2. We see that Meliba is able to recognize, not at first, Celestina after talking with her some. Her words and the scare across her face give her away. Perhaps the fact that this women is trying to hook her up with someone attributed to it.
3. Meliba seems confused as what to do. She tells Celestina that she's an old hag who was once beautiful but now is hold and each day goes by is another that doesn't stop without making it hard on her life. We can either see pity in this or contempt. Again, Celestina is able to convince Meliba that she has good intentions by playing on her desires and so Maliba warms up to her despite knowing who she is in the end.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Celestina Day One
The first scene in the garden is perhaps to symbolize the Garden of Eden and the story regarding it, much like what Sempronio likened it to when ranting about women in general. He quoted the bible by saying "This is women, the ancient curse that drove Adam out of the delights of Eden, she it was who sent the human race to hell; she it was whom the prophet Elijah rebuked." (8, Simpson)
In any fashion, despite Sempronio's general regard for women, we can certainly see that this is a forshadowing and also a tool to help us read into the first scene. Miliba kicks him out after his confession, refusing him the delights of her Eden. A possible undertone reference to sex.
But, moving on now to the scene which I quoted from, We see that Calisto is clearly a love sick puppy which plays into the Garden of Eden thing. He's now willing and ready to sacrifice everything so he can 'get back' to the symbolic Garden of Eden. This state of mind allows him to worship Miliba over any God he might hold dear and makes him weak enough to allow himself to believe Sempronio's cunning plan.
In any fashion, despite Sempronio's general regard for women, we can certainly see that this is a forshadowing and also a tool to help us read into the first scene. Miliba kicks him out after his confession, refusing him the delights of her Eden. A possible undertone reference to sex.
But, moving on now to the scene which I quoted from, We see that Calisto is clearly a love sick puppy which plays into the Garden of Eden thing. He's now willing and ready to sacrifice everything so he can 'get back' to the symbolic Garden of Eden. This state of mind allows him to worship Miliba over any God he might hold dear and makes him weak enough to allow himself to believe Sempronio's cunning plan.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Decameron Day Five
Are men really so... stupid?
Tofano is quite quick to think that his wife is cheating on him, though that's simply because he's a jealous fellow. However, what concerns me the most would be the fact that he cared enough for his wife after finding out about her midnight escapades to run after the stone she droped into the well. If she threatened me with that bull, not only would I have obliged her and thrown her down in there, she wouldn't of had a chance to say it. I'd be on my way to rip the other dudes head off.
Women... crazy tricksters and the embodiment of language?
At least in this story. yes. She knows her husband enough to use her words to get him going and use his actions against him. It's quite brilliant even, calling on the naberes, something Tofano should have done, and accusing him of drunken violence. Blackmail is sweet even if she is in the wrong.
Is this story realistic?
NOPE... but it's funny as HELL.
Tofano is quite quick to think that his wife is cheating on him, though that's simply because he's a jealous fellow. However, what concerns me the most would be the fact that he cared enough for his wife after finding out about her midnight escapades to run after the stone she droped into the well. If she threatened me with that bull, not only would I have obliged her and thrown her down in there, she wouldn't of had a chance to say it. I'd be on my way to rip the other dudes head off.
Women... crazy tricksters and the embodiment of language?
At least in this story. yes. She knows her husband enough to use her words to get him going and use his actions against him. It's quite brilliant even, calling on the naberes, something Tofano should have done, and accusing him of drunken violence. Blackmail is sweet even if she is in the wrong.
Is this story realistic?
NOPE... but it's funny as HELL.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Day 4 (The Decameron)
5.8
This story struck me as almost something that could come out of tales of the Twilight Zone, or The Outer Limits. You don't always have your happy ending in those stories but sometimes you do. It's odd how most of these stories in this book can be so dark in undertones and be so happy.
Anyways, I felt bad for Nastagio in the begining and happy for him in the end when he gets the girl. Though I wonder if she will every really love him? And is hate really so easy to turn into love at the display of such brutality as the Black Knight chasing his cruel women through the woods and ripping her hear out from her back? Perhaps that even symbolises something, like how he had to physically take her creul heart from her body and make it his own but its not what he did when he was alive so her has to continually repeat the exercise to remind him of his mistake? It's the same for the lady he's chasing, she is most likely running to 'keep' her heart from him much like she did in life. So she experiance the pain over and over again for her mistake. Perhaps she was afraid of the pain it might cause to even allow someone to have your heart?
