Essay Questions

Virtue is a well brought out theme in Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron. Show how the writer achieves this in the novel.

The concept of virtue is very well brought out within the pages of the novel. For instance, the characters embody one of the four cardinal virtues as well as the three theological values. Even though the novel is set at a time when ethical values were forgotten especially in the face of suffering, the characters through their particular emphasis on virtues are trying to resuscitate and revive their religion. In this line, Boccaccio writes about these people to bring out how they valued virtue as opposed to surviving.

Show how tragedy is explored in Boccaccio’s The Decameron. What are the effects of the same?

Tragedy is brought out in the novel particularly through the setting of the novel. The novel is set at a time when the Black Death epidemic was devastating and damaging the city of Florence. On top of these, Boccaccio further provides a description of the tragedy as well as its effects on the lives of people and places. As a result of the plague, fear and devastation are all over resulting in broken friendships and kinships. The plague results in the decision of the Pampinea to leave the city in a bid to avoid the devastation and death as well as the risk of contracting the disease.