Gender Roles In The Decameron By Giovanni Boccaccio

Gender roles have been around us for so long that people have forgotten how life would even be like with no classifications. Life as we know it would cease to exist if male and female humans were honestly all treated the same. The reason for this is simple and very direct, humans although want equality demonstrate the complete opposite. There is media now in day that include, books, novels, movies, theater performances, and so much more that reflect how poorly and how little todays society respect woman. Through words, pictures, adjectives, and examples, woman are constantly humiliated, mistreated, and unappreciated due to typical gender role stereotypes. In the society and the time setting frame that Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron is …show more content…
While this trait is not always as prevalent throughout the stories that are told, Boccaccio demonstrates that women tolerate more adversity and tougher times than men do. This however is a personal opinion of course. The reason I wanted to point this out was simply to demonstrate the irony in everything Boccaccio said and did. Looking closer to the actual story that involved the Marquis of Sanluzzo, Gualtieri, and his bride Griselda to prove that woman did in fact stand harder times than man, this was why Boccaccio’s opinion to an extend was justified. In the story, Gualtieri’s vassals force him to choose a woman for a bride and in the end he decides to choose Griselda, a poor young girl of lower-class birth. This perhaps was a great ego boost for him because he was according to the text of well appearance and a very much desirable man. Many people doubted that he was making the right choice by choosing her, however to prove her worth, Gualtieri decides to test her. To me, in my personal opinion I would not enjoy being tested, nor know that I am in a way being played accordingly to fit to the purpose of what someone else needs. I am an independent woman who believes that any man lucky enough to have me should be thankful and not testing me, however Griselda passed with …show more content…
This film is considered to be a drama. This is a story that takes place in the Thirteenth century and is about ten children who escape the Black Death and spend time telling each other stories to pass time and understand certain life obstacles that come their way. Looking at this film alone, the first story that took place in Modena, was a classic interpretation directed to woman alone. Messer Gentile Garisendi is in love with Catalina who is this case is the wife of Niccolucio. However, she gets very sick and her husband 's mother fears that she has plague therefore being to think, naturally and understandably, that she will begin to infect or give the illness to others in the household. As a result of this, she insists that she must be taken a lone away rom her family. Her husband, with fear and doubt, agrees to this plan. Sadly on the trip, Catalina dies. Meanwhile, Gentile who had followed her carriage, sees her body in the crypt where the driver dumped her. He takes her to his mother 's villa where she is luckily nursed back to health. He then tells her that he wants to marry her. He invites a group of friends, including Nicoluccio, Catalina’s former husband who sent her away to see his chosen bride. He poses the question to the gathered group which was a loyal servant falls ill and it abandons him. “If another man