DecameronLa peste del 1348

THE PLAGUE SPREADS IN EUROPE

“Started a few years before in the East, and after many victims among the inhabitants, and propagating from one place to another, it was widespread in the West spreading pain and dispair.”

FROM THE EAST THE PLAGUE ARRIVES TO FLORENCE

“It had already past 1348 years from the vantage incarnation of the Son of God, when the deadly epidemy arrived in the noble city of Florence, more beautiful than any other city in

Italy.”

THE VISIBLE SYMPTOMS OF PLAGUE

“At the beginning of this disease it formed, equally in men and women, or in the groin or under the armpits certain rigonfiature, some of which swelled like a medium-sized apple, others as an egg, which the common people called gavaccioli.”

THE CONTAGION HITS HUMANS AND ANIMALS

“Of this infection my eyes were direct witnesses: as the rags of a poor man who was killed by the plague were thrown on the road and two pigs came upon them, took them greedily, first with the snout and then with their teeth, and within soon afterwards, after some twisting, as if they had taken poison, they both fell dead.”

FEAR AMONG THE PEOPLE AND DESTROYED FAMILY

TIESIn the survivors were originated many fears and hallucinations, almost all tended to end a truly inhuman, or avoid and escape the sick and their things, behaving in this way, each of them believed to safeguard their health.

“ANARCHY IN THE CITY”

In such misery and unworthiness, the respectable authority of the law-both human and divine ones-was almost entirely canceled and dissolved.

THE DEMOCRATIC VALUES IN THE DECAMERON

•Equality between genders•Equality among different cultures•No diversity between social classes

EQUALITY AMONG THE DIFFERENT PEOPLES

We speek of equality among the different peoples because Boccaccio highlights the importance of women, the group is predominantly composed of women.

EQUALITY AMONG DIFFERENT CULTURES

We speek of equality among different cultures because Boccaccio writes about a different countries, different languages and different cultures.

NO DIVERSITY BETWEEN SOCIAL CLASSES

We speek of no diversity between social classes because Boccaccio in a period of crisis speaks of the people as if it were all the same, there is no difference between rich and poor, they are all afraid of the plague.