Video Game Review: Plagues Tale Innocence

As I jumped into a study on the Black Death, I needed not only a good book but also a good video game to dive into the historical epidemic. I discovered the game Plague Tale: Innocence (released in 2019) as a critically acclaimed video game set during this period. I had never heard of the game before, however saw that it had great reviews. Upon further research I learned that it was set in France and the graphics looked pretty impressive. The only catch was that it was not my preferred open-world format. However the emphasis on stealth and survival appealed to me as a core feature of the Assassin's Creed series. It took me about three weeks to beat the game, and I found it surprisingly quite entertaining. 

Historical Setting

The year is 1348 at the height of the Black Death in the rural region of France known as Aquitaine. The Hundred Years War between England and France is in it's Edwardian Phase as the English invade northern France. The young noble girl Amicia discovers the outbreak at her estate, which is carried by swarms of deadly rats. However the plot is much more complex than a simple escape from deadly rats. There is a larger enemy at work involving the French Inquisition. Amicia's brother, Hugo has a mysterious condition and for some reason the French Inquisition is hunting him. The inquisition soldiers kill Amicia's father and capture her mother leaving Amicia to flee with her brother.

Amicia and Hugo must then navigate thru the plague infested towns and countryside of southern France. They must not only circumvent the rats, but also avoid the deadly inquisition soldiers that are hunting them. Amicia later meets some friends along their journey including an alchemist apprentice named Luca, two young bandits named Melie and Arthur, and a blacksmith's apprentice named Rodric. The group of young kids work together to survive in this apocalyptic setting. They find refuge in an abandoned castle for awhile but it is eventually overrun by rats.

It is later revealed that Hugo has a magical power that can control rats, referred to as the Prima Macula (which dates back to the Plague of Justinian). Hugo is eventually captured by the Inquisition where he learns how to use his powers from his imprisoned mother. Hugo is eventually able to escape the Inquisition and reunite with Amicia and their friends. They launch a full on assault to the Inquisitors cathedral (which looks like Notre Dame and an abandoned Paris). Arthur and Rodric bravely die during the fighting. Amicia eventually faces the evil Grand Inquistor and defeats him with the help of his brother and mother.   

Game Format

As I mentioned this is not my preferred open-world format but more of a linear game structure. Although there was definitely some lack of freedom, the graphics were very impressive. The whole thing felt like watching an interactive movie with top quality cinematics. And it also had quite the element of thrill, shock, and sometimes disturbing horror. One might think that a game where kids are the heroes might be a little less gory, but that was not the case. Rats devour human beings, and the kills scenes were often quite vicious and unforgiving. The game was by no means meant for children, and I'd say it was very on the adult side.

As someone who usually prefers melee combat (sword-and-arrow), this game was very different. It was all about the stealth and puzzles. I suppose it was a nice change of pace, and something I was familiar with from the AC series or the many puzzles in Zelda. Amicia was by no means a common damsel-in-distress however. She was quite deadly with the slingshot as her primary weapon. She also gained new skills as the game went on including projectiles such as rocks, deadly gas, fire igniters, fire extinguishers, and even the ability to manipulate the rat (thru Hugo's powers). She was quite the courageous hero always holding on to her young brother, Hugo.  

Most of the stages seemed to alternate between puzzles escaping from the rats or stealth missions escaping from the inquisition guards. Each chapter was basically nonstop intensity for the characters. It would have been nice to explore a little more and maybe even do some trade but that was definitely not the case of this setting. This was an apocalyptic setting where Amicia and her friends were constantly on the go. There were items and resources to collect which could be used to upgrade her slingshot or inventory pouch. There were also collectables within the each stage (even though it was a limited map terrain). I always like a game that has proper resource/inventory management. 

Game Review

I think I put in about 20 hours into this game (which I know is nothing compare to the 100+ I put into Elden Ring, AC Shadows, or Kingdom Come Deliverance. It had a total of 17 chapters (stages) which was actually more than I had anticipated. I think I caught on fairly quickly with the gameplay and really came to admire the courage of Amicia. I also really enjoyed the historical setting and the story overall. I thought it was exciting how they turned the rats into these demonic monsters (a very creative and metaphoric way to describe the Black Death). Even though it was mostly humans spreading the sickness, the root of the plague came from rats and fleas. I also learned quite a lot about the Inquisition in general which seemed to be quite the villainous branch during the medieval age. 

I'd say for the most part the gameplay was fairly easy and I got thru each chapter without too much trouble. That is until the end. The game got extremely challenging at the final few segments. There were 3 parts in particular that took up the most time for me. One was a puzzle with Amicia and Arthur at their refuge castle, where we had to use fire cauldrons to escape the infestation. Then there was the stage with Rodric pushing the cart that I kept dying on. Also the final boss against the Grand Inquisitor was very difficult. It took me a while to get familiar with the chaos of these particular stages. The game would have been mostly a breeze had it not been for these final challenges that took up considerable time and frustration. I suppose however it's beating a hard challenge that makes the game all the more reward (such as with Elden Ring).  

Even though it was a limited world, the graphics were incredible. Each setting had amazing detail whether in afflicted French towns, the war-torn countryside, or abandoned churches and castles. It would have been great to truly explore this medieval region with a little more freedom. However it still provided me what I was after, which was a full immersion into the historical setting of the Black Death. I also enjoyed the fictional story, and the characters (especially the cute French accents of Amicia and Hugo). The whole game had quite the exhilarating and dark feel to it all, especially accentuated by it's eerie violin music. I actually bought both games at once, so I won't be wasting much time to dive into part 2: Plagues Tale Requiem. 

Book Review: Vagabond

So yes it's been a very deep dive into medieval history lately as I have read two books simultaneously; The Decameron and The Vagabond (actually 3 if I count the biblical Book of Psalms). The Vagabond by Bernard Cromwell is book 2 in the Grail Quest series. The lead hero Thomas continues his quest as an English archer to aid in Edward III's military campaign while searching for the holy grail. In the previous book, Harlequin he played a crucial role in the English victories at the Battle of Caen and the Battle of Crecy in 1346. He had succeeded in recovering his father's relic, the lance of St. George, but now it opened up a bigger objective. He discovers it is in his family destiny to recover and preserve the holiest of relics, the cup of Jesus Christ. 

This book actually dives into some Scottish history at the beginning of the book, which was a refreshing surprise. I learned quite a bit about the Second Scottish War of Independence War (1332-1357) at the famous Battle of Neville's Cross in 1346. Here David the Bruce (son of Robert) had created an alliance with France to strike at England's northern territory while King Philip of France fought the English armies of Edward III in Normandy. Naturally this brought about a mini Scottish phase for me in watching one of my all time favorite movies Braveheart, following by the Outlaw King (which I've really come to like). The Outlaw King is basically a sequel to Braveheart pertaining to Robert the Bruce's First Scottish War of Independence. I also learned a bit about the Scottish Douglas family, with legendary warriors such as James Douglas (companion of Robert) and William Douglas who fought at the Battle of Neville's Cross. In both the book and the film Outlaw King they are portrayed as always yelling "Douglas!" during battle.

The Douglas family was renown and feared all throughout England, and this book demonstrates how Scotland had really made a mark on England. So although England was making advances into Northern France during the Hundred Years War they were also losing to the Scottish. That is until the Battle of Neville's Cross where they took David the Bruce hostage. From this point on the story returns to France, where Thomas regroups with English army in Normandy. Just like in his first book, Cornwell really knows how to describe a battle with graphic and tactical detail. I think I did enjoy the first book a little better, but I was still hooked for the most part. I love a historical fiction that can really take the reader into an epoch, and this book certainly does so. 

