Celestina Day 3

1)Celestina may or may not like women. Obviously she touches A. inapproprietly although she does not think it is inappropriete. She is also very open about it. This may mean that she is bi-sexual because being an old prostitute, she clearly liked men at one point. Also we see that she is very powerful with the art of persuasion and language. Celestina is very good at talking to her and getting her to do what she wants. Lastly, we see her solution to sickness, and her solution to apparently everything; sex. She loves sex, her life is sex and that is what is normally on her mind.
4) The chain is the last payment that Celestina is given. The small chain can symbolize a few different things. A chain is normally linked to something like a bond. Giving this chain away to Celestina could almost be a bond between them that can not break. A chain is supposed to be something very strong and lasting. Also that chain is a status symbold. It is a very nice gift, and since it is whole, and unbreaking, she clearly does not intend to share it with her two partners in this story. She is greedy and keeping it for herself. Her desire and greed is symbolized by a chain because it cannot be split up. Maybe this chain will lead to her death?

Celestina Day 1:

2) The conversation is almost somewhat amusing. The master claims to be sick, and seems physically, emotionally, and mentally wounded. He is of course love sick. This is one of the worst kinds of sickness because in this case, the woman he loves does not care for him; in fact she kind of hates him. He feels ill, hates life, doesn't want to get up. These are all true feelings one may have. Women can quite literally tear out your heart, and that is what he is going through. Semprino is disgusted by women. He talks about how they all seem to be crazy. ( my word not his). They through themselves at you, suck you in, then make fun of you and act cruelly( his interpretation) He feels that men should be above this and should not let themselves be sucked in. Much easier to say than to do.
4) Celestina is a very hard woman to describe. Parmeno goes in to great long speeches trying to capture her. Basically, she is a very old, very "wise" woman who has been around the block more times than anyone else. She has hundreds of cover stories, but basically, the whole town knows she is a Whore and runs a whore house. She still goes to church etc. etc. but the whole town uses her. Almost as if they all know what she is doing and that is is not actually good, but they use the excuses and play it off like it is no big deal. She is wealthy, as far as i can tell, and is wise because she has been around people so often, and for so long. She understands what people want and need and understands how to work people and gain riches etc. She knows which end is up and isn't afraid to use her knowledge and her traits to prosper.

Celestina Day 1:

Decameron-Day 9

9.2
This is another story of pure blashpemy. First of all, both women in this story are nuns and took a vow of celebacy. They are both committing sins, yet they feel that if no one else finds out about their sins, then they do not matter. This of course is false and it is actually disgraceful. They treat the church and the roles that they play as jokes; how can they possibly lead anyone into salvation or better decision making if they have no self restraint. It shows that religion as a whole is pretty much a game to these women and they don't actually care. It's embarassing to count your self among the religious in this sense. And yes, sin is all relative. The abessy was going to kill her nun, until she was caught. At this point they both simply brushed off the sin and it was no big deal.
9.6
The wife is very clever in this tale. She quickly realizes that the entire situation is messed up, that she has commited a fault, and that the only way to get out of the entire situation quickly is to use language and deception. She tricks her husband, gains the man she is sleeping with as a quick ally, and is able to get out of the situation with no one hurt or in trouble. It is her quick reactions, that leads everyone out of trouble. Her human nature is to solve the problems; it is mostly a big misunderstading and she realizes that; she covers it all up. small white lies.

Decameron

What can be said of men of the cloth and trickery?
Obviously, this has no meaning. The men of the cloth, friars, priests etc. and the women, nuns and such, do not care. They sin and sin and sin and act as though God is not gonna realize that they are sinning, and that he will simply forgive them when they ask. As if he doen'st know that they made this plan and that they are full willingly sinning. This is stupid, it is saying that the fact that these men are part of something spirtual is unimportant. Also, by using the cloth as an excuse, the friar easily avoids trouble, and can manipulate situationts. This is disgusting.
Trickery or the Truth?
It is bad enough that these men deceive eachother, but the fact of the matter is that they could have told the truth. They are both obviously bi-sexual and are into open relationships, so if neither had originally lied, if they had both told the truth, than they would never had to trick. However, by deceiving the women, who do not need much convincing, they both lead into hurting eachother. In the end they are both ok with it but the fact of the matter is they could have destroyed their friendship.

Decameron Day 4

5.8)What is there to say about learning from somoeone elses lessons?
This is a very good thing. Obviously in this story, a mean woman learns to love a man who loves her because she views a different woman, in the same situation, being viscously killed. She in turns falls in love so that she won't meet this same fate. I think this is a good lesson. If you can't learn from others, how else will you learn? It is imperitive to learn from others mistakes because in this way you will be a better and smarter person. In this way, she escapes a fate that is clearly in her future. Also the man in this text is smart to show her this. He loves her, for what ever reason, and once she decides to stop being so cold hearted and learns that a horrible hellish death awaits her, she loves him too.
6.7) How do you feel about this trial?
This trial, although not perfect makes some sense. Although she was adulterous and did deserve to be punished, she is right to expect that the standards should be the same for both parties. Men and women should be treated equal and she realizes this; by pointing this out to all the other people of the town, they realize that she is right, and that she shouldn't be punished. This is supportive, and shows that even people of this time cared about equal rights for men and women.

