1. Griselda is being tested so that her husband Gualtieri could find out the limits of her character. He does this on a whim, lying a creating a situation that tried Griselda in many different ways. Until he found that he was unable to break her and then apparently decided that the game was over.

2. The Decameron and The Thousand and One Nights each have similar and different reasons for telling the stories that are in them. In The Decameron the main goal of the stories is to entertain for the point of forgetting about the rest of the world. All of the main ten characters are very specific about this telling there servants that only news of the outside world thats allowed to reach them is happy news. Escaping in this manner is there method of dealing with the massive amounts of death that now surround them. While in The Thousand and One Nights the aim is the opposite because the stories are being told to deal with a real world problem. Shahrazad also directs the stories in subtle ways to point out to Shahrayar that him killing everyone who displeases him is not the best method of dealing with people. While The Decameron has many of the different stories each with its own individual point they don’t have the same overarching point that The Thousand and One Nights does ands needs to meet its goal of stopping Shahrayar. The Decameron doesn’t need the unity of the tales that The Thousand and One Nights does though because its lack of direction helps it accomplish its goal of just to entertain people.

3. The nightingale symbolizes the love between the wife and the best friend. With the nightingales death it shows how that love was destroyed by the interference of the husband. Then the actions of both the wife sending the nightingale to the best friend and the best friend keeping in the golden box it symbolizes how they both will always treasure that love even though its no longer a possibility.

1) Early on in this story, Dioneo tells the group gathered around him that the Marquis of Saluzzo, Gualtieri, did not wish to take a wife and implied that he was wise for this. It became unfathomable for his followers however to accept this, so at their behest he chose to take a wife of humble upbringing from a neighboring village. This led me to believe that Gualtieri did not have high regard for a woman of the more noble class in his village. After marriage his wife, Griselda, is put through a very difficult time by Gualtieri for a period of some twelve years. Gualtieri had long since given away their two children, and his horrific treatment of Griselda had finally reached the culminating point when he said he planned to divorce her and marry another woman more comparable in stature to himself. Griselda never wavered or showed and visible signs of scorn toward Gualtieri, and accepted whatever he told her or decided on her behalf. In the end, Griselda was in fact being tested by Gualtieri to see if she had what was needed to make him happy. What Gualtieri feared was losing his tranquility which he enjoyed before he was married once he had taken a wife. Griselda showed him however that she was not troublesome in any way for him and would do whatever he asked without bringing on any underlying scandals. In the end, this is what Gualtieri wanted, and he chose to show his people this example as a way for them to look to when choosing a wife.

2)  All I know for sure in comparing the frame tales from The Thousand and One Nights and the Decameron is that the stories are all rather diverse, but seem to all have a quality of being able to “pull” the reader (or listener)in. Also in common is a need in both of these overall stories for the fictional character that tells each of the frame stories to pass time by telling them. Beyond this, I do not really see a real way of “connecting the dots,” so to speak, in the tales which are told and those that tell them. But for the ascribed purposes I have already mentioned, the stories accomplish their goals without question in my opinion.

3)  The nightingale is clearly a symbol of the heart, and in the case of Laustic it represents all that can be obtained by the second knight from his neighbors wife whom he loved, but could no longer stay in touch with. Since this was all that he could keep of her, he put it in a sealed casket and carried it around with him everywhere. Prior to his receiving the nightingale from the neighbors wife, the nightingale was killed by the husband of the wife and thrown at her chest. This left blood, and it is symbolic of her broken heart.

