Topic > Portrayal of Women in the Decameron

A Decameron can be defined as a collection or set of one hundred stories, grouped together to form one story, but the tales have other different types of designs. The commonly known Decameron is Boccaccio made in the 14th century and is believed to be narrated over ten days. The stories told in the Decameron are known to tell different forms of stories, however, the tales share a common literary composition like other tales. The Decameron uniquely represents gender differences, that is, the female is seen as subject to the male in all perspectives. This makes it male-oriented, so women are assumed to be the tools of men (Mazzotta et al 2014). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Decameron provides a narrative flame that shows philosophical perspective as the primary form of unity. The ethics exhibited in the tales of the Decameron prevail, so the medieval theme is evident in all the tales. Furthermore, in the tales of the Decameron the author addresses women as inferior characters, who remain the root of male success. Furthermore, the tales of the Decameron use the character of some women to show their positive value in the community. Women are seen as peacemakers in their homes (Potter et al 2014). This value reveals an image that shows how the female character behaves like an inferior character who can never show her potential but forever remain in the shadow of the male. In conclusion, I intend to provide readers with an insight into how women were viewed in the text. This will give readers an idea of ​​how women were viewed in that particular culture. This could help shape today's society in terms of gender. I believe that by doing so, people will develop a sense of appreciation for the female character and many other qualities revealed in the stories of the Decameron. Thesis of the Decameron The narrative begins on the first day with a total number of ten young Florentines of which seven are women and only three men who are referred to as the brigade. In this set we see the society that Giovanni Boccaccio presents, women generally considered to be in a lower social position than men. In the introduction Boccaccio states that he dedicated himself to women and for this reason he created this work for them. In this case, he seems to feel sorry for those women in love who have no way to console themselves because they are stuck everywhere in their homes. She ends up expressing her commitment to professional suicide by writing for women and showing them great consideration. Boccaccio in the Decameron demonstrates that, even if they do not have a significant social position, women have the upper hand when it comes to male-female relationships. However, although the stories are about better men, in some places he prefers women as better in terms of good and evil. In other cases, when the male characters outperform the women, the men obviously always seem to get the win in all the underhanded styles. Boccaccio in the Decameron describes women as more resistant compared to men. Although this characteristic is not so inevitable in all stories, Boccaccio shows that women persevere despite more problems than men. This extended protection from hardship may stem from a fundamental lack of options: If women face some sort of hardship, they don't have the strength to try to solve their problems. Likewise, women normally continue to move forward despite great need. Boccaccio is most concerned about this protection extended within the story by saying that "the marquis of Sanluzzo, Gualtieri, and his wifethey were of great importance, Griselda. In the story, Gualtieri's vassals evaluate him to choose a woman for a bride: Gualtieri chooses Griselda, a young woman of humble origins stricken by poverty. To demonstrate how much she is esteemed, the writer says that Gualtieri tested the girl by shouting her name, persuading her to execute her youth, despite isolating her by thus marrying another girl. Boccaccio portrays his female narrators as refined, acute, and excellent. However, when he talks about women in stories, he says they are finished. They include the ethical and patient Griselda and the reliable and astute Marquis of Monferrato; the innocent Zinevra, dishonestly accused of disloyalty; the “daughter” of the priest and abbot, simply a question of unapproachable sex; Madonna Cornflower and the elusive Widow, waiting to inflict their loved ones; the lying and “conspiratorial Queen of France who ruins the infamy of a good man by falsely accusing him of sexual problems; the vigorous but stunned Alatiel, who passes from man to man; the Abbess who engages men in her bed” (Mazzotta). In this case, one can perceive any reason that leads Boccaccio to be applauded for women's rights and disapproved because of his dislike of women. A common theme for both sexes in the Decameron is their clear sexuality. A large number of Boccaccio's stories concern sexual relationships, and individuals of both sexes are depicted as incessantly sexually excited; many stories deal with illegal businesses and other relationships. However, while both sexes are depicted as sexual animals, Boccaccio's stories highlight the surprising awkwardness between male and female desire for desire. Boccaccio shows how “women are fundamentally more sexual than men,” with a significant number of some of the tales told in the Decameron revolving around women's desires. However, within the 3rd Day, "Filostrato tells the story of a young man, Masetto", who learned about a job as a nursery school in a religious community. “Finding out that part of the activity requirement is to sexually satisfy the nuns in the religious community.” (Potter) In addition to showing the hypersexuality of women, Boccaccio also outlines women as having a predominant inability regarding cunning. This attitude, perhaps most underlined in all the stories, seems to be the one in which women surpass men the most. In all the stories, the character who tends to define plans that involve a notable level of cunning is the female one. Even if Boccaccio is trying to express some kind of sentiment about the trustworthiness of women is nebulous, in any case, he makes it passionately evident that women have an unmatched ability to devise cunning plans. it happens again on the seventh day. This story, described by Neifile, highlights Monna Sismonda's unparalleled cunning in many ways. To begin with, Neifile portrays the picture that Monna Sismonda conceived to have a vigilant relationship with Ruberto, her lover. Furthermore, if this in itself wasn't complicated enough after realizing that her partner has found a way to alarm her boyfriend and increase her relationship with Ruberto, Monna Sismonda quickly chooses to call her servant to have her place to bed. This allows her to avoid being beaten and, ultimately, to deceive her brothers into thinking that her partner is deceiving them. In the two sections of the story, Mona Sismond shows predominant cunning; being able to both construct a complex strategy to abstain from being obtained and then further evade any inconvenience following being obtained. For this situation, it is evidently clear that Boccaccio is profiling the most intelligent person among.