The Ideal Woman
What makes the ideal woman? Who determines whether a woman is ideal or not? Is Griselda the ideal woman? Obviously in the time that The Decameron was written, the qualifications for being the ideal woman would be different than now, however, there are three qualities that are across the board; qualities that are highly respected by men no matter the era or social standing; sweetness, loyalty, and low maintenance. These three qualities build upon each other, each needing the other to obtain the desired crow, of being the ideal woman. Griselda is not the only woman in history that has held these qualities; another wonderful example is Penelope from The Odyssey. Using these three qualities, the ideal woman will be established.
Griselda and Penelope both held the quality of sweetness; they were a pleasure to be around. How do we know this? According to both works people loved them. Griselda was loved by all the subjects in the kingdom. Penelope as well was loved by all of her subjects, loved so much so that she had suitors living in her home constantly pursuing her. Being sweet isn’t being fake or unnaturally happy, people can sense when you are being fake, there is the argument that with Penelope being the queen of a kingdom she would need no other qualities, but to be honest, men were her pursuers they had to have something that attracted them to her in the first place. A happy, genuine person is attractive to all people. Griselda held some trait that attracted the king to her in the first place, since your demeanor usually the first thing that people see, Griselda’s happy genuine persona would have been the first thing the king saw and recognized. Being sweet is being someone who is genuinely happy, positive, upbeat, and kind to all.
If you are genuinely sweet the natural attitude is to be loyal to your chosen husband. Griselda withstood all that the king pushed upon her. She withstood having her children taken away, believing they were killed, and then in the end she withstood being humiliated as the king returned her to her peasant father. All the while she maintained that it was the kings wish and command and that she would follow it. Encouraging the subjects of the kingdom to do the same; encouragement that was emphasized with her example. Penelope is another great example, while Odysseus was away at war, she maintained a kingdom, kept countless suitors at bay, and attempted to raise Odysseus’s son. All the while being told that Odysseus was gone, that he wasn’t coming back and that she should move on and secure a husband to be a leader for the kingdom. However, she did not, and she had no way of knowing that Odysseus would return. Loyalty is defined as unswerving allegiance, both woman epitomize this definition, in different ways, and yet shown to exactness.
Being loyal and sweet will lead to a desire to be, low maintenance. Being low maintenance means that you will do whatever, go wherever your other half insists upon. As well as, being the queen of a kingdom does not mean that you must have the glitter and flash that would be obtainable by you. Penelope, after having twenty years of separation from Odysseus, graciously allows him to leave her again, willing putting herself in the situation that she was just freed from. Not because she is submissive to her husbands will, but because she allows him his own pursuits and she understands her role has his wife. She does not need him constantly by her side. Griselda shows her low maintenance in a different way. She was chosen by the king, she made no attempt to acquire the position of queen. She was a happy peasant daughter that came across good luck. When that was taken away from her, she graciously accepted her fate.
good luck with all your finals!
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