The Premise

At the end of book 1, Thomas was assigned by the Earl of Northampton to find medical aid for their commander Will Skeat. His mentor Will Skeat had taking a near fatal blow at the Battle of Crecy and needed the medical skills of Mordecai. Thomas was to be joined by the French knight Sir Guillaume, Father Hobbe, and his pregnant wife Eleanor. However book 2 seemed to completely skip past that quest. Instead Will Skeat and Sir Guillaume were dropped off at Caen, while Thomas journeyed to the far north of Durham, England with his wife and Father Hobbe. Thomas is continuing the quest for the grail by seeking an old monk who was friends with his deceased father. This first chapter was honestly quite confusing and took me a little bit to understand what all was happening. There's about 3 or 4 things happening at once. 

So basically Thomas peels away from northern France to travel to the Cathedral of Durham in Northern England to meet this monk. However a new enemy is also hot in pursuit of the grail, the French Inquisition priest Bernard de Taillebourg. This wicked Dominican priest is accompanied by the main antagonist from the previous book, the Harlequin (aka Guy Vexille- the cousin of Thomas). They arrive first to the cathedral to begin their investigation of this monk. Meanwhile as Thomas and his group get closer, this also happens to be the site of the historical Battle of Neville's Cross. So now Scotland is drawn into the conflict with England, led by their fierce warriors David the Bruce and William Douglas. Being the soldier that he is, Thomas decides to temporarily postpone his quest so as to join the English archers. He sends his wife and Father Hobbe into the cathedral to wait for him (unbeknownst that the evil Taillebourg is already there). 

Cornwell describes The Battle of Neville's Cross as a game of cat-and-mouse where both sides are hesitant to begin the first attack. This is because the Scottish fear the notorious English longbowmen.  Eventually they are baited into a charge, and hence the slaughter begins. The Scottish are eventually defeated and both David the Bruce and William Douglas are taken as prisoners. During the moments leading up to the battle Thomas makes enemies with an English noble, Sir Geoffrey Carr. But he also finds a new ally in the Scottish prisoner Robbie Douglas. Both are intent to find and kill Guy Vexilles. Meanwhile in the cathedral Taillebourg questions, tortures, and kills both Father Hobbe and Eleanor. Thomas is grief-stricken and returns to his hometown of Hookton for a while with Robbie Douglass. 

While in Hookton, Thomas casually stumbles upon a new lead on the grail quest when he converses with his father's old friend. Sir Giles Marriott presents an old book that belonged to Thomas father, that serves as a codex for the grail (just like in Indiana Jones III). Before Thomas can really dive into the book he is diverted to aid his French friend Sir Guillaume who is under siege by the French army (for betraying them). Robbie joins Thomas on a sabotage mission, where they rain arrows from the woods to disrupt the French raid. They eventually explode the camp's gunpowder supply which really infuriates the French army who send more soldiers. Sir Guillaume decides to escape and regroups with Thomas and Robbie on a ship to Calais. However on the boat trip they are ambushed by French soldiers, so they turn around to La Roche-Derrien (where he met his former lover Jeanette in the 1st book). 

When they arrive to La Roche-Derrien, eager to impress Jeanette, Thomas decides to organize a raiding party to help recover her son. However during this raid, several of his newly recruited members turn on Thomas and hand him over to the inquisitor, Taillebourg and Guy Vexille. Thomas is locked up in a tower and tortured to reveal everything he knows about the holy grail. Thomas tries to resist, but is eventually scolded with a fire-rod and tells the truth about his father's codex. Taillebourg then offers Thomas as a ransom for the book, which Guillame and Robbie agree to. Thomas is returned to La Roche-Derrien in poor condition, but once again the Jewish medic Mordecai attends to his wounds.    

While recovering at La Roche-Derrien, the French noble Charles of Blois (who kidnapped Jeanette's son) mounts a massive assault on the fortress. Equipped with nine trebuchets Blois carefully plans to not expose his army to the English bowmen on the ramparts. The battle appears to be lost at first, when Sir Dagworth falls into a French trap and is captured. However as the French let down their guard the English bowmen begin to press their advantage led by pinpoint precise accuracy. Thomas and Robbie are able to locate the inquisitor Taillebourg, and both kill him in vengeance. Guy Vexille however is able to escape the battlefield once again. Thomas' mentor Will Skeat dies in the battle. The English win the Battle of La Roche-Derrien and Thomas buries his friend while still intent to continue his quest for the grail and Vexille. 

The Historical Setting

So the book is good, and I didn't catch any particular historical blunders like I did in the first book with Charles IV of Bohemia). There are two major historical battles in the book to review here. The first is the Scottish Battle of Neville's Cross (1346). I found it quite surprising for Cornwell to somehow pivot the character's story from northern France to northern England. The whole quest of the Durham Cathedral just seemed like an excuse to put Thomas in the midst of this major battle. The Second War of Scottish Independence had resumed in 1333 when Edward III invaded Scottish territory and achieved significant victories at Halidon Hill. During this time David the Bruce was sent to exile in France, but he later returned to lead them thru some resurgence under the Auld Alliance. However the Scots received a crushing blow at the Battle of Neville's Cross when David the Bruce was captured. Eventually the war turned into one of attrition and guerilla raids, by which the English fully withdrew by 1357 due to their ongoing conflicts with France. 

Now after this battle I really thought Cornwell was going to take the reader to the historical siege of Calais (in northern France). This essentially would have been the final decisive English victory of the Crecy campaign under King Edward III and his famous son, The Black Prince Edward. However Cornwell makes a surprising pivot by boat. Thomas and his band are actually headed to regroup at Calais, but then turn around to La Roche Derrien. I really thought this was going to be a brief visit leading up to the penultimate Battle at Calais, however this is where the book hit it's climax. Thomas once again played a crucial role in leading the English garrison defenses at the historical Battle of La-Roche Derrien (1347).

It's worth noting that this Battle of La Roche Derrien was almost an entirely separate conflict in Northern Brittany referred to as the War of the Breton Succession (however it was still a dispute between England and France). One of the book's antagonists Charles of Blois was the main driver of this conflict and was later captured at the battle. While this battle was much smaller then the Siege of Calais, it was arguably the most defining moment of the war of the Breton Succession since Blois was captured. That particular conflict would go on for many more years (1341-1365) as an additional layer or theater of the much grander Hundred Years War. And all of this is still just a part of the first phase known as the Edwardian Phase (1337-1360). I'll eventually have a full post diving deep into the complete war, and not just the glorified English version from Cornwell.          

Book Review: The Decameron

 As I dove into my studies of the Black Death, I uncovered one book considered to be the oldest account on the matter, The Decamaron by Giovanni Boccaccio. To my great surprise I actually had the book in my collection, but had just never got to reading it. Although this book is set during the Black Death it only briefly mentions the terrible event. It's actually set at a villa retreat where a group of 10 friends go into quarantine to avoid the terrible plague. They decide to pass the time by sharing stories with one another. This book by Boccaccio is actually a collection of 100 short stories (similar to the Golden Legend, One Thousand and One Nights, and The Canterbury Tales). While it doesn't deal with the real historical setting of the Black Death it does provide great insight into the medieval life of the time. This work would go on to inspire Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales who would then inspire the great Shakespeare. I actually do own the Canterbury Tales, and intend to read it at a later time. 

Giovanni Boccaccio was already an established Florentine poet by the time he wrote the Decameron in 1348-1353. He was inspired by the work of Dante's Divine Comedy and later became good friends with fellow Florentine writer, Petrarch. The intent of this book was no doubt to have some laughs at what most have been an apocalyptic feeling during the Black Death. Boccaccio offers some good firsthand detail of the Black Death in his intro, explaining the symptoms and how corpses were piled into the streets. He discusses the world of quarantine, where everyone stayed indoors. Social order was destroyed as isolation became the new norm. He uses this idea of quarantine and isolation to create a romantic setting. A group of 10 young nobles, (7 women and 3 men) get together in a beautiful villa in the countryside to enjoy one another's company. One can imagine the drama and romantic flings that arise within this household. However this book is more interested in their system of storytelling with themes for each day.  

