Analysis Of Boccaccio 's ' The Decameron '

For men, though, the choice was remained their own. De Erauso demonstrates this when she, in the role of a man, evades multiple proposals in order to remain free and mobile. This shows that while women were tied down in society and expected to have a man settle with them, men had the opportunity to continue to travel freely and independently. The idea is that women were forced by society to be entirely dependent in order to hold an advantageous position in life. Tied in with this theme of masculine freedom exists the matter of fighting. De Erauso displays her ability to duel for her pride on many occasions, and this is something that she would be incapable of doing in the role of a woman. Only men were allowed the outlet of fighting in order to assert dominance, whereas women had no dominance at all. Women were expected to be entirely passive and dependent (Bentley & Ziegler, 534). In one case in specific, a woman de Erauso encounters, doña Catalina, even hires an Indian man to attack another woman for her because she did not have the societal freedom to do so herself (Erauso, 36). In the realm of outward violence, women were greatly restricted while men had no limitations other than the law above them. De Erauso explores this freedom in the form of fighting, gambling, and being reckless in general. Had she been presented as a woman in these scenarios, she would have suffered far more

Othello is a play that asks the reader to take a look at how women are viewed within society. Part of the fear of cuckoldry derives strongly from the play’s cultural influence. In the times of the play it was important for a woman to stay chaste which explains why one of the central issues in the play; adultery gives rise to anxiety on the part of Othello and also the female characters of the play. The Venetian and Cyprus societies has established through social conditioning of the sexual dominance of men. As it is often so in modern day society, men are positioned to be the initiator for an intimate relationship. Women who try to do so are often looked down upon and are reprimanded if they do not meet the ideal that befits a female of those times. An illustration of this particular type of act can be seen in the second setting of the play; the island of Cyprus. The reader will find in the first scene in Cyprus, Iago who most likely has the most hateful attitude towards women says to Desdemona and Emilia ‘You rise to play, and go to bed to work.’(Act 2.2.114). In this scene the reader sees that even royal daughters and wives are looked down upon as material objects and whores. The illustration of victimization of women is strongly depicted through the lack of representation of women. The play carries only three main female characters; Desdemona, Emilia, and Blanca when comparing to the number of male characters.The removal of minor female characters in the play show

Women in Renaissance Italy faced rigid societal standards to which they were supposed to conform. They lived public lives, directed almost exclusively by other people in regards to significant decisions. However, this does not mean that a rise above the oppressive nature of the Renaissance was impossible. Several exceptional women were able to challenge their given positions in a society through their education, practices, seclusion, beauty, and roles. In an examination of several positions, through the Exhortations to Women and to Others If They Please by Lucrezia Marinella and the letters of Laura Cereta, a Renaissance feminist, women can be seen as accepting of their position in society or rebelling against it. Their lives and prescriptive writings show how one can either follow the role given to them or exceed beyond it and become an exceptional woman.

Women were also expected to maintain their social positivity and kindness by never speaking or listening to evil about other women. Men hearing these women speak evil would appear to “listen gladly” but ultimately “hold such women in small respect” and “esteem them so lightly as to despise their company” (177.) From the accounts held in The Courtier of women in the Renaissance, it can be said that women were almost considered to be “status symbols” during this time period. Some men aimed to treat women with courtesy and respect but never viewed them as true equals. Women were expected not to make a fuss, not to speak up too loudly, and to act positive and apolitical at every turn, resulting in a stifling lack of agency. As a whole, women were expected to be seen and not heard, ultimately having a scarce role in the era. Even still, misogyny and hatred was ubiquitous in this time period.

Because Marinella could complete her formal education, she was exposed to the popularized literature, art, and political climate of Venice in the early renaissance. This allowed her to directly experience the misogynist arguments that would influence her feminist ideas. The Nobility and its respective advocacy for women serves as a direct response to Passi’s Defects of Women. In Lucrezia Marinella and the ‘Querelle des Femmes’ in Seventeenth Century Italy written by Paola Malpezzi Price and Christine M. Ristaino, Passi’s treatise is analyzed: Passi satirizes intellectual women, and comes to close to suggesting that women are different species. He asserts that women are like animals because both women and animals are devoid of reason and virtue (Malpezzi Price and Ristaino, 108). These claims of Passi set a precedent for the argument of Marinella in The Nobility. She focused primarily on the nature of women and argued that women were superiority of men. Commenting on the extreme nobility and virtue of women, Marinella contends that because women are the nobler sex, they inevitably perform their duties better

An unlikely candidate to dispute the unfair, misogynistic treatment of women by men and society, Christine de Pizan successfully challenged the accepted negative views that were being expressed about women by the all-male literary world of her era. Part of Christine’s uniqueness stems from the time in which she lived, the middle to late 1300’s. The lack of a positive female role model to pattern herself after made Christine a true visionary in the fight for the equal rights of women. Her original ideas and insight provided a new and more intelligent way to view females. Pizan’s work, The Book of the City of Ladies, provided women much needed guidance in how to survive without the support of a man.

