The Influence of Others in Filostrato by Giovanni Boccaccio

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The Influence of Others
In Filostrato, by Giovanni Boccaccio, influence plays an essential role in where one person influences the other in many ways. The influence one has over another can be strong or poor. A strong influence where a person does or listens to everything someone says or a poor influence where a person does not listen to anything anyone says. Pandaro, who is a close friend to Trolio and a cousin to Criseida, has a strong influence on both of them to which he gets them to listen to him and use the advice he gives without question.
Pandaro’s influence on Trolio is so resilient that it somewhat changes Trolio’s way of thinking, and behavior which test him to do things he normally wouldn’t do. Trolio who doesn’t believe in love or ever been in love finally witness firsthand the experience of the passionate feeling and vows to keep it to himself because he do not want to be made a fool of. Pandaro being the sweet influential talker gets Trolio to open up to him what is causing him so much agony and distress. Pandaro states “if your friendship is now, as it used to be, a pleasure to you, disclose to me what cruelty it is that makes you care so much to die; it is not the act of a friend to keep anything hidden from his friend” (40) He uses the friends never keep anything hidden from each other saying to get out of Trolio what constrained him so much that of which is love. But Pandaro still being inquisitive wanted to know who the person is his friend has fallen in love with. He states “perhaps she who torments you will be such that I shall be able to do a lot for your pleasure, and I would satisfy your wish, if I could more than I would ever my own if only I may hear who she is for whom you have this pain. Rise up; do no...

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...im as he loves you?” (100) Trolio’s letter and Pandaro’s wishing gets to Criseida in which she starts to feel for Trolio and states “this was pleasing to her because she felt the spirit in her heart transfixed and each written word well noted, she praised and thanked love for it, saying to herself, it is fitting that I find both time and place to quench this fire” (126) With Criseida, Pandaro gets her to see things way and to open up her heart to Trolio.
Influence has so much power over a person and with a strong will and dedication a person can get another to do things that seem fit. Pandaro the influential person influences both Criseida and Trolio in a way that makes everything seem reasonable. Anyone else would have a poor influence on them but not Pandaro, his influence is so strong and his drive to help Trolio and to get Criseida to love Trolio is outstanding.

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