Islamic Prohibition of Wine

The Islamic Prohibition of Wine appears in the tale of Alatiel as a specific religious restriction that Pericone da Visalgo turns into an instrument of seduction. The story states that wine was forbidden by Alatiel’s law; her unfamiliarity with it makes the prohibition consequential not only as a rule she observes, but as the very vulnerability Pericone chooses to exploit.

The Prohibition in the Tale

The narrative does not explain the prohibition’s wider doctrine or legal background. It presents the rule through Alatiel’s conduct: she is unused to drinking because her law forbids wine. That detail establishes a clear contrast between her accustomed restraint and the Christian household in which Pericone controls the meal and its service.

Pericone’s Stratagem

After finding that his flattering advances have failed, Pericone watches for what pleases Alatiel and devises a plan around wine. At a special supper, he instructs the cupbearer to give her various mixed wines. Alatiel is not on guard against the drinks; drawn by their pleasant taste, she consumes more than is consistent with her customary modesty. The religious restriction thus becomes the opening for a deliberate deception: Pericone does not persuade her to set it aside, but arranges the conditions under which she drinks without due caution.

Immediate and Lasting Consequences

As the wine takes effect, Alatiel forgets her recent troubles, becomes merry, and dances in the Alexandrian manner while other women dance as the people of Majorca do. Pericone reads this change as bringing him closer to his desire. Later, after the guests have left, he follows her into her chamber; in her intoxicated state she does not resist him. The account distinguishes this first encounter, enabled by the supper and her loss of restraint, from what follows: having experienced sexual pleasure, Alatiel later invites Pericone to her bed through her actions, without words. The episode therefore gives the prohibition a double narrative function: it identifies a religious boundary, and its calculated breach initiates a change in Alatiel’s behavior.