Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

he does not know, he must inevitably fear the loss of what he is in doubt can be lost, and therefore his
enduring anxiety does not permit him to be happy” (Boethius 27). Criseyde‟s language in her own speech is
reminiscent of the language Lady Philosophy employs, and these two parallel instances in both Troilus and
Criseyde and the Consolation pertain to one of the most omnipresent Boethian themes: worldly happiness and
romantic love are fleeting.
However, Criseyde‟s moments of practicality-driven clarity amongst the mentally clouded likes of
Troilus and Pandarus prove to be brief. Her attempt to remain honorable and righteous is ultimately
thwarted by the irrationalities of the world of “passion” that she is subject to by Pandarus and Troilus. In
“„O brotel wele of mannes joie unstable!‟: Gender and Philosophy in Troilus and Criseyde,” Sashi Nair
discusses Criseyde‟s ultimate downfall in the poem despite her principles. Nair asserts that “Criseyde‟s last
spoken line demonstrates that her pragmatic reasoning makes reference to Boethian principles, but rules out
any possibility that she may take these principles far enough to transcend her earthly pain” (54). While
Chaucer utilizes Criseyde to project the Boethian ideals of reason and wisdom that the other protagonists
fail to attain, Criseyde is ultimately subject to the limitations of the genre of a flawed courtly romance, and
her failure essentially explicates the failures of the genre. This failure of her reason and wisdom reinforces
Chaucer‟s characterization of Criseyde as a paradox: though she espouses the integrity and understanding
that the male protagonists should strive for, she is rendered an agent-less woman subject to the demands of
male desire and courtly love through her interactions with the other protagonists of Troilus and Criseyde.
With Troilus and Criseyde, Chaucer manages, successfully, to bring the insights of Boethius into the
14 th century while effectively undermining the genre of chivalric love. Through a Boethian lens, the
characters are no longer merely players in a flawed chivalric romance; rather, they represent an inversion of
Boethian ideals and themes. The chivalric narrative is presented in the vernacular, so it would be accessible
to its 14 th century audience, but Chaucer takes the genre even further by top-loading the tale with
philosophical complexity that was not common to stories of courtly love in the medieval era. He answers
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