As I read this book I couldn't help but think of how ahead of it's time it must have been. Many of the stories in this book deal with controversial/scandalous topics pertaining to the church and marriage. It's no wonder it was so popular during this time, since it offered a completely new and groundbreaking perspective with great humor. It could be considered one the earliest literary transitions from the old fashioned Christian dogma to a new age of humanism that inspired the Renaissance. For this reason alone Boccaccio is often considered the father of humanism, alongside Dante Allegri and Petrarch. It's also no surprise that the book was censored by the papacy and even burned as a vanity by reformists such as Girolamo Savonarola. 

Aside from the critique on religion, there are also some shocking examples of dark humor and tragedy throughout the book. There were many stories where I just couldn't believe the cruelty or unfairness that had unfolded. Another underlying theme is the complete objectification and disrespect for women (which was likely the norm in those days). While there are some disturbing tales there are also some very clever and humorous tales. The book is very easy to comprehend, and truly takes the reader into the medieval age of Europe. In truth I read about 50% of the tales, however I made sure to read the most famous ones. The book has a total of 100 short stories, 10 tales in 10 days. These are the ones I enjoyed the most with my reviews. All in all I'd say it was some great poetic writing and I can see what it is considered an all time classic. 

Notable stories of the Decameron

Theme of the 1st Day: No theme on the first day, but the majority seem to be critical of the Catholic Church. Which is probably how Bocaccio wanted to start off with a bang.  

 Day 1: Tale 1 (Ser Cepparello lies his way into heaven)

 Boccacio opens with a controversial bang on the first tale, completely slamming the flaws of the Christian church. This is a reoccurring theme thru many of the tales. In this one there is a terribly wicked man known as Ser Cepparello who moves to a new city in Burgundy as he approaches death. A friar arrives to hear his final confession and give him is last rites. Ser Cepparello lies about his life so that he comes off as a righteous man. The friar believes every word he says, and preaches of his righteousness. Since none of the townspeople know of his past life of wickedness they believe his lies and have Sir Ceparello's venerated as a saint. 

Review: In this tale Boccacio is essentially putting focus on the hypocrisy and gullibility of the church. He demonstrates how a system that is driven by judgement can be easily swayed with convincing lies. 

Day 1: Tale 2 (The Jew visits Rome)

Another controversial story that hits at the hypocrisy of church. A Christian man constantly tries to convince a Jew to convert to Christianity. Finally the Jewish man decides to travel to Rome to better understand the Catholic faith. He witnesses corruption amongst the clergy members who are supposed to be the examples of Christ. Knowing that Christianity is on the rise and Judaism is on the downfall, he is blown away. He is convinced that if Christianity can be so corrupt and still prosper, it must be a stronger faith. 

Review: Boccaccio is achieving two things with this story. He is pointing out the corruption of the Christian faith however he is also clarifying how powerful the religion still is despite all that. 

 Day 1: Tale 3 (Saladin's 3 rings)

 Another story with a religious theme, the powerful sultan Saladin asks a Jewish noble which is the true faith; Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. The Jewish man feels trapped with the question and instead answers with a parable. He tells a story of how a father was asked a similar question and had to present a ring to his favorite son. Unable to chose one over the other, the father has 3 identical rings forged to present to his 3 sons. The Jew explains it is the same with choosing one faith over the other. Despite dodging the question, the sultan Saladin appreciates the Jew's wisdom and they remain friends. 

 Review: Although Boccaccio dodges the main question with a clever parable he does however hit at another important message. It is a message of religious tolerance where both a muslim and a jew come to understand one another as equals, despite their religious beliefs. 

Theme of the 2nd Day: Adventures with a happy ending

 Day 2: Tale 5 (The misadventures of Andreccuio)

 This is a hysterical tale about a man named Andreccuio da Perugia who has a wild night of problems that go from bad to worse. He is first fooled by a pretty woman and robbed of his money and his clothes. He tries to get back into the house to recover his clothes, but falls into a sewage shaft. He then meets two graverobbers who convince him to join their heist. However first they decide to clean him off from the sewage smell. They drop Andreccuio into a well, but run off when two police officers approach leaving him trapped. The police officers pull him out but leave before noticing him. Andreccuio then reunites with the graverobbers to complete the robbery of a dead bishop. The graverobbers insist that Andreccuio go into the tomb to collect the valuables. Andreccuio is able to collect a ring, but once again the graverobbers flee when others approach, leaving poor Andreccuio entrapped once again. Andreccuio fears he will either die in the tomb or be arrested for robbing a bishop. However a pair of different robbers arrive to the tomb and when the open it to see Andreccuio they panic and flea. Andreccuio is able to escape with the ring despite his terrible night.

 Review: This is such a funny story of total dark humor. Andreccuio goes from one bad situation to another, however comes out ahead in the end. 

Day 2: Tale 7 (The 9 men of Alatiel)

This is another scandalous tale from Boccaccio that objectifies women. The sultan of Babylon arranges to marry off his beautiful daughter, Alatiel to the king of Algarve, Portugal (which is wrong but was the norms in those days for diplomatic ties). However her ship gets blown off course and crashes on the island of Mallorca. From there she is claimed and passed over from one noble price to another across the Meditterrian. A total of 9 men claim her for a brief period of time, each killing the other to take ownership of her. She is naive, passive, and goes along with the chaos quite willingly. Her beauty is so desired, a war nearly breaks out amongst two princes in Greece. She eventually makes her way back to North Africa, where she is rescued by one of her father's noblemen. Before reuniting with her father, the nobleman named Antigono helps her create a story that preserves her virtuousness so that she can hide the explicit details of her experience. Her father is happy she is still alive and believes her fictional story. She then marries the king of Algarve as was planned who is convinced she is still a virgin.

 Review: This is one of the longer tales but quite a comedic and adventurous despite being a little raunchy. The poor girl Alatiel is caught in a storm of chaos due to her beauty, passed from one man to another. She is literally claimed by these predatory men like a lioness being claimed by a lion. She really gets no say in the matter because she is lost in a foreign land that belongs to men. The clever twist in the end is that her dignity is still preserved in the end with a fabricated story. So the people that matter in her life still see her as a virtuous woman, rather than someone who slept with 9 different men. 

 

Theme of the 3rd Day: To lose something dearly but later regain it

 Day 3: Tale 1 (The country boy in the convent)

One of many sexual tales from Boccaccio of a man seeking female conquest. A country boy visits a convent pretending to be dumb so as to win favor with the women. The mother superior eventually puts him to work the fields and he attracts some of the nuns. All of them begin to have relations with him so frequently that he becomes exhausted. Even the abbess partakes in the fun, at which point he confesses that he is not a dumb mute. They all allow the boy to stay as their field hand, have many children in the covenant, and agree to never speak of it.

Review: Yet another scandalous sexual story poking flaws at the Christian system of sisterhood. Even though these women have dedicated themselves to god, the narrator still wants to demonstrate their human desires. 

Day 3: Tale 2 (The king and the stable boy)

 Another tale of adultery, a young stable boy sleeps with the wife of the Lombard king Agilulf. The husband arrives later that night, and his wife mistakens him for the stable boy wanting a second round. The husband grows confused and suspicious and sets out to find this person who has just slept with his wife. He goes to the chamber of the servants where he expects the culprit to still be breathing loudly from excitement. He locates the stable boy, and not wanting to make a scene in the dark room, he decides to identify him by cutting some of his hair. When the boy awakes and realizes a chunk of his hair is missing, he goes around the stable and cuts off all the other male servants in the similar fashion as his. This way the next morning the king is unsure of who he had identified the night before. Realizing he has been outwitted the king simply tells whoever did it not to do it again.

