Day Five Decameron

8.7-Do you think that the scholar's revenge was cruel, or do you think that Madonna Elena got what she deserved?

I'm actually torn about what I think of the scholar. Its true that she didn't die and the same thing happened to her that happened to him, but I think it went on the cruel side. She begged him to let her down. Does making someone else suffer make your own suffering less? Does that hurt truly go away? And meanwhile, what does that say about the scholar? That he can be vengeful and cruel, when she was already getting the punishment that she deserved when her lover left her. She repeatedly said throughout the night that she left the scholar out in the cold that she was doing this to prove the love that she had for her lover, but where did that get her. That was the cruel punishment that she got. That was what she deserved. The brilliant scholar showed that he could stoop down to her level getting revenge like that. This did not make me sympathize with him.

7.5-What do you think of the statement that the wife made to her jealous husband? Was she justified in taking a lover?

This statement reminds me of Shakespearean word play at its best. It is also further proof of how language can be used to manipulate a situation. She started by calling him an idiot and continued by explaining to him why he's an idiot and why she isn't, all the while knowing that she does have a lover and that he has been sneaking into her room every night. This very much reminds me of Yseut saying that no one has been between her legs except for King Mark and the leper. She does get her husband off her back, but in the end, he was justified. She was trying to prove to him that she is an honest wife, but she's tricking him. This is the Keyshia Cole song, "I should have cheated." She's not justified because she's proving him right, not wrong.