How did Giovanni Boccaccio use ottava rima in his early poetry?

Giovanni Boccaccio played a pivotal role in the development of Italian literature by elevating ottava rima—a verse meter previously used by popular minstrels—to a position of literary dignity.1

In his early poetry, Boccaccio utilized this form to establish a standard for epic and narrative verse in Italy. His significant contributions include:2

• Il filostrato (c. 1338): A short poem that employs ottava rima to recount the story of Troilus and the faithless Criseida.1
• Teseida (1340–41): An ambitious 12-canto epic written in ottava rima that uses the wars of Theseus as a backdrop for a narrative about friendship and love.1
• Il ninfale fiesolano (c. 1344–45): A later work in this period that also utilizes the form to tell the story of the shepherd Africo and the nymph Mensola.1

By applying his own acute observation of real life and incorporating rhetorical ornament, Boccaccio transformed this popular meter into a sophisticated vehicle for storytelling that influenced later writers like Geoffrey Chaucer.1