Review: Yet another comical tale of adultery, where the adulteress lover outwits the poor husband. I think in this case it is a one-sided affair since the stable boy disguised himself as the king, and the poor wife had no idea it wasn't her husband.  

 Day 3: Tale 10 (Sending the devil back to hell)

This is a very erotic controversial story, argubably one of the most obscene. A young naive woman named Alibech seeks to find God and goes on a spiritual quest in the desert. She meets a monk named Rustico, who fools her the best way to find God is to send the devil back to hell. He presents the devil as his erection and hell as her vagina. She obliges this request as the monk continiously pleasures himself within her. She is so convinced that she is doing good that she also begins to enjoy the act. Eventually the monk gets exhausted and sends her off to another suitor. The suitor eventually marries Alibech and happily helps her "send the devil back to hell". 

Review: I couldn't believe this tale as I read it. It's yet another example of Boccaccio pushing the limits in the 1300s. Although it's vague, the sexually implications are so raunchy and naughty. It's like reading an erotic porn. If it's shocking to read now, one can only imagine how shocking it was to read back then. 

 

Theme of the 4th Day: Romantic tales that end in disaster or tragedy

 Day 4: Tale 1 (Ghismonda and Guilelmo)

 Here's a story of cruel and dark nature pertaining to a tragic romance and a father's pride. The princess Ghismonda is reluctant to get married, but finally does so to appear her father King Tancredi. However after her husband dies, she later finds a lover in secret, Guilelmo of humble birth. She knows her father will not approve of this relationship since he is not of noble class. Nonetheless she secretly meets with him for some time in the castle's hidden chambers. Eventually King Tancredi discovers the secret and threatens her daughter to end the relationship. When she refuses he has Guilelmo arrested, cuts out his heart, and serves it to Ghismonda in a golden chalice. This dark twisted act breaks Ghismonda who then gives her father a well composed farewell address. She then drinks poison to commit suicide, out of heartbreak but also to get revenge on her father. 

Review: Truly a powerful and tragic romantic tale, that likely inspired some of Shakespeare's work. The topic of forbidden love always makes for the best romantic stories and that is certainly the case here. It is even more emotional when both lovers must accept death when they can no longer be together. The act of serving a lover's heart in a cup is such a dark yet poetic symbol. Ghismonda handles it all with such grace and composure, and chooses death as her ultimate response which shatters her terrible father. 

 Day 4: Tale 5 (The Pot of Basil)

 Here is another heartbreaking story where a woman get's maltreated. Lisabetta is the daughter of a wealthy merchant family from Messina, who falls for a common man Lorenzo. Her three brothers however intervene in the romance stating he is not good enough for her due to his lower class. Lisabetta and Lorenzo still meet nonetheless for some time in secret. The brothers eventually murder Lorenzo and bury him in secret. Lisabetta is torn from the mysterious disappearance of Lorenzo, until one night she has a dream where he tells her what happened. Lisabetta locates the buried body of Lorenzo and decides to severe his head as a memento of their love. She decides to bury the head in a pot with soil and basil seeds. She waters the plant everyday with her tears. The basil grows abundantly from the decomposition of Lorenzo's head and the tears from Lisabetta. The brothers grow suspicious once again and steal Lisabetta's pot to discover Lorenzo's severed head in a basil pot. They decide to flee from Messina afraid that they might get tried for murder. Lisabetta however never finds her pot again and eventually dies from heartbreak.

 Review: This is another heartbreaking tragic story quite similar to the tale of Ghismonda. Once again it pertains to forbidden love due to a difference in social class. At first it's very disturbing and somewhat psychotic that she would severe his head and put it in a pot. But then this idea from Boccaccio that the chemistry of the decomposed head and her tears would produce amazing plants is truly quite poetic. I think she gets treated very unfairly in this story on two accounts; first that the brothers would murder her lover, then that would steal her basil pot. It's not fair that they should get to escape while she eventually dies of grief. It is a poetic but also very unfair and tragic story. 

 Day 4: Tale 9 (Lover's heart)

 Another story of adultery with a very cruel and unusual punishment. A knight learns of his wife's affair and rides out to ambush the lover. He thrusts a lance into the lover's body and cuts out his heart. The knight then has the lover's heart cooked and served to his wife. The wife eats and enjoys the heart, at which point the husband bluntly tells her it was the heart of her dead lover. Naturally she is horrified with grief and promises to never eat a meal again. She dies of starvation and is later buried with her lover at much dismay to the knight.

Review: A very dark punishment from Boccaccio who demonstrates his range on the topic of adultery. While some of his tales allow the adulterers to walk off freely and victoriously, there are others that have a harsh ending for the adulterer. This tale is certainly an example of the latter, where both lovers meet a tragic end. To have his wife eat the lover's heart is a very twisted idea, and one of several dark stories in the book. 

Theme of the 5th Day: Romantic tales that go thru troubles but have a happy ending

 Day 5: Tale 1 (Cimone and Iphigenia)

Another twisted story about a man having his way with a woman by any means necessary. In this case the dimwitted Cimone becomes infatuated with the beautiful Iphigenia and complete changes his persona to appeal to her. However she is already promised to another noble prince. Cimone then gathers a group of pirates, raids her ship, kills a few of her servants, and kidnaps her. He is however later arrested by the bailiff and all seems lost for Cimone. However the bailiff later approaches him with a scheme of his own, where he also seeks to kidnap a woman who is set to be married to someone else. Knowing that Cimone had once partook in a similar endeavor the bailiff offers Cimone freedom so that he will help him abduct this woman. In return he helps Cimone kidnap Iphigenia. Both Cimone and the bailiff kidnap their women and marry them without any further dispute.

Review: While it might seem as somewhat of a heroic tale of romantic bravado, it's actually a total crime. Cimone is a criminal who is acting out against Iphigenia's will. To make matters worse the baliff who represents the law, supports and partakes in a similar crime. Both men literally steal their prize, by which once again the woman gets no say in the matter. Yet another controversial tale from Boccaccio. 

 Day 5: Tale 8 (The ghost of Nastagio)

Nastagio is a young nobleman that is infatuated with the beautiful Ravenna, who does not share his affection. Feeling quite heartbroken Nastagio journeys into a haunted forest where he sees a naked woman screaming in horror. He then watches as a knight with two black dogs chases her down and stabs her with a dagger. Nastagio intervenes protesting how can he do this to a woman. The knight explains that they are ghosts and he is seeking justice for the heartbreak the woman caused him. He also explains that this a weekly occurrence. Nastagio realizes that he can relate with the ghost's vengeful plight of heartbreak and decides to bring Ravenna and her family to witness the ordeal. Ravenna is terrified at the sight and realizes she is the ghostly woman that is being slaughtered. She decides to change her attitude towards Nastagio and the two get married.

Review: I think this is a cruel story in regard to the women involved. Although heartbreak is no fun, a woman should not be punished for not loving another man. The ghost scene in the forest is one of the crudest displays of unfair violence in the book as the knight slaughters this poor naked woman on a weekly basis, just because she didn't like him. Although it is meant to be a metaphor I think it is dark taste from Boccaccio. 

