Heptameron

“As a matter of fact, the two ladies made up their minds to do the same as Boccaccio. There was to be one difference—that they should not write any story that was not truthful. Together with Monseigneur the Dauphin the ladies promised to produce ten stories each, and to get together a party of ten people who were qualified to contribute something, excluding those who studied and were men of letters.” 

In a moment of meta-narrative, Parlamente, who is widely believed to represent Marguerite de Navarre herself, recounts the project of the book, outlining the importance that each tale be true, while deliberately excluding those who might manipulate the truth. She also frames it in the context of The Decameron, identifying how the two projects intersect and divert. 

“And so it was, one might say, that together they enacted a Vengeance, having found the Passion too much to bear.” 

Here the Queen and the gentleman, whose spouses have been cheating on them together, find common ground both in their desire for vengeance, but it is the natural result of their true passion for one another. The quote also alludes to a medieval mystery play that depicted the punishment of Christ’s slayers. 

“For passion leaves no room for reason. And if it is that the passion of love is the most difficult to bear of all, if it is—as indeed it is—the passion that most completely blinds the senses, then what sin can you impute to a man who merely lets himself be swept along by an insuperable force?”

Amador’s justification for attempting to initiate sex with Florida evokes the battle between passion and reason. Love obscures all reason in men, and men are blameless for their actions when thus blinded by love. The danger of love is to let oneself be “swept along,” as Amador has done, and risk one’s honor and social status, along with the goodwill of the lady.