Essay about The Black Death in The Decameron by Boccaccio

Black Death: The Black Death, also known as bubonic plague, was introduced to Europe overseas by rats and was known as the Black Death due to it causing discoloration to the body. It targets the lungs and can spread from person to person by way of coughing or sneezing. It caused many deaths and greatly reduced the population of Europe.

The Black Plague or Black Death was an outbreak of a disease that was spread through rats, feces, fleas, and physical contact. The epidemic began in China, where, during wars, soldiers hurled infected bodies at Italian soldiers, consequently the physical contact. The Italians would go back home on their ships, which was infested with rats and fleas. Unknowingly, they would spread the newfound disease amongst those they came into contact with when they returned to Italy. In the spring of 1348, the disease reached Italy and began to spread like wildfire. Three years later, the Plague had already taken 25%-50% of Europe’s population. The Black Plague was so devastating due to the ignorance of it, trade routes, and fear.

Picture walking down the street and there are people all around screaming from pain, all incredibly sick, however, you notice that all these people have something in common, they all have boils all over their body, popping, oozing, and smelling like death. Dead bodies lie all over the street, most missing fingers, toes, and limbs. Those that are sick and vomiting in the street are being cared for by a person clad in leather with a giant beak mask covering their face. This was common throughout Europe in the years 1348-1351. And this thing that made all these people very ill and caused death, this would be known as the Black Death.

Before the Black Death medicine and doctors had a reputation of almost being a joke.At the time there was very little doctors and/or medicine could do when someone was sick or was injured because medicine was under advanced. The Black Death further confirmed these reputations when the doctors could not find a cure. Not only did the Black Death change the ways of the doctors mentally it also had a huge impact on art. Because the doctors could not find a cure, many, many deaths occurred including famous artist. Changing the Artistic style from the Renaissance to its own category the black death period.

The Black Death was a plague carried by fleas on rats and it was very deadly. It started in the mid-14th century. The Black Death did not discriminate, anyone could get it. Religion was at its all time high during the time the Plague arrived in Europe. Two major religions that got the Black Death were Christians and Muslims. Muslims got the Plague in 1333 and Christians got the Plague in 1348 but their responses to the Black Death were greatly different but sometimes they were the same.

(MIP-1) The black plague swept through the medieval times causing utter chaos and fear. (SIP-A) The thing everyone had on their minds when the plague hit was death, but what truly was the plague that took everyone by storm ? The plague was a disease that was extremely contagious that spread from person to person as quick as wildfire. (STEWE-1) In Europe of 1347 millions of people were in shock by the visit of the black plague (Konstam 118). The black plague all started when it first rose in the early 1300’s in Central Asia. It arrived in Europe when trading ships from Central Asia with people infected with the plague came aboard (“The Black Death").The black plague also called the the black death was spread by a disease causing bacterium named Yersina Pestis

The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that spread throughout Medieval England during the years 1348-1350. The Black Death is believed to have killed between 30-45% of people in England alone. There were numerous ideas if what the cause of the disease was but in reality, was a bacteria-born disease from the bacteria Yersinia pestis, which was carried on the fleas off infected black rats and spread to Europe by Genoese trading ships from Asia. Some historians believed the Black Death marked the beginning of a deep recession within Britain as well as the beginning of the Renaissance, a period of striking artistic expression, whereas other historians seem to take the view point that the Black Death simply amplified an already declining

The Black Plague (also known as the Black Death or Bubonic Plague) of the 1300s is considered by many historians to be one of the most influential events in the history of Europe. Originating in Asia, the Black Plague has three forms; Bubonic which affects the lymph nodes, pneumonic which affects the lungs, and septicemia which affects the blood. Through examining the effects of the Plague on Europe and its people, it is clear that politics, social life, and economics were all irreparably thrown off balance. Perhaps the part of Europe disturbed most by the Black Death was politics.

The Black Death was devastating and was one of the most significant events in Medieval Britain. The Black Death was also known the plague and bubonic plague it describes the spread of disease that caused mass deaths throughout Britain. The disease itself was carried by fleas and spread across Europe between 1346-1353 leaving towns and city such as Siena Italy with 85% of the population wiped out. This was seen all over Europe including Britain and it can be argued economic factors was the most significant consequences of the Black Death. However there are many factors such as political, social factors and Mortality rates that were also results of the Black Death and perhaps social factors may be more significant.

The Black Plague, also known as Black Death, the Great Mortality, and the Pestilence, is the name given to the plague that ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1351. It is said to be the greatest catastrophe experienced by the western world up to that time. In Medieval England, the Black Death killed 1.5 million people out of an estimated 4 million people between 1348 and 1350. There was no medical knowledge in England to cope with the disease. After 1350, it stroke England another six times by the end of the century.

There were multiple waves of the Black Death, one in 11th-12th century, another in the 13th century, and the biggest one in the 14th century. Each time there was a wave more and more people were killed, it was more concentrated in a short amount of time, and it led up to the one of the most important epidemic in human history, (DeWitte, 2015). When one wave would hit, there was usually a trigger that would welcome the plague. It was either a natural disaster, scarcity of food or a war had taken place (DeWitte, 2015). It was speculated that the economy, government and occupations of the people are what lead to the 14th century Black Death epidemic. The overall health of the people in England was deteriorating due to stress and malnourishment

Imagine your skin turning colors, horribly painful pus filled bumps surrounding your body and not knowing what is wrong with you and the rest of your neighbors. Well that is exactly what the black death was during the dark ages. There wasn't a huge chance of living after you showed symptoms of bubonic which made it that much scarier.

Some victims would form rashes as well (Bubonic Plague). “The Black Death” does an amazing job of giving the viewer an accurate demonstration of what someone suffering from the Black Death would have looked like. This visualization helps someone wanting to learn more about the Black Death to understand it better. It also gives them a better picture of just how serious the Black Death was.

What did all these outbreaks cause? Fear, fear that death could take you at any time, fear that you have no idea how or why this is happening and fear that the ones you care about “when they went to bed at night could be dead by morning” (History.com). That fear is what keeps us remembering and interested in an event hundreds of years ago. You see the plague in many forms of art ranging from after the plague first struck to even now in the 21st century. Art forms such as paintings, literature, plays, and even movies have depicted the Black Death in one way or another. So how much work inspired by the plague has been shown throughout the years?

The plague also affected religion and art, which became very dark and preoccupied with death. Many people believed that the Black Death came from God's extreme anger at the world. A group of fanatics, called Flagellants, inflicted various punishments on themselves in an attempt to atone for the world's sins--and end the disease. An artistic style known as the danse macabre depicted skeletons and corpses mingling with the living during happy occasions. These actions reminded the people of the overriding sense of doom that shadowed their lives because of the Black Death.