 Day 5: Tale 9 (Federigo's falcon)

This is one of my favorites of just sheer good storytelling. A noblemen named Federigo goes broke in his pursuit of women and is left with only a falcon. Despite his unfortunate situation he finds peace from the companionship of the falcon. However a situation arises when he is visited by one of his former loves, Monna Giovanna. Her son has grown ill, and she seeks to make him happy by giving him Federigo's bird. Federigo however is so poor that he doesn't have a proper meal to offer Monna, so has his falcon killed and served. After she explains the purpose of her visit, Federigo is overcome with grief. First that he has killed his precious falcon but second that he is unable to satisfy Monna's request. After her son dies, Monna later decides to marry Federigo, who although is not wealthy, is a good-hearted person. 

 Review: This is a great dark comedy, one of my favorites. My only complaint is I don't think it was necessary that the child had to die. Somewhat Boccaccio can be a bit grim with his stories. 

Theme of the 6th Day: Solving a problem thru clever wit

Day 6: Tale 4 (Chichibo's crane)

This is a silly comedic tale about Chichibio the cook who is able to use cleverness to save his life. The king requests a crane that he recently hunted to be cooked and prepared by  of Chichibio. As Chichibio prepares the tasty crane, a girl he likes asks for a piece, so he gives her the fried drumstick of the bird. When he serves the dish to his king, the king is outraged that a leg is missing. Chichibio explains that all cranes have only one leg, of which the king challenges him to prove it the next day. Chichibio follows the king to a pond where they see a pack of cranes sleeping on one leg. Chichibio tries to convince the king of his lie, but the king that shouts to get their attention, at which point both legs are revealed. Chichibio quickly comes up with an excuse to explain himself, stating that he never thought to yell at them like that, so as to see both legs. The king finds this explanation to be hysterical and finds favor with the cook for his cleverness.

Review: This is one of several examples in the book where the character is saved thru cleverness. It's a silly story but shows a more comedic light sided approach to Boccaccio's stories. 

Day 6: Tale 5 (Master Giotto and Forese da Rabatta)

A rather simple tale about two brilliant Florentines walking and chatting with one another. One is the famous painter, Master Giotto who speaks with the intelligent jurist Forese da Rabatta. Despite their fame and success they appear like humble old men walking thru the streets and stop for a minute to acknowledge this. Rabatta makes an insult at Giotto's wardrobe stating one would never imagine he could paint such beauty. In retort Giotto tells Rabatta one would never think he knew how to read based by his appearance. It's a witty comeback by Giotto who fits in the Day 6 theme of cleverness.

Review: This is a very brief simple story about two old man exchanging verbal jabs at one another. It also gives homage to the great Florentine painter and architect, Master Giotto. The jurist is also a historical Florentine jurist, but not quite as famous as Giotto.    

 Day 6: Tale 7 (Madonna Filippa's trial)

This is one of many tales pertaining to adultery where the woman, Madonna Filippa has been caught cheating on her husband. The husband has her stand in front of a trial to explain herself. She confidently explains that she did not take anything away from her husband and was always willing to make love with him, however he never wanted to. Therefore since she still had love to share she found someone else so that it did not go to waste. This bold confession shocks the judge and the court and she is found not-guilty. 

Review: This is one of the few instances in the book, where the woman actually wins her case. Although she has still committed adultery she somehow offers a clever perspective albeit she is still breaking the sanctity of marriage. 

Day 6: Tale 10 (The coal of Father Cipolla)

Here is another comical tale about Father Cipolla and his debatable holy relics. He claims to have all sorts of relics from his travels such as a vial of sweat from Michael the archangel, one of the nails from the holy ark, and a feather from the angel Gabriel. Some of the local parishioners decide to pull a prank on the friar and steal his feather and replace it with some coal. When Cipolla gives his sermon the next day to present his feather he is shocked to see it has been replaced by coal. However Cipolla handles it with smooth composure, being gifted at exaggerated oratory. He claims the coals he now possesses were the same that were used to burn St. Lawrence at the stake. The pranksters laugh at the whole event, but are also quite impressed with the friars improvisation. 

Review: This is a funny story that demonstrates a person so gifted at BS, that he can make up a lie on the spot. Despite the friar liar's outrageous claims, one can't help admire his devotion and knowledge of the faith. I think his intentions are good as someone who just uses false props as a way to help enhance his preaching of the lord. 

Theme of 7^th Day: Tales by which wives trick their husbands

Day 7: Tale 2 (Peronella's bathtub lover)

Another story of adultery, Peronella has an affair with a man while her husband is out working. One day the husband comes home early, while Peronella's lover is with her, so she quickly hides him in a tub. The wife then goes on a tirade at her husband for being home early and not making them any money. The husband tells her is has come home early because he has sold the tub and needs to inspect it. Realizing she is about to be caught, Peronella quickly comes up with a lie that she has already sold the tub and there is already a man inside inspecting it. The lover then goes along with Peronella's lie and adds a twist by stating he will buy it a higher price but it needs to be cleaned first. At this point the husband gets into the tub to clean it while the lover continues his love passion with Peronella. The lover then completes the purchase as his the husband carry it to his hose. It is a clever manipulation from the wife, but such a degrading story for the poor husband. 

 Review: This is a cruel dark comedy, where the husband gets humiliated on several accounts. First is the general fact that his wife is having an affair. Then she has the nerve to yell at him for coming home early. Then she makes him go into the tub and make sure it is cleaned while she continues to have sex with her lover. Then they make the poor husband carry it to the lover's house. Such a cruel fate for the man and a victorious affair for the woman.    

Day 7: Tale 9 (The affair of Lydia and Pyrrhus)

This is a great tale, another scandalous love affair that pertains to creative trickery. Lydia is the wife of the wealthy noble lord Nicostratus, who has much more passionate desire than her older husband. She falls for Nicostratus' loyal hunter, Pyrrhus who is youthful and has a vigor to match that of Lydia. Despite several advances Pyrrhus holds his ground not wanting to disrespect the wife of his noble lord. Seeing that he can't deter her affection, he gives her three tests to prove her love. The first is that she must kill his sparrowhawk, then pull some hair from his beard, then pull a tooth from his mouth. She comes up with a clever tactic for each of the challenging tasks and succeeds. Seeing that he is now tied to his noble's lord, Pyrrhus then comes up with a clever scheme of his own. He climbs a tree and calls out to Nicostratus and Lydia to stop making love (which is a lie he makes up, and later claims the tree is under some sort of magical spell). He then convinces the king to climb the tree for himself, and then proceeds to make love with Lydia. Upon seeing this the king grows furious and makes harsh accusations at them both. However both deny the act, and furthermore Lydia accuses her husband to never make such accusations again. This basically grants the two young lovers more freedom for future relations.

Review: I really enjoyed this story as being creative, clever, and comedic. Lydia is no doubt the instigator of the scandalous affair, and despite Pyrrhus hesitation he eventually goes along with it himself. The three tasks are quite comical, and I literally laughed out loud when she killed the sparrowhawk at the dinner table. She claimed that her husband gave more attention to the bird than to her. Then there was the trick about the magical tree which I thought was also quite original and creative. All-in-all this was one of my favorite stories of Boccaccio despite it's scandalous content. 

 Day 7: Tale 10 (A vision from purgatory)

Here's an interesting tale about two friends from Sienna (Tingoccio and Meuccio) who make a deal with one another. Whoever dies first must contact the other and tell him what the afterlife is like. Before either die, they both fall in love with the same woman, Monna Mita. It just so happens that Tingoccio is the godfather of her child, which gives him the edge, but also makes it a little more controversial. Despite winning the affection of his godson's mother he dies later. He then visits his friend Meuccio in a vision and tells him he is in purgatory for his past sins. However when the question comes up about sleeping with his godchild's mother, he laughs it off as not that bad of a sin. Which basically enables Meuccio to continue his pursuit of Monna Mita. 

