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Peronellas Barrel Boccaccios Seventh Day Second Tale. Peronallas story agreed with Boethiuss explanation of chance in his consolation of philosophy book. Fate and chance are the two major elements of the story. A chance brought Peronella, a young married girl to meet with a lover, then to cheat with him. At the end of the story the chance brought her husband to come home early while she was having sex with her lover. Peronellas demonstrates her unfaithful fate. Peronella explains to her husband a false story of a new buyer which was actually her lover and tried to over rule her fate, by this act she got a chance but she used this chance poorly by showing an act of carelessness and having sex with her lover while her husband was present in home but she was out of sight. The fate of the wifes honestly failure and her husband cluelessness has led to reach instances of events, which fate and chance played a big part bringing all of this together.

Boethius has explained that chance is something that happens accidently or unexpectedly which was not intended or planned and apparently is called a chance. Apparently we dont foresee that it has a reason but actually it does have a reason and its own purpose. As he has explained by giving example of digging land and finding buried gold accidently, it appears to have no background but it does have a future or can lead to a future which would be a chance that has been provided by nature. Moreover fate is something that is decreed and that has to happen but there is also presence of free will. Free will is something that can make a person to avail the chances or not. But free will indulges more into ignorance and darkness when it comes to physical world and strong humanly desires and emotions.

Boccaccio story is about a pretty young girl called Peronella her fate led her to marry a very poor man who goes up to work early every morning and never returns until the end of the day. At their house there was an old barrel, they were planning to sell this barrel to improve their living. However, one day while Peronella was shopping at the market, she met by chance a lover. After that, whenever her husband leaves the house to work, she brings her lover to have sex with him at her house. Unexpectedly by chance, one day the husband returns home early with a buyer to buy the barrel with five French. Boethius argues that the outcome of chance causes an irresistible action which is seeing on the wife action on this situation. At this part of story, it is noticeable that the chance causes wife to react immediately to hide her lover at the barrel. But after she came to know that her husband came with a buyer for the barrel. She had to react again to make a lie, saying that she already got a buyer willing to buy the barrel with a Seven French, but the buyer got scared when you came and went inside the barrel, he also needs the barrel to be fixed. Finally, while the husband was inside the barrel fixing the crack, Peronalla used this chance to start having sex with her lover. Her nature fate of being unfaithful wife had led her to do this sin irresponsibly. However in this book Boethius has explained fate as something destined but it can be changed by the acts of good deed. An example of concentric circles revolving around same axis has been given. The inner most circle would be in maximum control to the axis as it is nearest to it and so is the case of goodness and being near to God. So just like the inner most circle has a closer connection with the axis a good will person has with God that can bring fate in its control maximally. Whereas the outer most circle is away from the axis and it has least connection with the axis just like a person who indulges in bad deeds is away from God and has least control on its fate. Relating this philosophy to the respective story, Peronellas fate led her to marry a poor

man with whom she was not happy and she was unsatisfied and it could be because by virtue she was a deceitful woman and as a result of being a bad doer and being away from God she was not content with her married life. Then chance prevails in the story when she met a lover and feels herself happy and satisfied with him as the lover used to come over for sex in absence of Peronellas husband. Again as a result of her bad deeds and diverting from the right path fate plays its role and her husband came to home before time when she is busy indulging in the acts of unlawful sex with her lover. She used her quick wits and fooled her husband by proving her lover as a buyer for the barrel and making it a chance again. After her husband was fooled and was fixing the barrel she again utilized this chance for further act of sex; another act of irresponsibility, while the husband was inside the barrel fixing the cracks. She was saying and here and here too .. Look, heres a bit you missed its clearly seen that she was saying these words to both her husband and her lover. That order goes for both of them, she was ordering her husband to fix some holes and at the same time she was guiding her lover to satisfy her. Her unfaithfulness and sin full act would allocate to poor fate again and in the same way fate and chance would keep on taking turns. In a summary, Peronella husband returns home early, then Peronella hid her lover in a barrel unknown that her husband brought a buyer for the barrel. After that, she claims that the she already sold the barrel and the buyer is inside the barrel to exam the barrel status. While the husband was inside the barrel to clean it up. She started giving order which goes to both of them. Fixing the barrel and satisfying herself with her lover. Boethius responses philosophy correspondence between fate and chance. Peronella Barrel Story obtains an agreement with Boethius explanation of chance action and reaction. Chances obstacles forced Peronella to react irresponsibly based on her unfaithful fate. Which led her to cheating on her husband while he

was outside and inside home. Chances sometimes cannot produce a good path. However, in other cases chances would indeed admire to change the person driving his/her motion to worthless. (word count:1159)

Reference Boccaccio, Giovanni, Guido Waldman, and Jonathan Usher. The Decameron. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. Print. The Consolation of Philosophy (Oxford World's Classics), Introduction (2000)