The Pear-tree Tale in Boccaccio and Chaucer

Comparison of the Merchant's Tale and Decameron VII, 9 from the point of view of the pear-tree tale. The analysis focused on the differences and common elements of these two novellas which have been summarised and compared. The main idea of the work is that Decameron VII, 9 has been used as a source for the Merchant's Tale in which the final scene of the pear-tree resemblances the one described by Boccaccio in his novella. It also deals with eastern and western analogues of the tale even though the final conclusion of the work is that the Merchant's Tale shares more common elements with its Italian counterpart.