Review: This is an intriguing story detailing the afterlife, perhaps a nod to Dante's Divine Comedy. As a ghost Tingoccio explains that he is not quite in heaven or hell, but somewhere in the middle layer (like Purgatory). He has committed many sins, most likely pertaining to his loose pursuit of married women. However the joke is that sleeping with his godchild's mother is not that bad of a sin. It's actually quite funny that he can laugh at his own predicament and encourage his friend to continue with his sleezy morals. 

Theme of 8^th Day: Comical tricks and pranks

Day 8: Tale 3 (The prank of the invisible stone)

This is a humorous tale about a pair of friends pulling a prank on their naive friend Calandrino. They tell him about a magical location where there are stones known as heliotropes that can make a person invisible. Calandrino eagerly sets out to the Mugnone River in Florence to locate these magical black stones. His friends (Bruno and Buffalmacco) secretly follow him and when they witness Calandrino gather some stones they begin their prank. They begin to discuss amongst themselves and speak of Calandrino (who is in plain sight) as if they cannot see him. Calandrino is convinced the invisible stone is working. The friends even throw rocks at Calandrino as they speak ill of him (which Calandrino assumes is an accident). Calandrino makes it home without a single person addressing him, until he is confronted by his wife. He then throws a fit and beats his wife whom he suspects has ruined his magical spell. The friends later intervene to save his wife and confess their prank. They all laugh at Calandrino's stupidity. 

 Review: This is a comical tale, fairly innocent except the part about Calandrino beating his wife. Calandrino is convinced that women ruin everything, including his magical spell and he takes out his foolishness on her. Although this might add a touch of dark humor it seems quite unfair that the wife should have to suffer from her husband's foolishness. 

Day 8: Tale 5 (The judge's breeches)

Carrying on with this theme of pranks, this tale is a rather brief one. The judge Niccola da San Lepidio is a messy person with sloppy loose clothing. Three Florentine friends decide to pull a joke on him during a courtroom trial. The two friends present a fake dispute to be heard by the judge, while the other friend hides under the judge's bench. At the right moment the friend yanks down the judge's breeches in front of everyone at the courtroom. Thus creating a humiliating moment for the judge, but a hysterical moment for everyone inside the courtroom. 

 Review: This is a pretty simple silly story without any major theme or message. The judge probably had it coming for his sloppy demeanor. Perhaps this humiliation will inspire him to dress in a more dignified manner fitting of a judge. 

Day 8: Tale 6 (Calandrino's Pig)

We return here to another comical prank on the poor buffoon Calandrino played by his cruel friends Bruno and Buffalmacco.  Calandrino is going on about selling this pig, so his wife doesn't get mad at him. His two friends then decide to kidnap the pig, by getting Calandrino drunk with the priest. While asleep they easily kidnap the priest and the next morning Calandrino find's himself in a state of panic. His friends try to calm him and come up with a plan to question all the local neighbors who could have committed the theft. They procure some bread and cheese and declare whoever committed the crime will not be able to eat the bread or cheese (they also acquire a couple pieces of sour bread). When they start passing out the bread all the townsfolk eat it without complaint until they come to Calandrino. They give him the sour bread which Calandrino is unable to eat and thus points to him as the culprit. Calandrino is besides himself unable to make sense how he is being accused of stealing his own pig. However his friends convince him this is the reality of the situation which he eventually accepts.

Review: This is a comical tale, almost more of a dark comedy in regards to the poor Calandrino. His friends completely take advantage of his stupidity. It's pretty cool to see Bonnaccaccio bring back the same characters for a different story. Calandrino is actually the most frequent character throughout the book.  One could see how they could make an entire television series around Calandrino and his prankster friends. 

Day 8: Tale 7 (The Scholar's Revenge)

This is far worse than a tale of a prank, rather cruel and unusual torture. Rinieri is a scholar who spends most his free time studying at the university never interested in woman. That is until he falls for Elena, who is a young beautiful widow. Elena agrees to meet him one cold winter night, but decides to play a cruel prank on Rinieri with her other lover. As Elena awaits outside for Elena to let him in, she delays and laughs with her boyfriend. She stalls and mocks him for nearly two full days, while Rinieri foolishly awaits in the bitter cold night, almost freezing to death. Rinieri realizes it was all a very cruel joke and decides one day to get revenge on her. Years later she comes to him for counsel since he is a wise scholar, asking if he knows any magical spells to help bring her lover back. Rinieri comes up with a cruel plan to have her climb a moon tower, butt naked, and recant some spell. However when she does this, he removes the ladder so that she is trapped in the tower. She freezes in the night and burns during the heat of the day (so much so that her skin is scolded). As she is trapped there, the two have dialogue for some while where Rinieri basically encourages her to commit suicide. It is not until a farmer chasing his livestock, that she is rescued. So she is in truth paid double fold for her cruel joke on the scholar. 

 Review: This was one of the longest tales in the book I read. I thought it was quite a dark tale, that went a bit too far. I did feel sorry for the scholar at first when he was left outside in the cold, while Elena and her boyfriend made fun of him. This is double the pain, to be humiliated like this but to also nearly freeze to death from it. So naturally he wanted revenge, but I'm afraid he just went too far. To have her naked, freezing during the night, and then burning during the day. Then to torment her with back-and-forth dialogue made it all the worse. The majority of this tale is actually the dialogue they share, where Rinieri basically tells her she is a devil. He even leaves her for a while to go take a nap. Boccaccio clearly intends to make the scholar victorious in the tale, with a fair warning to never prank a scholar. But in truth I think the scholar should have pumped the breaks a little bit, rather then pushing the poor woman near death. I think he came off as very ungentlemanly and rather more the villain in the end. 

Theme of 9^th Day: No theme of the day

Day 9: Tale 3 (Pregnant Calandrino)

Here is another brief, comical prank story pertaining to the recurring star of the book, the foolish Calandrino. It's another cruel ploy from Bruno and Buffalmacco who seek to take advantage of Calandrino's gullibility. They convince him that he looks very unhealthy, then are able to bribe a doctor to diagnose Calandrino as being pregnant. Calandrino is shocked and blames his wife for riding on top of him. The doctor states he can cure the remedy, but will need a good fortune from Calandrino. Poor Calandrino coughs up the money to pay for the treatment which the doctor shares with Bruno and Buffalmacco. 

 Review: Once again another funny story that makes one wonder, why is Calandrino friends with Bruno and Buffalmacco who always torment him with pranks. Furthermore these aren't just silly pranks, but also involve theft and stealing money from the dimwitted Calandrino. In this particular tale, I couldn't help but notice a minor flaw when the doctor convinced Calandrino he would "take care" of the pregnancy. Even if it was fake, Calandrino and his wife had no idea, and thus decided to carry on with this abortion. That part is obviously ignored since it's a fake pregnancy anyway.  

Day 9: Tale 6 (The mix-up at the inn)

This is another funny story about quite the lover's mix-up. Pinuccio is a young Florentine who is in love with the innkeeper's daughter, Niccolosa. He devises a plan with his friend Adriano to arrive to the inn late at night, and request a room, so that he can sleep with Niccolosa. The father agrees, and has 3 beds arranged in the small house for him and his wife, for his daughter Niccolosa, and for the two friends Pinnucio and Adriana to share. Pinnucio feeling bold decides to sneak into Niccolosa's bed where the two quietly make love. Meanwhile Adriano gets up to go the bathroom, and must move the cradle next to the innkeeper's bed. This confuses his wife who later gets up to check on something and returns to Adriano's bed (thinking it is her husband's bed since the cradle has been moved). Pinnucio also makes a similar mistake and lies next to the innkeeper thinking it is his friend Adriana. Pinnucio then goes on to reveal all the deatils with his daughter, (thinking that he's talking to his friend) which is actually the daughter's father. The innkeeper's wife then comes to the rescue and realizes the mistake. She makes up a lie that she was sleeping with her daughter by mistake, and the young Pinnucio was in truth sleepwalking. Pinnucio plays along with this detail and the next morning everyone shares a good laugh.