All in all, this story was gruesome and I do think this book would make a good HBO special/mini-series. One story can be one Episode. I think that might do.
This story struck me as almost something that could come out of tales of the Twilight Zone, or The Outer Limits. You don't always have your happy ending in those stories but sometimes you do. It's odd how most of these stories in this book can be so dark in undertones and be so happy.
Anyways, I felt bad for Nastagio in the begining and happy for him in the end when he gets the girl. Though I wonder if she will every really love him? And is hate really so easy to turn into love at the display of such brutality as the Black Knight chasing his cruel women through the woods and ripping her hear out from her back? Perhaps that even symbolises something, like how he had to physically take her creul heart from her body and make it his own but its not what he did when he was alive so her has to continually repeat the exercise to remind him of his mistake? It's the same for the lady he's chasing, she is most likely running to 'keep' her heart from him much like she did in life. So she experiance the pain over and over again for her mistake. Perhaps she was afraid of the pain it might cause to even allow someone to have your heart?
All in all, this story was gruesome and I do think this book would make a good HBO special/mini-series. One story can be one Episode. I think that might do.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Decameron (Part Two)
Some of the later conversations struck me as similar to ones me might have in modern times towards the End of the first story. Take "I don't know what's keeping me from coming down there and beating the shit out of you, you dumb ass, you drunken sot-you're not going to let any body get any sleep tonight, are you?" on page 108
Reminds me of New York city displayed throughout comedies, where the main character will scream and some guy will stick his head out the window and say, "Shut up!" Guess medieval people hated that kind of thing as much as we do now.
I guess this plays into the comedy of it all, which was extremely prevalent throughout the first story. Kind of like a Jackie Chan movie, poor Andreuccio running around, saying "Very Bad Day!." in broken English. Oh these stories keep getting better.
Reminds me of New York city displayed throughout comedies, where the main character will scream and some guy will stick his head out the window and say, "Shut up!" Guess medieval people hated that kind of thing as much as we do now.
I guess this plays into the comedy of it all, which was extremely prevalent throughout the first story. Kind of like a Jackie Chan movie, poor Andreuccio running around, saying "Very Bad Day!." in broken English. Oh these stories keep getting better.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Decameron
This Quote is from Day One Story Three
"They quickly got the young girl out of the monastery, and as one might well imagine, they often had her brought back again"
Oh, poor girl. Dealing with that creepy old Abbot. The fryer and her don't bother me so much, but the fact that these to men are implied to use her as some sort of shared sex toy is just... yeah no.
"They quickly got the young girl out of the monastery, and as one might well imagine, they often had her brought back again"
Oh, poor girl. Dealing with that creepy old Abbot. The fryer and her don't bother me so much, but the fact that these to men are implied to use her as some sort of shared sex toy is just... yeah no.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Tristan and Isolde
Seeing as Questions one and two go hand in hand, I'll answer them with the same response.
Magic, scifi and all that mystical stuff just isn't realistic. I'm guessing the main reason that the movie starts with a battle scene in an almost historical relevant situation or that the movie is completely devoid of magic is due to the screed writers and studio heads wanting a modern day audience connecting with the characters.
Elixirs, dragons, and dwarfs might alienate people and draw in a more 'nerdy' crowd. We need to dig into the world of studio politics and marketing. This movie, in it's basic form, is a basic studio produced romantic drama.
This gives us almost a whole new story, yet the characters are still loyal to their personalities. Isolde is the one who suggests meeting up and that Tristan not give up on love. Tristan is conflicted with his loyalty to Mark and his love for Isolde and wishes to stop the affair more then once.
All in all, the changes were made for marketing and really, if you think about it, time.
Magic, scifi and all that mystical stuff just isn't realistic. I'm guessing the main reason that the movie starts with a battle scene in an almost historical relevant situation or that the movie is completely devoid of magic is due to the screed writers and studio heads wanting a modern day audience connecting with the characters.
Elixirs, dragons, and dwarfs might alienate people and draw in a more 'nerdy' crowd. We need to dig into the world of studio politics and marketing. This movie, in it's basic form, is a basic studio produced romantic drama.
This gives us almost a whole new story, yet the characters are still loyal to their personalities. Isolde is the one who suggests meeting up and that Tristan not give up on love. Tristan is conflicted with his loyalty to Mark and his love for Isolde and wishes to stop the affair more then once.
All in all, the changes were made for marketing and really, if you think about it, time.
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