Sunday, October 9, 2011

Decameron Day 1 and Day 2

"And let me say the same thing to you, my lord, concerning the three Laws given to three people by God our Father which are the subject of the questions you put to me: each believes itself to be the true heir, to possess the true Law, and how to follow the true commandments, but whoever is right, just in case of the rings, is still undecided." (Boccaccio, 45) I thought this to be a clever response to solve the problem and get out of the trap that had been laid out for him. I saw it as if the boys didn't think that the other had the true ring that they all had power, that they were all heirs. Why contest something that could or couldn't be true? Ignorance is bliss here and helps to answer yet not answer the question that was proposed. The tale is so short, it is a quick tale to teach a moral to the reader. To think that after Melchisedech answered Saladin's question, Saladin comes out and right out just asks him for the money that he later pays back, more than he had to and Melchisedech was esteemed by Saladin who also praised him with gifts. In the end it was Melchisedech getting the better end of the deal.

"And if this is the case, we can recognize the greatness of God's mercy toward us which pays more attention to the purity of our faith than to our errors by granting our prayers in spite of the fact that we choose His enemy as our intercessor- fulfilling our requests to Him just as if we had chosen a true saint as intermediary for His grace." (Boccaccio, 37-38) I found this quote interesting and in a way sarcastic as to say that it doesn't matter what you did, as long as you believe in God and fear him he will grant you your request. It was so easy for Ser Ciappelletto to get those people to believe in what he said and to get them to accept his lies so he could be buried in the church. Not one person that he wronged before stood up and denied any claims that we made concerning him but I guess when someone dies the hate that was there is turned into pity for the person that is deceased.

"And since I have observed that in spite of all this, they do not succeed but, on the contrary, that your religion continuously grows and becomes brighter and more illustrious, I am justly of the opinion that it has the Holy Spirit as its foundation and support, and that it is truer and holier than any other religion; therefore, although I was once adamant and unheeding to your pleas and did not want to become a Christian, now I tell you most frankly that I would allow nothing to prevent me from becoming a Christian." I found it ironic that even though that guy didn't want his Jewish friend to go to the church because he knew how bad it was and it wouldn't help him convert it did only for different reasons. The jewish man converted because he thought that he could do better, teach people better about the word of god.

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