1. The Tenth Story of the Tenth Day: Why is Griselda being tested?
   I believe that Griselda was being tested just to see how loyal of a wife she was. Gualtieri makes her life completely unbearable doing everything possible to test her patience. He pretends to hate her, “divorces’ her, pretends to kill their children, sends her back to her poor family, pretends to have a new wife who comes into their home and Griselda basically acts as a maid. Finally, he admits it was all a joke. Griselda accepts everything!
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?
   In The Thousand and One Nights, the stories are told in hopes of wasting time. Shaharazad’s father tells her stories in hopes of her not doing anything dumb with her life. He just tries to get a point across with each story. In the Decameron, I thought that the stories are being told to simply just pass the time. I believe that the stories accomplish what they are intended for. In the Decameron, I wasn’t able to really see a relationship between the tale and the teller.
3. In Laustic, what does the nightingale symbolize? Explain your answer.
   I’m not too sure what the nightingale symbolizes, but after reading this section a few times, I want to say that the nightingale symbolizing freedom and love. She gathers at that window every night waiting for the interaction with the neighbor. When questioned about whys he is always there, she instantly came up with the nightingale. Once he kills the bird, it’s like her every hope and dream was completely destroyed.

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

I believe that Griselda was being tested only for her husbands own amusement.  It even states in the text “…Gualtieri was seized with the strange desire to test Griselda’s patience, by subjecting her to constant provocation and making her life unbearable” (Norton 1359).  Whatever desire he had, to me it seems as if he himself is astonished that he chose such a wonderful wife, especially for someone who never had any intention of marrying, and maybe being a bit skeptical, wants to test her loyalty to him.

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?

I believe that in each case, the tales were meant to pass the time, and while also doing so, there is a lessons woven into the stories.  The Thousand and One Nights, Sharazad ends up accomplishing what she set out to do, stop the king from killing innocent young woman, and she ends up gaining his trust.  I think that with the Decameron, it is a little different in a way because the stories don’t necessarily try to gain anything, they let you decide for yourself.  (Each story seems to contradict the previous one with a opposite view).    With stories such as these, I think that the relationship between the tale and the teller is important, and the teller is speaking from some experience and the story correlates with the tellers life.  I think that there has to be some type of parallelism.

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

According to the text “The nightingale that she invokes to quiet her jealous husband becomes a symbol of this yearning to escape, and when her husband brutally kills it and throws its bleeding corpse at her, we can understand that the stain it leaves on the breast of her tunic is this outward sign of a broken heart” (Lanval 1197).  To me, however, I would add that the nightingale also symbolizes a secret, with the death of the nightingale, her secret affair also dies as well, for she will no longer be able to see her lover.

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.

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

In the Tenth Story of the Tenth Day Griselda is tested by the King I believe to ensure her utter loyalty to him no matter what actions he takes against her. He tormented her and berated her, took her children from her and made her life a living hell, all so that in the end he would know she was in fact a subservient, faithful wife.  In the end the King would know that she was the women she had seemed to be at the time of their marriage.

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?

Both the tales of Thousand and One Nights as well as the ones in the Decameron are told as distractions from the real world, to escape painful and horrible truths. In the Decameron the stories are told to distract from the dark and hideous death that the black plague had caused, While the stories in The Thousand and One Nights were told to keep the King distracted and entertained so he would not kill his wife. In this light both tales used the stories to distract from death, and such to preserve life. How each teller relates to the story told influences the “meaning” of the story.

“Die Pest in Epiros” (“The Plague in Epirus”) a copper engraving by Pierre Mignard (1610-1665) depicts a bubonic plague epidemic.

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

In Laustic the nightingale symbolizes many things; escape from a life unwanted, love that can never be, and secrecy of that forbidden love.  The Lady loves the knight next door and he loves her although he knows she is married to another, the nightingale signifies their love and the secrecy it must keep. The lady is unhappy with her current situation and wants to be free of her husband, who for him the nightingale signifies distrust and deceit.

The seven women and three men…

1. Gualtieri does not use admirable fashion to test Griselda, but she is ultimately tested because Gualtieri does not believe that match making ever produces suitable companions and he does not want to spend his life miserably. Gualtieri states, “My friends, you are pressing me to do something that I had always set my mind firmly against, seeing how difficult it is to find a person who twill easily adapt to one’s own way of living, how many thousands there are who will do precisely the opposite, and what a miserable life is in store for the man who stumbles upon a woman ill-suited to his own temperament.” This is the mindset of satisfied man, who does not trust fate to bring him good tidings, in the form of a wife. Despite his opposition to marriage, Gualtieri takes a bride of his choosing and questions her about her devotion to him and knows that being brought up in a life unfilled with entitlement, that she may satisfy his need to remain unburdened by troublesome personality traits. The extent to which Griselda is tested is ridiculous and presented in the story to have a greater impact, but whether this is to show that temperament and patience are virtues or that the expectations of men are absurd, I am not sure…

