The Decameron

The Decameron

by

Giovanni Boccaccio

In Panfilo’s second tale (II, 7), Alatiel is the daughter of Sultan Beminedab and the most beautiful woman of her day. On her way to marry the King of Algarve, she is shipwrecked and passed, at the command of fortune, through the beds of Pericone da Visalgo, his brother Marato, a ship’s Young Master, the Prince of Morea, the Duke of Athens, his brother-in-law Constant, the Turkish King Uzbek, his servant Antioco, and a Cypriot Merchant before she finally makes her way back home. Not only does she illustrate the twists of fortune—she’s described as fortune’s toy—but Panfilo suggests that she is a warning against feminine vanity, since her beauty caused her nothing but trouble. And she further illustrates the misogynistic medieval stereotypes of women as fickle and excessively lustful, since she ends up being happy with each of the lovers who hand her from one to another like a very beautiful object.

Alatiel Quotes in The Decameron

The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Alatiel or refer to Alatiel . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Love and Sex Theme Icon
).
Day 2: Seventh Tale Quotes

When he learnt about the circumstances of her arrival in the city, he saw no reason why he should not be able to have her. And indeed, once the wounded man’s relatives discovered that the Prince was putting out inquiries, they promptly sent her off to him without asking any questions. The prince was highly delighted, but so also was the lady, who considered that she had now escaped from a most dangerous situation. On finding that she was endowed with stately manners as well as beauty, the Prince calculated, since he could obtain no other clue to her identity, that she must be a woman of gentle birth, and his love for her was accordingly redoubled. And not only did he keep her in splendid style, but he treated her as though she were his wife rather than his mistress.

Related Characters: Panfilo (speaker), Alatiel , The Young Masters, Prince of Morea
Related Symbols: Fortune
Page Number: 133
Explanation and Analysis:
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Alatiel Quotes in The Decameron

The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Alatiel or refer to Alatiel . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Love and Sex Theme Icon
).
Day 2: Seventh Tale Quotes

When he learnt about the circumstances of her arrival in the city, he saw no reason why he should not be able to have her. And indeed, once the wounded man’s relatives discovered that the Prince was putting out inquiries, they promptly sent her off to him without asking any questions. The prince was highly delighted, but so also was the lady, who considered that she had now escaped from a most dangerous situation. On finding that she was endowed with stately manners as well as beauty, the Prince calculated, since he could obtain no other clue to her identity, that she must be a woman of gentle birth, and his love for her was accordingly redoubled. And not only did he keep her in splendid style, but he treated her as though she were his wife rather than his mistress.

Related Characters: Panfilo (speaker), Alatiel , The Young Masters, Prince of Morea
Related Symbols: Fortune
Page Number: 133
Explanation and Analysis: