The Role of Panfilo in the Decameron
Panfilo devotes himself to love. He believes that love conquers all. In this respect, he is the antithesis of Filostrato, who is a man defeated by love. They even have opposite names (panFILO, FILOstrato). Throughout his tales, he pits love versus several formidable adversaries. In his first tale, the love of God overcomes the gullibility of the people of Burgundy. They pray to a man who was quite evil in life, and certainly belonged in Hell, but God answered their prayers anyway because of the purity of their faith. On the fourth day, he is forced by Filostrato to tell a tale in which love does not conquer all, as their outcomes are unhappy. Panfilo cooperates with Filostrato, but in the end love still carries on. The story he tells shows two lovers (Andreuolo and Gabriotto) ripped apart by death. However, after Gabriotto is killed, Andreuolo stays true and faithful to him. Her lover may be dead, but her love for him never subsides and she refuses to marry anyone else. While this story does have an unhappy ending as Filostrato prescribed, Panfilo makes a point to show how love still lives on and is not defeated by death.
Panfilo continues to demonstrate the power of love as he pits it against Fortune in the fifth story. After love has turned Cimon from a bumbling idiot into a fine gentleman, its force is so strong within him that he fights like a lion and captures Iphigenia. Fortune takes over at this point, and with a storm sends him to the island of Rhodes where he is thrown in jail and Iphigenia is sent off to marry another man. At this point, his situation looks hopeless. But, once the Magistrate's love for Cassandra causes him to release Cimon i...
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...d that a priest tells them, as the priest in this story denies payment to Belcolore and even takes back the cloak that he had given to her for surety.
Panfilo plays a significant role in The Decameron. He has the responsibility of presiding as king over the final day of their story telling. And, in order to make up for all of the trickery, deception, and infidelity that preceded his day, he creates a theme that will end their trip on a very good note. His theme of magnificence and generosity is a refreshing turnaround from many of the previous themes. Leading up to his crowning, Emilia asked him to make up for the failings of the previous kings and queens. He tried to accomplish this as best he could, by creating a joyous theme.
Work Cited
Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. Transl. G. H. McWilliam. Harmondsworth, U.K.: Penguin, 1972.
While reading this comedy and romance mix, there are many aspects of the book that show that Hero and Claudio are not truly in love and the examples would
In order for Wright to get away from the situation he was living in, which was a very industrial area, he created poetry about nature. Wright used imagery to describe these scenes of nature and then occasionally used personification to enhance the image in the reader’s mind. The James Wright’s poem “Lying in a Hammock…” depicts the calm scenery that surrounds him as he is lying in a hammock at his friend 's farm. He notices little details like “I see the bronze butterfly, / Asleep on the black trunk,” (1-2). The poet also sees “as the evening darkens and comes on. / A chicken hawk floats over, looking for a home.” (11-12). For Wright to be able to notice and describes these details show how relaxed he is. Wright found himself in a place where he had no thoughts on his mind and nothing to worry about other than to focus on the world around him. This poem allows readers to daydream along with Wright and to be momentarily taken away from the situation they are currently in. Authors, Jeffrey Gray, Mary Balkun, and
Cassandra Clare, author of the best-selling novel City of Bones, once wrote, “To love is to destroy, and to be loved is to be the one destroyed”. As an author of a series of young adult books, Clare wishes to send a message to adolescent readers regarding the destruction that young, passionate love can lead to. A similar theme is explored in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, where two adolescents from feuding families fall in love with one another. When they first see each other on the night of the Capulet party, they quickly fall in love and are soon married by Romeo’s friend and mentor, Friar Lawrence. Their love, being full of passion in its quick course, faces many trials such as Romeo’s banishment from their hometown of Verona, as well as Juliet being forced to marry Paris, kinsman of the Prince. The affection they feel for one another, being all consuming, often leads them to want to sacrifice everything for each other, including their own lives. Their self-destructive, rushed love ends with their deaths, occurring just a multiple days after they first met. In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, many characters such as Friar Lawrence, Romeo, and Juliet illustrate that young, passionate love is a powerful force that leads to destruction.
In The Lais of Marie de France, the theme of love is conceivably of the utmost importance. Particularly in the story of Guigemar, the love between a knight and a queen brings them seemingly true happiness. The lovers commit to each other an endless devotion and timeless affection. They are tested by distance and are in turn utterly depressed set apart from their better halves. Prior to their coupling the knight established a belief to never have interest in romantic love while the queen was set in a marriage that left her trapped and unhappy. Guigemar is cursed to have a wound only cured by a woman’s love; he is then sent by an apparent fate to the queen of a city across the shores. The attraction between them sparks quickly and is purely based on desire, but desire within romantic love is the selfishness of it. True love rests on a foundation that is above mere desire for another person. In truth, the selfishness of desire is the
Lippy, Charles H., and Peter W. Williams. Encyclopedia of the American religious experience: studies of traditions and movements. New York: Scribner, 1988. Print.
