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Il Pecorone(The Simpleton), written in 1378 byGiovanni Fiorentino, is the primary source of the play.Itincludes “Belmonte” as locale, the winning- the-bride story, and the pound-of-flesh story. In the bride story, though, there are no caskets. The suitor must stay awake all night, but on the first two attempts, the suitor is given a sleepingpotion.
For the use ofcaskets, Shakespeare may have borrowed from any of the following three possibilities:
John Gower –Confessio Amantis–1390
Boccaccio –IlDecamerone
anonymousGesta Romanorum– 14thC (English translation appears in 16thC.)
The pound-of-flesh story also appears elsewhere, such as “The Ballad of the Crueltie of Geruntus,” written anonymously, c.1590.
Another possible source is a lost play entitledThe Jew.Itwas briefly describedbyStephen Gosson in1579.
