The role of the three rings

In this novella three identical rings play an important role. A ring could be seen as the representation of a deity and of true faith, as is the case in the novella. Nevertheless, human beings have a tendency to create other rings that are not precious - these represent the false religions.Tugnoli, Claudio. “The Parable of the Three Rings.” In Philosophy Study, Vol. 5, No. 3, 146-154. University of Trento, 2015. However, Boccaccio makes clear that there is no single true religion. He uses the rings to narrate an exemplary tale and Filomena even mentions this, the exemplum, at the beginning of her story:

E che vero sia che la sciocchezza di buono stato in miseria alcun conduca, per molti esempli si vede, li quali non fia al presente nostra cura di raccontare, avendo riguardo che tutto il dí mille n’appaiano manifesti: ma che il senno di consolazion sia cagione, come premisi, per una novelletta mostrerò brievemente.

The three rings in this novella are being used to carry a message of tolerance by comparing them to the three monotheistic religions. The Jew Melchisedech narrates the tale to the sultan in which an original ring and its copies cannot be distinguished, therewith making clear that Islam, Christianity and Judaism are equal; none of them is superior to the others. Other than the equivalence of the three religions, Boccaccio stresses that humans are not able to argue in a convincing way for any of them. He emphasizes the concept of the attribution of an intrinsic value to faith itself: the act of believing.See Pamela D. Stewart “The Tale of the Three Rings (I.3).” In The Decameron First Day in Perspective, curated by Elissa Weaver, pp. 89-112. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division, 2002.. In the end the sincerity of our faith is what is most important.