Boccaccio
One of the most valuable tools for learning about past cultures and societies is through the literature of that period. When studying the fourteenth century, a surplus of good books exist revealing characteristics of life at that time. One of such books is The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. In The Decameron, Boccaccio describes lifestyles in the fourteenth century through 10 days of stories told by various characters. He covers all topics and even though he writes in fiction, the characters are similar to actual people of that period. In the "Eighth Day" of The Decameron, Boccaccio accurately depicts women's submissive role in the family, male dominance in society, and sexual promiscuity of the fourteenth century. In the "Eighth Day", a majority of the stories told represent women as submissive wives to what their husbands say. In the second story told, Boccaccio tells of a woman who had asked the priest for his cloak as a surety that he would pay her the five gold coins he promised. A servant of the priest came to retrieve the cloak without the payment. When the woman's husband found out that she had taken a surety from the priest, he ordered her to go give the cloak back. She willingly did as she was t
Througout the Eighth day of The Decameron, Boccaccio uses specific examples in displaying characteristics of people. These characteristics are not merely fictional depictions, but accurate observances of people in the fourteenth century Europe. He shows that women were submissive in the family, men were dominant in the workplace, and everyone was sexualy permiscuous. By comparing his works to historical data, one can develop a good understanding of life in the fourteenth century. The third main characteristic of fourteenth century Europeans exemplified in The Decameron is that of sexual promiscuity. Six of the ten stories relayed by Boccaccio contain either extra-marital affairs or attempts at intercourse outside of marriage. The second story is based on the idea of a priest desiring to have sex with a man's wife. He waits until the man leaves town on business, and then goes and seduces the man's wife into bed. In another such story, a woman agrees to have sex with a man who is not her husband for money. Boccaccio writes that, "She then went back to Gulfardo and conveyed him to her bedroom, where, not only on that occasion, but on many others before her husband's return from Genoa, she placed her person freely at
Some common words found in the essay are:
Thomas Aquinas, Decameron Boccaccio, Eighth Day, , fourteenth century, decameron boccaccio, Througout Eighth, man's wife, eighth day, spielvogel 406, male dominance society, day decameron boccaccio, lifestyles fourteenth century, eighth day decameron, business travel, priest cloak, stories told, husband business, husband business travel, left home,
Approximate Word count = 833
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
