The Decameron By Giovanni Boccaccio Analysis

“To have compassion for those who suffer is a human quality which everyone should possess, especially those who have required comfort themselves in the past and have managed to find it in others” (Boccaccio). There is not a definition of a perfect human, and many come in different shapes and sizes. One thing that everyone has in common is the struggle of life. In this specific quote, Giovanni Boccaccio refers to the treatment of women in society, which leads to a lifetime of internal suffering. In times of struggle, the Bubonic Plague showed compassion in those who were comforted by the empathy of others. Giovanni Boccaccio and Petrarch, the leading humanists during the Renaissance, wrote, “...in Italian, not Latin, which elevated the literary status of the vernacular, or common, language” (Wilhelm and Fisher 926). Through writing The Decameron, business opportunities, and his fascination for meeting new people, Giovanni Boccaccio’s writings were greatly influenced by his life experiences. …show more content…
This well known book, centered around Bubonic Plague, is “a story of seven men and three women who escape the disease by fleeing to a villa outside the city” (“The Black Death” 1348). Throughout their escape, the men and women tell one hundred stories that make up The Decameron. In particular, one story, “Federigo’s Falcon”, resembles the loss that Boccaccio and many Europeans suffered during the time of the Bubonic Plague. In Federigo’s Falcon, the spouse of the supporting character, Monna, falls ill and dies. As the story progresses, Monna’s son takes a turn for the worst, and succumbs to the plague (Boccaccio 928-933). This story is a model of the Bubonic Plague due to the fact that Monna is experiencing a feeling of loss. Through this work, Giovanni expressed how he truly felt during the time of the Bubonic Plague through her