1. The Tenth Story of the Tenth Day: Why is Griselda being tested?

Gualtieri was testing Griselda because she was the type of woman that no matter what she would be loyal to him. And he loved the lifestyle of being with multiple women, so he started testing her; saying that he was going to murder their children, then saying that her daughter would become his new wife, and even after he made her leave the house. She stayed loyal and faithful to  Gualtieri and because of this the king takes back Griselda.

2. Compare the frame tales in the Decameron, and The Thousand and One Nights. In each case, what is the reason for telling stories? Do the stories accomplish the purpose for which they are intended? How important is the relationship between the tale and the teller?

The tale of Decameron is about men and women that leave Florence because of the Black Plague. The women and men all share stories, but because there are more women than men the women have a higher standing than the men. In The Thousand and One Nights the king made his wife tell him stories so that he would not kill her. The reason for telling the stories in both books is to save their lives. In Decameron the women are telling stories to help raise girls to be strong women, and in Thousand and One Nights the wife is telling the stories to save her life. They both accomplish the purpose, the wife lives and the women outweigh the men and can tell the stories to the girls. The relationship between the tale and the teller is very important, it helps pass legacies and moral standards to the younger generations.

3. In Laustic, what does the nightingale symbolize? Explain your answer.

The nightingale symbolizes lost love. The wife tells her husband that she can not sleep because of the nightingale, but she really can not sleep because she loves her neighbor the Knight. After her husband kills the nightingale, both the wife and Knight realize they can not love each other.