Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

Troilus’ mind is continuously occupied with the possession of Criseyde, and his worldly lovesickness has
rendered him practically incapable of functioning as a rational being. His obsession is described in Book
One by Chaucer in this way: “So much, day by day, his owene thought, / For lust to hire gan quicken and
encresse, / That every other charge he set at nought” (Chaucer I. 442-444). Through his lust for her,
Troilus transforms Criseyde into an object, a mere possession whose existence is only necessary because she
is the object of Troilus’ desire; as a result, he has also let his burning desire to acquire this possession
overcome his very sanity and existence. Whereas Boethius understands that he must eschew his worldly
possessions if he wishes to achieve the true good, Troilus lacks the ability to achieve any real, true
relationship with Criseyde, or anyone else, because he is blinded by his lust. In his dissertation, Boethian
Philosophy as the Informing Principle in Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, Robert Newland Shorter discusses
Troilus’ choice to pursue Criseyde, a decision that ultimately leads to his great misfortune. Shorter states,
“Troilus does have freedom, but chooses to pursue false bliss and thus condemns himself to earthly sorrow”
(202). As Shorter asserts, Troilus is in control of his own destiny; he has the freedom to avoid “false bliss”
with Criseyde, but ultimately Troilus’ obsession with the acquisition of Criseyde overcomes any rational
thoughts he might have about pursuing true happiness. Whereas Boethius accepts Philosophy’s teachings
that one must forego worldly possessions, and, in regards to relationships, focus only on friendship, Troilus
uses his freedom for his own fleeting self-interest, rather than considering the implications for his future.
The next significant shared tenet of Boethian philosophy shared in Troilus and Criseyde is the idea that
man’s entrance into the afterlife will bring him eternal joy. Philosophy addresses the transcendence of man
into heaven, asserting that at the point at which a man dies, his mind will eschew all worldly ideals in order
to achieve true happiness in heaven if he has lived a life of virtue. Lady Philosophy explains to Boethius, “…
If the mind is happily self-aware, is loosed from its earthly prison, and in freedom makes for heaven, it
surely scorns all earthly business” (Boethius 36). For a mind that has surrendered itself to God’s will and
has surpassed the want for worldly goods, the transference to heaven will be elementary.
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