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Here begins the Fifth Day, wherein, under the rule of Fiammetta, are discussed the adventures of lovers who survived calamities or misfortunes and attained a state of happiness.
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Such is the power of love that it can even raise a man's I.Q.! That was just one of the irrational beliefs about love, although it may not have been really seriously entertained, and it was proved in the case of the mentally deficient Cimon. The intensity of people's faith in Love might explain the amorality of some of these stories. Since Love is a force that must be given in to, almost anything is permitted in its name. Cimon would probably have raped Iphigenia after capturing her, and he cuts down two innocent men in his desire to have her, but in the end that's all okay because he did it for love. My theory, probably bogus, is that the courtly love ideal was a relief valve for a people oppressed by the Catholic religion. Courtly love was known all over Europe, but it might have been more intense in some countries, such as Italy, than in others.President Camacho wrote:1st of 5th (Panfilo): This is one of the best stories in the book. A country bumpkin that is suddenly transformed into a connoisseur of beauty. It shows how the power of love can motivate a man to be a better person. It wasn't the force of fortune which propelled this young man into becoming an accomplished gentleman. He had riches and didn't feel the need to better himself because he had everything he wanted. That was until he saw a young lady he wanted. Love gave him the kick in the butt he needed. He wanted to be better for her.
Women are romantically elevated as an ideal or god-like being in this tale. "...sufficient mother wit to appreciate that divine things require more respect than those pertaining to earth." Cimon realized to capture a goddess he must become as close to worthy of her as he possibly could... that was the only way to respect such a divine being. He needed to be a better man, and quickly.
Cimon goes through a radical transformation. He changes clothes, friends, learns how to court a lady, became a paragon of wit and intelligence, changes his speech, learned to sing and play music, improved his martial skill, and became one of the most graceful, refined, and versatile men in Cyprus.
Love filled this man with the will to accomplish his goal. Love brought out these talents. On a side note, there are a lot of Greek names in this tale. Cimon was an Athenian military hero that was exiled from Athens, Iphigenia was Agamemnon's daughter who he sacrificed before sailing to Troy... and I think there was another one but I didn't write it down.