This is one of the funnier stories in the book and I laughed several times. Most especially when Pinnucio accidentally lies next to his lover's father and spills all the beans. Adriano also gets quite lucky when a naked woman (the wife of the innkeeper) lies next to him. Luckily the confusing mix-up is resolved with some good humor and there are no major losses in the story (except for maybe the innkeeper's pride). 

Day 9: Tale 9 (The Bridge of Geese)

This is another example of dark humor that is very disrespectful to women. Two men decide to travel to Jerusalem to get counsel from the wise king Solomon. The first one seeks to get other people to respect him, and the second seeks to better control his unruly disobedient wife. The wise king is brief with them both telling the first man to "love" and the second man to go the bridge of geese. Both men are disappointed with this limited counsel and on their way home they are halted at a bridge with a pack of geese. They then witness a man beating his mule so as to get it moving. At this point the second man heeds the counsel of Solomon, at arriving at the bridge of geese. He reasons that in seeing this stranger beat his mule, is the answer Solomon had pointed him too on how to treat his disobedient wife. So naturally the husband goes home and beats his wife, and the next morning she falls in line. As for the first man seeking respect, his counsel is more straightforward and he simply changes the way he treats people.

Despite being a crude story it does have some interesting elements to it. The part about the bridge of geese is a pretty clever set-up from Boccaccio. This is the highlight of the story, and a very  vague response from the wise king Solomon. In truth it should be the bridge of the mule, where the traveling man is inspired. However this is another example of the dated material where beating one's wife could be seen as an acceptable solution to a problem. Another minor flaw in this story is unequal symmetry between the two issues. The disobedient wife issue takes up the majority of the tale, while the man with the love issue becomes an afterthought. 

Theme of 10^th Day: Righteous and generous acts

Day 10: Tale 5 (The 3 good deeds)

This is a clever tale regarding a sequence of righteous deeds among nobles. The noble Messer Ansaldo is in love with the married Madonna Dianora who does not share his affection despite the many gifts he sends her. Hoping to dissuade his advances, Dianora presents an impossible challenge to Messer. She states she will accept his love, if he can produce a garden in the middle of January. Seeing this as an impossible task during the heart of winter, Messer pays off a magician who is able to create the garden. Dianora is shocked at the result and confesses to her husband regarding her promise to Messer. The husband then performs the first good deed, by allowing his wife to uphold her promise to Messer even if this means giving up her body. When Dianora presents herself to Messer as she promised with the support of her husband, Messer completes the 2^nd good deed by cancelling their deal. They become good friends instead. The final good deed is performed by the magician, who in seeing the other two deeds decides to also follow suit and not accept payment for his magical garden. 

Review: Such a clever tale with a great message of treating others fairly. While the story starts off with the usual scandalous affair arch, it actually goes in a whole different direction. It becomes like a competition of good deeds, each person one-upping the other. Boccaccio leaves an open-ended question at the end of which person did the best deed. I think it's actually the magician that does the most righteous act, but not accepting payment (especially since he wasn't affiliated with any side,  rather in it for a business matter). 

Day 10: Tale 7 (King Pedro the just)

This is a love story with a happy ending, pertaining to a young woman's obsession with King Pedro III of Aragon. The young Lisa watches the king perform in a jousting ceremony and falls head over heels for him. It's a rather unhealthy obsession since he is the married king and she is just a noble woman. She grows lovesick, bedridden, where no medicine will save her. Her parents are devastated and call upon the famed musician Minuccio to help cheer her up. The musician feels sorry for the heartbroken woman and agrees to write her a song to perform for the king. The song is so beautiful the king decides to meet the infatuated Lisa. Upon visiting her, Lisa begins to recover and regain a sense of hope. Furthermore the king shows her favor by giving her a kiss, arranging a noble marriage for her, and promising to forever be her knight. 

Review: This is the epitome of a happy ending fairy tale. The young Lisa is your typical lovestruck person, however she takes the obsession to extreme severity near death. The good King Pedro III was a historical figure who reigned the Spanish kingdom of Aragon from 1276-1285. His just character is on fully display here as he finds favor with this lovestruck young woman. His 3 deeds of kindness fit in perfect with the theme of day 10, making for a true happy ending. 

Day 10: Tale 10 (Story of Griselda)

This one I found to be very cruel and somewhat on the dark side. The wealthy noble lord, Gualtieri refuses to marry but is eventually convinced by his friends and family. He then chooses a peasant woman named Griselda, to everyone's surprise. Gulatieri even goes to the womans' father to seek his approval, which he gladly accepts this being a major jump in their wealth status. However there is a major catch in that Gualtieri want's his wife to be very devoted and obedient (to the extent of a pet). Griselda accepts the terms, then goes thru a series of very cruel tests from Gulatier. He first sends both their two children away since he deems them of low-birth of which Griselda must live with. He then decides to marry another woman and divorce Griselda, which she also accepts. Too add insult to injury he then has Griselda clean and prepare the house for his new marriage. After she passes all these tests (which likely span a good twenty years) she is redeemed and forever loved by Gulatieri. 

Review: I think the cruelty of Gultaieri is beyond measure and Griselda should have never gone back to him. To have a mother give up her children voluntarily, would be unbearable and is simply unbelievable in this tale. The other trials are equally as painful and far-fetched. I found her one line in the book to be very powerful and emotional. She basically requests Gulatieri to treat his new wife with much more care since she is of noble birth, rather then a peasant upbringing. Here Griselda is making reference to how peasants have a higher tolerance for pain and suffering unlike those of higher class. It's a happy ending in that she gets to maintain her wealth and status. But no human being should have been disrespected in that manner for that long. I think Gulatieri deserves a harsh punishment for this cruel treatment he put his wife thru. I suppose it's yet another example of the gender inequality from the medieval days which could never pass in today's day-and-age. 

Book Review: Harlequin

As I have shifted my medieval phase from the Holy Roman Empire towards the Hundred Years' War I needed a new book to really dive into. Upon thorough review I found one of the highest recommended historical fictions on the topic was the Grail Quest series by Bernard Cromwell. This was a no-brainer for me since I had enjoyed his Viking-Saxon series known as

The Last Kingdom, only a few years ago (I only read 3 of the 13 however). I found his writing to be easy to read, with intense battle details, and great historical insight into the Danish Viking raids on Anglo-Saxon England (see Last Kingdom, Pale Horseman, Lords of the North). I actually zipped thru the first 3 books, until I decided it was time to move onto something different. So I imagined this book series set in the Hundred Years War would be quite similar.

The first book in the Grail Quest series is called The Harlequin (also known as The Archer's Tale). There are 4 books in the series which focus on the first phase of the Hundred Years War known as The Edwardian Phase (1337-1360). Naturally since the author Cromwell is a proud English, he focuses on the English perspective and their victorious first campaign against the French. However in truth while the English won the first phase they would later be completely defeated and removed from France in the third and final phase. Nonetheless Cromwell does a great job at putting the reader into the historical setting with an original story and characters. As the title suggests our protagonist is an archer who gets dragged into the war on a quest for vengeance and more. 

The Premise

In the opening prologue the English village of Hookton (located on the southern coast of England known as Dorset) is attacked by French raiders. The young Thomas fights bravely with his bow to drive them back but is unable to do so. His priest father is killed and the sacred lance of St George is stolen from the church. Before his father dies he tells Thomas that they are French noble blood, and that the raiders were led by his wicked cousin known as the Harlequin. He tells Thomas he must recover the holy lance of St. George. Thomas accepts his father's dying request and begins his journey to track down the French raiders and recover the lost relic. Three years later join Thomas joins the English army as they begin their campaign into the northwest region of Brittany, France.

