Character Analysis
Fool for Love
Panfilo's totally different from the more troubled characters like Filostrato, Fiammetta and Elissa. After all, his name's derived from the Greek words for "all-loving" or "full of love." Panfilo's a cheerful love machine, determined to be happy about his social situation and to love life even if the world around him is disintegrating. Love can fix anything, according to Panfilo. In one of his stories, it even turns the disheveled town idiot into a well-dressed and proper gentleman.
Although he burns with the fire of love like any good courtly lover, he doesn't suffer psychological or physical pangs. Instead, Panfilo feels an inexpressible joy:
'I cannot sing aloud in song/Or sketch forth with my hand/The joy, Love that I know...' (VIII.Conclusion.646)
Happily for us, Panfilo has a little bit of a history. Both he and Fiammetta appear as characters in Boccaccio's earlier work, the Elegia, the work rumored to be autobiographical account of the secret love between a Neapolitan noblewoman called Maria D'Aquino (a.k.a. Fiammetta) and one Panfilo (a.k.a. Boccaccio). As a result, many scholars suggest that Panfilo is an alter ego for the author. But remember, all of this is conjecture on the one hand (i.e. the love affair) and educated guessing on the other (i.e. the alter ego). Take with a grain of salt and call us in the morning.
Things Aren't Always What They Seem
Panfilo's more than just a starry-eyed lover. Many of his stories have the theme that appearances can deceive: Ser Cepparello's false saintliness; the ugly painter Giotto, who creates beautiful art; Torello being able to see right through the merchant disguises of Saladin and his men. And perhaps Alatiel's biggest deception of all:
'And so, despite the fact that eight separate men had made love to her on thousands of different occasions, she entered his bed as a virgin and convinced him that it was really so.' (II.7.147)
Panfilo's convinced that women in particular are often forced to appear to be what they're not in order to be attractive to men. Anyone who's overdrawn her bank account on a trip to Sephora can agree with that.
Bringing it Home
As monarch on their last day, Panfilo reminds them that they've had their fun, but now they're courting disaster: what with all the sexy talk, good food and plenty of idle time, it's a wonder something unseemly hadn't already happened. Of course, he's very genteel about it, but he tells them it's time to quit while they're ahead
'[...] lest aught conducive to tedium should arise from a custom too long established and [...] by protracting our stay, we should cause evil tongues to start wagging.' (X.Conclusion.796)
Panfilo's concern for everyone's honor becomes a generous act that does something important: it preserves memories of good behavior and good times to sustain them when they return to face the hardships of life in their decimated city.
Panfilo's Stories
Panfilo tells the following stories:
Ser Cepperello (I.1)
Alatiel (II.7)
Don Felice and Brother Puccio (III.4)
Andreuola and Gabriotto (IV.6)
Cimon and Iphigenia (V.1)
Master Giotto and Messer Forese (VI.5)
Lydia and Pyrrhus (VII.9)
Monna Belcolore (VIII.2)
Pinuccio and Adriano (IX.6)
Saladin and Messer Torello (X.9)