The Decameron

The present-day priests’ behavior, specifically how they hold themselves in high esteem, wearing the finest of fabrics and walking pompously, is emphasized through similes. The writer compares their pompous styles to those of peacocks, a simile that enhances their imagery while also alluding to their preference for ample habits.

The writer notes: “…present-day friars prefer ample habits, generously cut and smooth of texture, and made from the finest of fabrics. Indeed, they now have elegant and pontifical habits, in which they strut like peacocks through the churches and the city squares without compunction, just as though they were members of the laity showing off their robes.”