Thomas quickly becomes one of the sharpest archers in the longbowmen unit under captain Will Skeat. They first go on a raiding mission in the fortified town of La Roche-Derrien where Thomas helps lead the breach. The town is protected by a mysterious woman known as the blackbird who is deadly with the cross-bow. She nearly kills the wicked English knight Sir Simon from a far-off range. However once the English raiders reach the town, Sir Simon Jeykyll finds her and discover she is a noblewoman named Jeanette. He steals her valuable possessions and claims her as his own spoil of war. Meanwhile Thomas does not partake in the savage looting and instead drinks at a tavern and later helps protect a church.

The Earl of Northampton later intervenes on Jeanette's behalf and frees her from Sir Simon's savage captivity. Thomas is assigned to help protect her, where he develops a liking to her, even though she is very bitter at the whole English occupancy. Together they share a common dislike of Sir Simon and later coordinate an ambush on him. Jeanette offers herself as bait, so that while Sir Simon begins to advance on her, Thomas will kill him with his bow from the woods. However the plan goes bad when Thomas misses and kills the squire instead. Knowing that he is discovered Thomas has no other choice but to flee as a fugitive. He is later joined by Jeanette and they journey into the French countryside to get far away from Sir Simon and the English army.

Thomas and Jeanette reach the Duke of Brittany, hoping to appeal to him since she is related to this nobility. However the French Duke is a wicked man and considers Jeanette a traitor. He decides to adopt her son and marry her off to a common soldier. He then rapes her so that she understands the new terms. Jeanette refuses the offer and escapes into the woods with Thomas. She is beside herself in misery at losing her son and Thomas does all he can to console her. Naturally they develop a romantic affair for some time as two outcasts living in the woods. However eventually Thomas knows they cannot hide forever and he regroups with a marching English army under King Edward III. The Earl of Northampton arranges a meeting with the king's son Edward (also known as the Black Prince). Together they agree to pay-off Sir Simon for Thomas' crime so that all is forgotten and Thomas can rejoin the army. The prince takes a liking to Jeanette and she becomes his mistress. 

Thomas is quite resentful at losing Jeanette to the English prince, however he is pleased to regroup with his former archer mates and Will Skeat. Together they assault the French city of Caen and once again begin to loot the city. Thomas continues his search for the holy lance, knowing that it resides with the French knight  Sir Guillaume. He finds their house and kills an English looter who is raping the daughter Eleanor. However before he can further search the house he is suddenly captured by Sir Simon who has still not forgiven Thomas for his previous assassination attempt. Thomas is taken to a nearby forest and hanged by Sir Simon and his men. Sir Simon is later expelled from the English army by the Black Prince (at Jeanette's bidding) however none know of his murderous act. 

However Thomas somehow survives the hanging and is later rescued by Eleanor and taken back to Sir Guillaume's house. There Thomas is healed by a Jewish doctor named Mordecai who works for Sir Guillaume. When Thomas finally meets Sir Guillaume, it is revealed that Eleanor is his daughter and he has chosen to show mercy on his enemy. It is also revealed that Sir Guillaume did steal the lance and killed Thomas' mother, but he was just working for the wicked Harlequin (Thomas' cousin). The Harlequin later killed Sir Guillaume's wife and child. Sir Guillaume also shares that the Harlequin is an evil member of the Vexille family  that steals holy relics such as the lance and the Holy Grail. Thomas understands that he and his father were also a part of this family before they fled to southern England. Despite being enemies Sir Guillaume and Thomas agree to help one another find and kill the Harlequin.

Thomas returns to join the English Army with Eleanor as his new wife (with Sir Guillaume's blessing). The English Army has made significant gains in Normandy thru scorched-earth campaigns (known as chevauchees). However King Philip VI of France leads a massive army to squash King Edward's army near the town of Crecy. Sir Guillaume and Sir Simon have joined the French assault along the Somme River. This of course leads to the decisive Battle of Crecy, where Thomas once again joins Will Keat's squad, facing overwhelming odds. Nonetheless the course of the battle turns to the favor of the English led by the Black Prince and the Earl of Northampton. 

In a final confrontation on the battlefield Thomas seeks out the Harlequin as he faces the Black Prince. He is able to recover the lance, however is then confronted by Sir Simon. At this point Sir Guillaume intervenes and saves Thomas by killing Sir Simon. Thomas must then intervene to protect the French knight Sir Guillaume as the English army continues to close in on their enemy. The Black Prince is then unhorsed by the Harlequin and trapped under his fallen horse. Before the Harlequin can deliver the fatal blow, Thomas comes to the princes' aid with the lance of St. George. He strikes Harlequin's armor but the ancient lance disintegrates. The Harlequin delivers one final slash at Will Skeat's head, before fleeing with his army. The English have won the battle. Thomas is given one final assignment by the Earl of Northampton. To take Will Skeat for medical treatment to the same Jewish doctor, Mordecai. It is also suggested that Thomas will become the new commander of the longbowmen unit in the next English campaign. 

The Review

This is such a great historical fiction from a soldier's perspective during the Hundred Years War. Cromwell does an incredible job at creating a story within King Edward III's initial campaign into France in 1346. The heroic character of Thomas is a typical military grunt, quite similar to Cromwell's Viking character of Uhtred in the Last Kingdom series. He's got a natural hunger, awareness, sharpness, and even cockiness during battle. But he also has a righteous side as someone who protects women and doesn't partake in the savage spoils of war. Unlike most the soldiers who pray to St. George he prays to St. Guinefort, a greyhound dog that saved a child from a snake. He's the classic heroic chivalrous knight, handsome, smart, loyal, brave, and faithful. And happens to land two beautiful French women through-out the story. 

Cromwell does such a great job at describing the historical battles throughout the story with great detail but also great drama. The first siege of Hookton is a fictional one, that simply sets the stage for Thomas' vendetta against the Harlequin. However three years later Thomas joins a string of real historical English-French battles of the Hundred Years War. This includes the siege at La Roche-Derrien, the Battle of Caen, the Battle of Blanchetaque at the river ford of the Somme, and the decisive Battle of Crecy. The military tactics he describes are incredible and I learned so much about the order of the battle. I look forward to the next few books that continue to focus on King Edward III's Crecy Campaign.

My biggest complaint however as a history nerd is one epic mistake he made. Or probably it was just an intentional oversight. He actually killed off the Bohemian prince Charles IV alongside his blind father King John. This is the same Charles IV who oversaw a golden age in Bohemia and became Holy Roman Empire (who I just wrote about a few weeks ago!) . I cannot understand why Cromwell would kill off this great Czech leader other then for sheer drama. I always hate when an author takes liberties with history and tries to rewrite a major fact such as this. Charles IV did NOT die in the Battle of Crecy, but was merely wounded. Everything else seemed pretty historically accurate, but now it makes me think Cromwell is far more concerned with the English perspective rather then the overall historical events.

Another issue I have with the fictional aspect of the story is the character of Jeanette. She was kind of built up to be this badass mysterious archer known as the "blackbird" however then slowly falls into the backdrop as a squabbling noblewoman. I'm assuming however there is still much more to her character, and the romance she shared with Thomas will likely return. I personally would like to see her back in action on the battlefield as she defended La Roche-Derrien, a true French hero like Joan of Arc. I suppose to be fair Cromwell did at least provide one French good guy in the story in Sir Guillaume. I'm eager to see where the story goes next historically, but also in the fictional arc pertaining to Eleanor, Jeaneatte, his vengeance against the Harlequin, and his quest for the Holy Grail.