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.