The first type of love the audience is introduced to is the interchangeable love of Benvolio. According to Benvolio, a man should love a woman for only the duration of their relationship. If their relationship should end, the man should feel no grief. If the woman rejects the man initially, he should still feel no grief. In either situation, the man should simply start a relationship with another woman. “But in that crystal scales let there be weighed/ Your lady’s love against some other maid/ That I will show you shining at this feast, /And she shall scant show well that now seems best” (I.ii.103-106). Benvolio's definition of love shows the audience two things about Benvolio: he is a womanizer and he has never before experienced true love.
In this romance, there is a battle between reason and love. Both try to thwart the paths of the other. When love is taking control, there is always a sense of reason that prevents Lancelot from doing what he wants, and when reason has the better of him, love makes him go in a different direction. Reason is the logical explanation behind each action taken or decision made by Lancelot. Love is the attraction that Lancelot feels for Gweneviere and it has a way of pushing aside reason, when he tries to make a judgment. These two elements are almost the devil and angel inside of Lancelot. Neither one can be described as good or bad, but can be considered opposites of each other. Also, most times, love is a stronger trait in Lancelot than the process of thought and reason.
In Macbeth, William Shakespeare portrays Macbeth’s dishonorable political advancement to his downfall, as the acquisition of foreseen titles ends in his execution. While Scotland is fearful of the invading forces, Macbeth’s valor in the battle with traitors secure him the positions of Thane of Cawdor, as well as Thane of Glamis. Macbeth is a character of bravery and courage. In the beginning, one believes that Macbeth is a stable, rational individual, although when Macbeth discovers the weïrd sisters’ forecasts that he will continue to obtain ranks, an insane character emerges from within. Macbeth’s actions are based upon motivation and truly evoke an imbalance in his mind. Despite these factors, the imperative annihilation of Duncan proceeds Macbeth to a further state of insanity. Macbeth’s mental state transforms in the progression of the Shakespearian tragedy, developing a character that originates as sane, but then is driven towards madness through the tragic flaw of ambition; this is the result of (1) Macbeth’s likelihood to commit atrocities, (2) willful construction of figments, and (3) external pressures for pursuance of ill-advised intentions.
...lied and only mentioned at the very end. However, in Version II, the woman expressly states her conspiracy theory about the friars and the fairies in the beginning of the text.
Love is often misconstrued as an overwhelming force that characters have very little control over, but only because it is often mistaken for the sum of infatuation and greed. Love and greed tread a blurred line, with grey areas such as lust. In simplest terms, love is selfless and greed is selfish. From the agglomeration of mythological tales, people deduce that love overpowers characters, even that it drives them mad. However, they would be wrong as they would not have analyzed the instances in depth to discern whether or not the said instance revolves around true love. Alone, true love help characters to act with sound reasoning and logic, as shown by the tales of Zeus with his lovers Io and Europa in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology.
The main idea of Eck's article is to put the ever growing religious diversity of the United States into question. Eck goes into the definition of plurality and questions whether the United States can ever truly achieve it. She highlights that during the last couple of years, there has been an increase in the amount of religions and cultures in the country, but questions whether we are truly at the point of plurality or if there is still progress to be made.
What is the true meaning of religion in modern day? A lot of people these days claim different religions and have different ways of practicing them. Religion can be a touchy subject when brought into a conversation because of other people’s opinions. So what can someone do to keep an open mind instead of arguing? Listen to their point of view and try to understand it. America was originally called ‘the melting pot’ for a reason. This paper will explore what religion is and why it is so important.
This is the type that Disney movie princesses gear up little girls for. Love of the incomprehensible, complex, and frightening variety. It’s the love that causes people to jump off cliffs, fly planes across the world, and write novels about. This is the type that everyone is silently waiting for—true love. The sacrificial, mind boggling love. It’s complete madness, but people would give up their whole lives for just the right amount of crazy. Agape love in Greek myths, is the type of love that caused heroines to lose their sanity and exile themselves. We all know that searching for Agape will make us insane, yet we yearn for it so badly that we search in spite of all of the ruin—because finding your “Agape mou” is something that becomes second
Fortunato, Polyphemus, and Malvolio are all tricked and punished by others. While Fortunato is at a carnival, he is persuaded by Montresor, his false friend, into going into a tomb. He is then chained up and left to suffocate. Polyphemus finds Odysseus and his crew in his cave. After swallowing six men and drinking jugs of wine, Polyphemus passes out; and to prevent Polyphemus from eating more men, Odysseus blinds him. Malvolio is tricked into finding a love letter supposedly from Olivia. However, the letter is actually from Maria, Sir Toby, and Sir Andrew, in order to give him false hope and lure him into making a fool of himself. . Fortunato, Polyphemus, and Malvolio are all arrogant towards those they deem below them and thus to an extent
Eck, Diana (2002). A New Religious America : the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation. HarperOne.