Decameron Day 3

3.3) The maiden is very smart in this story. By outsmarting the friar, she is able to seem innocent, yet get exactly what she wants and needs out of him. She pretends to be giving confession, when really she is just secretly giving instructions to the man of her heart. This tells us that the Friar is much more obedient to the woman. She tells a blatant lie, yet the priest believes her instead of the man who is telling the truth. This shows that the friar is either stupid, or easily persuaded by a beautiful woman, either way this is not a good thing.
3.6) Riccardio uses the very very reactive and powerful emotion of jealousy. He makes it seem that his lover's husband is cheating on her, when if fact he is actually tricking her in to cheating. This is strategic yet very messed up in the same instance. However, he does bully her which is even more despicable. He knows that she can't do anything about it, and he uses his political and physical power to keep her from talking. This is slightly disgusting.
4.9) The king telling us this story shows us how treachery is the biggest form of disrespect. He may even be the king in the story? Either way, the king in the story was not regretful, only that his wife killed himself. He hated the other man for cheating. There is no bigger sign of disrespect, and no move more sinful then taking your best friends girl. It is entirely disgraceful

Decameron-Day 2

2.6) This story has a great deal to say about humanity. Since the woman's sons and husband were taken from her she can basically not survive on her own. Instead of making something successful or even attempting to go back to normal society, she stays in a cave and lives among the deer as part of their family. She is too dependent on the male figures. Also, once her son, who is imprisoned for making love outside or marriage drops his name, he is instantly granted freedom. The King's own daughter was in jail, but the fact that the man was noble made it ok, as long as he could prove his nobility.
3.1) In this story, a very smart man goes to live amongst nuns, pretending to be dumb and deaf. He actually outsmarts them, because he knows that if he plays along with them, and if he learns their secrets, that they will pretty much do anything he wants, and that he controls them. they cannot afford a scandal, and since he realizes that, he benefits not only from sex, but also from the substantial amounts of money he gains by having all of their secrets in tow. He has all of the power of these woman, who cannot control their sexual urges, and he knows this. This muteness is like a fly on the wall; he is very dangerous.

Decameron - Part I

1.1 "Which were taken by the people of the countryside as absolute truth"...this line refering to the words that the monk spoke of Ciappelletto. This was a very important quote and stuck out because it seems so crazy to me. The people in this story were all so gullable. Ciap. was one of the world's worst sinners. He drank, and gambled and had lots of sex etc. yet was pretty much relieved of all of this with a 15 minute conversation. Whether or not he will be accpeted by God, which we can assume will not happen, he is accepted by all of the people on earth, and even brought in to Saint hood, which is of the highest honor. He is a very smooth talker, and his excellent tounge left him a very impressive memory.
1.3"...and to follow the true commandments, but whoever is right, just as in the case of the rings, is still undecided"...This quote is talking about three main religions in the 14th century. Judaism, Christianity, and Saracen, concerning which is the true path. This is an excellent quote, because although a jew says it, he is smart enough to realize that he does not know the whole truth, and he can not even be sure that his religion is the whole truth. The theme within this tale would be 'do to the fullest'. We can not be sure of anything, but we must do whatever it is that we do, to the fullest, and accept any of the challenges or ideas that go with it. Also, this quote is a way of talking out of a snare trap set by another man. In reality, the man should have simply asked for the money that he needed, instead of trying to swindle it from him.
2.3 "Holy Father, as you know better than all others"...This quote just stuck out to me. It is not a full and meaningful quote, yet it is one that must be looked at closer. The Holy Father, or Pope, knows better than all others. This tells us, that the Pope can pretty much do no wrong. He is almost above and beyond all laws and ideas. This is a good thing for him, yet slightly scary for the others, because as we read other stories, we see that all of The Clergy tend to be less holy than expected. This man is in a position of great power in those days, and it is evident by this quotation.

Movie

1) This movie begins with a fierce battle scene, where the Irish kill many people and also Tristin's father. This was done for many reasons. First of all, this is an entertainment movie. To get people to sit and stay in the seats, you need to open up with something that will either scare them, thrill them, or impress them. A battle scene is good at accomplishing all of these things. Secondly, apart from the text saying that King Mark was threatened by the Irish it does not tell why. In this film, the presedence is set; The Irish are evil and killed and attacked. This also makes the viewer expect violence and good scenes full action. This allows the book to appeal to more people, because it is not simply a love story. This is good for entertainment and money.
7)Ultimatelly this film is not soley about the two lovers. Although they are a big plot line in the film, the movie focuses on all of the relationships. The movie maintains a close look on mark and Tristin, on Tristin and Isolde, and on the Barons on everyone, equally. Being a film, they can have quick dialouge and facial expressions etc. that are not available in the book, to keep many compley relationships on lock. Also, this allows for more action scences, such as the battles and tournaments. This will gain a stronger following of viewers, and will make more money. Although this is a movie about star crossed lovers, the movie would not have sold as highly, and would not have been succesful without a focus on many ideas, instead of just the two lovers.