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from Part II - Books, Discourse and Traditions
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 June 2019
Sometimes called the ‘last of the Romans, first of the Scholastics’, Boethius (c.475–c.525) was among the most influential writers in medieval Europe. He devised a grand scheme to harmonize Aristotelian and Platonic thought, but he was best known for his prosimetric De consolatione philosophiae, which describes a dialogue between an imprisoned Boethius, falsely accused and awaiting execution, and the figure of Lady Philosophy. In alternating sections of prose and verse, she explains the transitory nature of earthly goods like wealth and fame and assures Boethius of the universe’s just, hierarchical order. Translated as the Boece by Chaucer, who drew on a French translation and Latin commentary sources as well as the Latin original, the Consolation and its ideas pervade his poetry, especially the Knight’s Tale and Troilus and Criseyde.
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