The Lawyer & Decameron

So I've made a few observations after reading The Lawyer and Decameron.

Religion played (and still does play) a key role in the Middle East. In The Laywer, Constance, a good Christian woman, is kept alive for 3 years as an inexperienced sailor by the grace and protection of God. Her faith enabled her to escape the seas after being exiled by her husband. Her husband, a Syrian sultan, had agreed to convert to Christianity in order to have her as his wife; though this plan was sabotaged by his mother, who decieved him in her willingness to change her religion. In the end, Christianity is glorified and Jesus saves Constance from being defeated and guides her to Italy where her arrival is seen as a miracle.

The Middle East is very big on hospitality. In Decameron, we follow Saladin in his journey back to Alexandria, and he encounters Messer Torello; whom he shows great courtesy. Saladin and his merchants are welcomed into Torello's home and fed, clothed, and escorted to their destination. The gesture is then returned by Saladin after he discovers that his Christian falconer is indeed the man who had showed him such honour in Pavia. Torello, who had left for the Crusades and whose wife was bid to remarry, longed to go home and rejoin her. So, Saladin arranged for him to be sent by night to Pavia, and he adorned him in fine robes and precious jewels after putting him to sleep. So Torello goes home and his wife is about to marry another, until he slips the ring she had given him before he left into her cup and she discovered it. Then, she realizes it is him and then Messer Torello is finally happy.

I also agree with John and was curious to see such a different portrayal of Islam and the Middle Eastern culture. It was very interesting to see the research on the authors and how that influenced the theme of each tale. As far as Decameron goes, the Sultan and his merchants are portrayed as good, chivalrous men, while The Lawyer gives a description of evil anti-Christs. After reading the Wikipedia article and learning of the great courtesies that the Sultan exchanged with other Christian Lords, the Lawyer seemed very stereotyped.

Much like in modern times, most people have been influenced by the Christian belief that the Middle East is evil and all Muslims and Islamic people are terrorists. Erroneous as that statement is, longstanding perceptions cloud the truth about their culture, as well as how closely tied the two religions actually are.