poets\u27 depiction of the tragedy of Troilus. The most evident changes Chaucer made in retelling the Trojan story are in the personalities of the major characters and the increased role in the love affair Chaucer accords Pandarus. This role is so increased from Boccaccio\u27s version of the tragic love story that Pandarus\u27 dialogue surpasses even that of Troilus. It is twice that of his alter-ego Pandaro in the Filostrato (Meech 9). The reader is left to ponder the reasons for Chaucer\u27s alterations. This essay will describe the changes in the major characters, in particular those of Troilus and Pandarus, and attempt to demonstrate why these changes are essential to Chaucer\u27s achieving his desired ending: Troilus reaching the Eighth Sphere. In the process, I hope also to demonstrate that Pandarus in effect becomes the preserver of Troilus\u27 innocence