How we cite our quotes: (Day.Story.Page)
Quote #4
'I have always been given to understand, ma'am...that whereas a single cock is quite sufficient for ten hens, ten men are hard put to satisfy one woman, and yet here I am with nine of them on my plate. I can't endure it any longer, not at any price, and as a matter of fact I've been on the go so much that I'm no longer capable of delivering the goods.' (III.1.198, Filostrato's story of Masetto da Lamporecchio and the nuns)
Some of the women in the tales are passive recipients of the sexual urges of the men in their lives. But here, Masetto gives us a different view: women, even nuns, are insatiable. The licentious behavior of the clergy is a favorite topic in The Decameron.
Quote #5
[...] the girl, ever ready to obey the call of duty and bring [the devil] under control, happened to develop a taste for the sport, and began to say to Rustico:
'I can certainly see what those worthy men in Gafsa meant when they said that serving God was so agreeable. I don't honestly recall ever having done anything that gave me so much pleasure and satisfaction as I get from putting the devil back in Hell.' (III.10.277, Dioneo's tale of Rustico and Alibech)
Alibech is the poster child for early sex education in schools. When Rustico shows her his "devil" and explains about her "Hell," Alibech becomes a religious zealot and Rustico gets more than he bargained for. It's a terrible joke, but also one of Boccaccio's more charming stories about innocent sexual curiosity that shows his flair for the double entendre. The message here is that even a naïve virgin, once introduced to sex, will love it.
Quote #6
'[...] I am made of flesh and blood like yourself. Moreover, I am still a young woman. And for both of these reasons, I am full of amorous longings, intensified beyond belief by my marriage, which enabled me to discover the marvelous joy that comes from their fulfillment. As I was incapable of resisting these forces, I made up my mind, being a woman in the prime of life, to follow the path along which they were leading, and I fell in love.' (IV.1.297)
Boccaccio's insight into the sexual life of women includes this gem here about women who have been widowed. Since they know what they're missing, Ghismonda says here, they want it even more. It's a good defense, but Daddy isn't buying it. This is another great example of B's insistence that sexual longings are natural and once fulfilled, impossible to resist. Unlike Dante and even Petrarch, Boccaccio showed acceptance, even affection, for women and their longings, rather than seeing them as seductive, evil creatures.