Boccaccio also infused The Decameron with his opinions on the Catholic church, which even at that time was Italy’s primary religious institution. Catholicism may have been popular, but Boccaccio was very blatant in showing that he did not approve of the Church’s conduct. In The Decameron, religion was practiced by fools, the church was a breeding ground for mischief, and “marriage” was a transaction devoid of meaning.

The play reflects the patriarchal values of society by categorising females into the three main stereotypes: the housewife, whore and innocent virgin are Emilia, Bianca and Desdemona respectively. Women in Othello’s world stand for a marginalised group, outsiders in a man’s world and their role in society is described with “[men] are all but stomachs, and we are all but food”, reflecting contemporary conventional views. Bianco and Emilia portray the negative typecast of women and are slandered by Iago, who accuses them of being “pictures out of doors…players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds”. This fits with the Madonna-Whore Complex, where women are either sexually promiscuous or

In the late Middle Ages, women were forced under many disabilities. Society viewed women as “physically, intellectually, and morally inferior to men” (Bornstein 1). In the 1300’s when Dante wrote the Divine Comedy women did not play a key role in society outside the home. This was not solely excluding a certain sex because of who they were, but because of how society in history has viewed women. Many believed that women could not do a man’s job or fit to be in charge of a certain group. In the 1300’s, women were to be in charge of the household, take care of the children, make the food for the day, and be a loyal wife to their husbands. Through the 1300’s women had a desire to voice what they could achieve, so they started to speak out their

Classical gender roles make the women behave as if they are second-class citizens, being grateful to be in the presence of a powerful male figure; where in actuality, Fortunata, Trimalchio’s wife, sold her jewelry to finance Trimalchio’s first wine selling business, which is how he made his millions. Without the help and generosity of Fortunata, Trimalchio would, himself, be a second-class citizen who struggles to pay for daily bread, like most of the poor lower-class Romans.

The society always queries about the role of women and for centuries, they have struggled to find their place in a world that is predominantly male oriented. The treatment of women was remarkably negative; they were expected to stay home and fulfil the domestic duties. Literature of that time embodies and mirrors social issues of women in society (Lecture on the Puritans). But, slowly and gradually, situation being changed: “During the first half of the 19th century, women 's roles in society evolved in the areas of occupational, moral, and social reform. Through efforts such as factory movements, social reform, and women 's rights, their aims were realized and foundations for further reform were established” (Lauter 1406). Feminist poets like Emily Dickinson and Anne Bradstreet talked substantially about feminism in different lights in the past two centuries. They were very vocal and assertive about their rights and the ‘rights for women’ in general. While they might have been successful at making a good attempt to obliterate gender biases but still there are lot of disparities between the two genders. Nevertheless, their poetry reflects a deep angst.

Another example of male depravity leading to superiority occurs on Day 1, Story 1, when Ser Ciappelletto becomes a saint after lying to the priest in his confession while on his death bed (611). Boccaccio makes it clear that Ser Ciappelletto has no interest in rectifying his mistakes even on his deathbed. This suggests that Boccaccio believed that men gain victory not through good judgment but through dishonorable means. As the stories demonstrate, when a men achieves victory, it is typically with deceit unlike the women who became victorious using superior trickery.

In the Middle Age literature, women are often presented or meant to come off as an unimportant character; which can also reflect on how the author wants the women character represent. Women are usually shunned, have no say or control in what they do; due to what men desire; like Ophelia and Gertrude did in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. But these female characters that I will discuss are women with power, control, and a voice. Majority of the female character’s appearances are made to represent wickedness, evil, or a seducer who challenges a man belief; and does not symbolize perfect women.

Through this description of femininity, Adorno attributes feminine qualities to be a sort of hoax, placed on women by men. Society must give up this ideal of the feminine character in order to move forward. Women throughout history are seen as property, unworthy of education, and meant for household duties. Adorno does argue somewhat in the favor of women when he establishes that “ masculine society imperiously breed in women its own corrective, and shows itself through this limitation implacably the master.” A male dominated society through time has placed unreasonable values for women to live by, and this made clear in the aphorism. It has not been till recently in which women have begun to take back this description of

The role of women in the society is always questioned and for centuries, they have struggled to find their place in a world that is predominantly male oriented. The treatment of women was extremely negative; they were expected to stay home and fulfill domestic duties. Literature of that time embodies and mirrors social issues of women in society (Lecture on the Puritans). But, slowly and gradually, situation being changed: “During the first half of the 19th century, women 's roles in society evolved in the areas of occupational, moral, and social reform. Through efforts such as factory movements, social reform, and women 's rights, their aims were realized and foundations for further reform were established” (Lauter 1406). Feminist poets like Emily Dickinson and Anne Bradstreet talked substantially about feminism in different lights in the past two centuries. They were very vocal and assertive about their rights and the ‘rights for women’ in general. While they might have been successful at making a good attempt to obliterate gender biases but still there are lot of disparities between the two genders. Nevertheless, their poetry reflects a deep angst.