Table of ContentsIntroductionDiscussionWorks CitedIntroductionGiovanni Boccaccio's medieval artwork The Decameron highlights both the righteous and sinful ways of humans, through the telling short stories. Boccaccio's tales cover a wide range of topics, including adultery, love, devotion, deception, and the attributes of selfish and selfless people. Many praise Boccaccio for his courage in highlighting the unpleasant aspects of medieval life, particularly the impartiality of extramarital affairs. Boccaccio's Decameron offers a perspective on medieval life that was greatly divided by gender disparities, economic divisions, and contrasts in social status. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayDiscussionGender disparities are a very important part of Boccaccio's writing, and the different depictions of men and women are obvious. In the society in which The Decameron takes place, women are trapped in a lower social status than men. Yet Boccaccio demonstrates that a woman's lack of social status does not influence her level of control in any relationship. In fact, women seem to have the upper hand in many aspects of male-female relationships. For example, Ghismonda's relationship with her father Tancrede in Day IV describes a bond in which the female holds power over the male. Ghismonda, discouraged by her father's harsh threats against Guiscardo, held her own life over her father's head as a threat, saying: "I assure you that whatever you have done or are doing with Guiscardo, you don't do the same with me, to me. it is our own hands that will do it” (P. 199). Ghismonda's threats are not those posed without meaning, and they come from her love for a man. Ghismonda threatened to end her life to reiterate how important Guiscardo was to her. Ghismonda ultimately committed suicide to spite her father, showing her blatant disregard for gender disparities. Boccaccio again demonstrated the seemingly improbable social advantages of a woman by telling the story of Day VI. The story of a woman accused of murdering her husband, only to be forgiven by her father but tormented by the judge, testifies to their social superiority. The young woman, like Ghismonda, explained that she preferred to commit suicide rather than be unjustly accused, thus maintaining her dignity. She said: “I intend to live no more in life; but, before killing myself, I would take the appropriate means to preserve my honor and the secret of the love that was between the two of us and that of the body. » (P. 223). André Viola, who insisted. while preserving her dignity, could manage to be considered innocent if she were allowed to commit suicide. Selfless acts like these are usually performed by women in most of Boccaccio's stories. Ghismonda killing herself to both spite her father and reunite with Guiscardo proved that she was not afraid of repercussions, especially from Tancrede. Likewise, André Viola, anxious to preserve his image, has little influence on the motivations of men. André Viola was influenced by the accusations of everyone, man or woman. Gender disparities are very common in Boccaccio's writings, but often women are portrayed as selfless and fearless, not caring about the consequences they might face from a man. One of the rare examples in which a woman does not seem completelyadvantageous in a situation is that of Day V, the story of the knight who constantly pursues his transgressor. Yet, in this story, even though the woman may appear as a victim due to the consequences of her “actions,” both the man and the woman are punished simultaneously. Leaving aside the main story of the man who moved to Ravenna for relief from his anguish, Boccaccio's story of the knight and his prey contains more important, but implicit, information. The knight, who believes he is pursuing "divine justice" by pursuing after his transgressor has said: "I who loved her so tenderly, should pursue her, not as a beloved mistress, but as a mortal enemy, and that, every time I caught up with her, I would kill her with this blow.” (P.280). The knight, although he was completely in love with this woman, must now pursue her, never to find that his task is finished. Although the knight feels "wronged" by the woman he adored, he is truly the subject of punishment, because he must pursue her, without ever feeling accomplished for her murder. Boccaccio's inclusion of this story is very crucial to the depiction of men, as opposed to women. He implies that endlessly chasing women is a waste of energy, especially when a woman is able to readjust and continue to run away from her suitors. Importantly, Boccaccio recognizes that many women are consumers of time and energy, with no reward for their “capture.” Second, in addition to gender disparities, economic divisions play a crucial role in Boccaccio's tales. A remarkable story to develop is found in Day V, the story of the Nightingale. Caterina and Ricciardo, who were sleeping together on the balcony of Caterina's house, were caught in a loving embrace. Yet instead of kicking Ricciardo out of his father's house or murdering him, they immediately married. This is because Ricciardo belongs to the acceptable social and economic class, suitable for Caterina. Unlike Guiscardo, who was strangled to death for premarital relations, Ricciardo is described as "a young man from the Minardi of Bertinoro, handsome and vigorous, named Ricciardo, who frequented the Messer Lizzio house a lot." (P.262). Later, after catching his daughter engaging in lewd acts, Messer Lizio asks Ricciardo: "You, to save yourself from death and save me from shame, take Caterina as your lawful wife." (P.264). This exchange is extremely remarkable when it comes to documenting the influence of social class in the perception of the transgressor. The relationship between Guiscardo and Ghismonda, and Caterina and Ricciardo is essentially the same amount of sin, lust, and secrecy. However, Guiscardo and Ghismonda are dead, and yet Caterina and Ricciardo live, because of the difference in economic levels. Although Boccaccio was not afraid to present women as rulers of their own lives, he feared a relationship that was countercultural: a relationship that crossed economic boundaries. The only story that accepted a relationship with different economic levels was that of the Falcon. on Day V. The relationship, as described at the beginning, was one-sided and the woman had little interest in her suitor. She, Madame Giovanna, was a widow with much wealth left by her husband. Federigo didn't have much to his name other than his farm and his bird, as he had spent much of his wealth trying to attract Madame Giovanna. Yet somehow Boccaccio gives in to the reader's desires, allowing the two men to be united by their love, rather than by their wealth or their4.