2. The Decameron and The Thousand and One Nights (TON) are similar in the fact that both sets of stories are told with the purpose to pass time and save lives. They are both leisurely told through and provide lessons to be learned. The Decameron displays stories told to entertain a female audience primarily and to pass the time as the Black Plague rampages through Europe; while TON is written to provide insight for both sexes about relationships, trust and respect; although the stories within the stories are told to detour Sharaya’s wrath and save the lives of future brides to be. I believe the stories do fulfill the intended purpose. TON does teach one to see both sides of the coin in reference to fidelity, respect, and honor and eventually King Sharaya comes around forgiving women and learning to be a better ruler. In the Decameron, the reader is entertained, which is the primary purpose of the scripture and allows one to pass time. The relationship between the tale and the teller is extremely important in both cases. In TON, the stories will save Sharizads life, if she continues to entertain Sharaya and teach him forgiveness and understanding. In the Decameron, it was important for people to keep their sanity and being happy will generally keep one’s health in good order. With the time away from the plague and a joyous environment, the tellers are saving themselves through the stories they tell.

“Sing sweet nightingale…”

3. I believe the nightingale most importantly symbolized the delight in affection and love. In the story of “Laustic,” the lady in love with her neighboring knight states, “anyone who does not hear the song of the nightingale knows none of the joys of this world. This is why I come and stand here. So sweet is the song I hear by night that it brings me great pleasure. I take such delight in it and desire it so much that I can get no sleep at all.” This ultimate joy is brought to her by the knight, but is awarded to the song of the nightingale because she must cover this secret love they have. The joy makes her restless and wreckless in the decision to see the knight so openly and close to her husband. The song is beautiful like the love her and the knight share, which is destined to live by night. The knight later makes the golden coffin for the nightingale to show that he honors and cherishes this love, this nightingale, with all that he has and will carry it with him, until the day he dies.

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

I think that in a sense, Griselda is initially being tested because of Gualtieri’s boredom, although this is later transformed into a sort of more complex set of Job-like events that prove her character over time. Before the more extreme fake child killings and so forth, Bocciaccio writes, “…Gualtieri was seized with the strange desire to test Griselda’s patience, by subjecting her to constant provocation and making her life unbearable.”. He starts out with a little verbal abuse before moving on to the torturous acts of taking her babies away. Bocciaccio’s motives for this probably had something to do with claims that these stories were lessons for female readers to learn, that these men and women, but mostly women, who took refuge from disease wanted to convey in their stories for women to learn from for their own safety and well being.

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?

Shahrizad has a much more noble purpose in her story telling than the narrator of the Decameron in my opinion. She is telling her stories to teach a murderer compassion and forgiveness while simultaneously saving lives, literally. With each night of teaching lessons and telling stories she is preserving her own life and the life of another woman. That’s sisterhood. Shari’a does accomplish her purpose, both within the frame tale and in terms of the stories preserved in The Thousand and One Nights. I think that Bocciaccio via his narrators is less successful simply because Shahrizad’s purpose was so noble. The seven women and three men who make up the tellers of The Decameron are portraying lessons and also telling jokes, providing an account of life in that part of the world at that time. The stories there serve that purpose. I think the relationship between the tale and tale teller is as important as the piece and the writer because it holds a lot of information about motive, whether economic or social or religious.

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

I think that the nightingale symbolizes the tragedy of love lost, or perhaps grief. It seems that this would be a question with many answers, all true in their own way. The nightingale serves as a way to communicate a break up, and then the receiver of this information treats it as a keepsake. The fact that he puts this bird in a tiny coffin which he then carries with him could be seen as both a constant reminder of his love for her, or a constant reminder of his grief that the relationship never got a fair chance and had to end. Either way I think this is a symbol for emotions we all have regarding past love and loss.