While reading Angela da Foligno’s Memorial, I noticed a common theme of pain being brought up throughout the thirty steps of cleansing oneself of a sin. As each step continued on, Angela seemed to deal with more and more pain; most steps being filled with shame, bitterness, and no love. As each step increased, so did the pain. For example, in step seven, she reflected alongside the cross and pondered upon the reasons Christ died, and how he died for her sins. As she kept this journey going and reached step nine, her husband, mother, and child died. She was aware of their deaths, and happened to accept it as she knew they were “a great hindrance” to her and her cleansing process. Although she felt “deep consolation following their deaths” and all of the other painful events she had to go through, she kept pushing through and completed all thirty steps of cleansing.
Throughout the entirety of this semester, we have read several pieces of Italian literature by some well-known literary scholars/figures. We started from Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy and ended on Niccolai Machiavelli’s The Prince. But the two texts that I found the most thrilling to read and that grasped my attention were Boccaccio’s The Decameron and Dante’s The Divine Comedy. During the times that both of these works were written, women had no power, rights, or say in anything socially. While men were supposed to be strong, powerful, and “manly”, women were expected to be compliant, weak, and naive. As we analyzed both texts we discovered that women were portrayed in a different light than how they were treated in those times. Boccaccio illustrated most women from his tales to have more of a say and less dependence on men. Dante had a similar approach but executed it in the way of showcasing women as important goddess-like figures.
In Boccaccio’s The Decameron, the women stated in the tales told were extremely strong. Now they were mentally strong, not the type of strength that men are usually known for. An example of this being true was on the tenth story on the tenth day, where a woman named Griselda had several “tricks” played on her by her husband that held heavy topics. One of the many tricks her husband Gualtieri played on her was when he told her that her children were sent to be killed due to the fact that she was a villager and not royal. Despite the fact that she loved her kids she agreed to have them killed, little did she know that her husband was sending them to a boarding school in Bologna. Having her go through all this emotional and mental distress from her husband and still manage to take him back, in the end, shows how strong-willed and how strong she is mental. Given the time, of course, Griselda was compliant towards all of Gualtieri’s tricks, all she wanted was for his happiness even if they got in the way or affected her own. “My lord, do with me as thou mayst deem best for thine own honor and comfort, for well I wot that I am of less account than they, and unworthy of this honorable estate to which of thy courtesy thou hast advanced me.” (029) As a result of the way women were treated in those times, she felt as though she didn’t deserve all that she received by marrying a Marquis, but is still strong enough to put up with his tricks. But this isn’t the only time that Boccacio has presented a story about a strong woman. In many stories than this one woman was at the basis of deceiving men, they were able to use their knowledge and the little power they possessed to trick men who believed they were better than them. In one instance, the second-day ninth story, Filomena told a story about a woman named Zinevra and how she was dragged up into a lie and deceived everyone into having the truth revealed. While her husband was away from Italy and in Paris with some other lads, they were all discussing how they didn’t care what their wives do when they are away because they relinquish the moment and enjoy any woman they come across. To which Bernabò, Zinevra”s husband opposed by stating that his wife would never set eyes on another man and that she was noble as a knight. Bernabò’s claim was challenged by a man named Ambrogio, so much so that they made a bet. They betted that if Ambrogiulo could sleep with Zinevra and get her intimate clothes as proof and bring it back to Paris to show her husband he had to pay him 6,000 florins. Ambrogio convinced a friend of Zinevra’s to sneak him into her room via a trunk, to which the friend agreed. At night while Zinevra was asleep he got out of the trunk, took one of Zinevra’s undergarments and examined her naked body. He went back to her husband, gave him his findings and got paid the 6000 florins. Bernabò was crushed and planned to kill Zinevra, of course, was confused. Zinevra convinces the servant sent to kill her to let her go and in return, she will keep him off the hook. She disguised herself as a cabin boy in a ship and changed her name. Once she got to Paros she heard Ambrogiulo bragging about how he “slept” with Zinevra which answered the question she thought of while pleading with the servant “ “ Mercy for God’s sake; make not thyself the murderer of one that has done thee no wrong, at the behest of another. The all-seeing God knows that I never ought to merit such a requital at my husband’s hands. But enough of this for the present: there is a way in which thou canst serve at once God and thy master and myself, if thou wilt do as I bid thee: take, then, these clothes of mine and give me in exchange just thy doublet and a hood; and carry the clothes with thee to my lord and thine, and tell him that thou hast slain me; and I swear to thee by the life which I shall have received at thy hands, that I will get me gone, and there abide whence news of me shall never reach either him or thee or these parts. ”.” (026) After hearing that she took it upon herself to try and expose Ambrogiulo of his lies. Successful in her endeavors she revealed her true identity, exposed Ambrogiulo”s lies, and had Bernabò on his knees begging her to forgive him. In this story not only do we get a story where a woman is strong/brave enough to try and convince the man who is about to take her life to spare her and was smart, independent enough to disguise herself and uncover the truth and expose Ambrogio.
beatrice by gustave dore
In Dante, although he took a somewhat different approach in the way he decided to showcase women it overall displayed them to be somewhat praised and empowered. In the Divine Comedy, a pilgrim named Dante is taken through this journey from Inferno to Purgatorio all the way to heaven also known as Paradiso. In the beginning, when Dante the pilgrim is at the beginning of his journey near the entrance to hell (inferno) he is beyond frightened and lost. Thankfully due to the help from Beatrice, the true hero in his story, he was able to go through Inferno. Beatrice resided in Paradiso and witnessed as Dante the pilgrim’s faith was slowly slipping away so finally, she sent for Virgil to help guide Dante and protect him in his journey. “Among those was I who were in suspense, And a fair, saintly Lady called to me. In such wise, I beseech her to command me…A friend of mine, and not the friend of fortune, Upon the desert slope is so impeded. Upon his way, that he has turned through terror, And may, I fear, already be so lost, That I too late have risen to his succour, From that which I have heard of him in Heaven….Beatrice am I, who do bid thee go; I come from there, where I would fain return; Love moved me, which compelleth me to speak…‘O Lady of virtue, thou alone through whom The human race exceedeth all contained Within the heaven that has the lesser circles, So grateful unto me is thy commandment, To obey, if ’twere already done, were late; No farther need’st thou ope to me thy wish. (Inferno, canto 2) Despite her few appearances and mentionings she still remains one of the most important female figures in the entire piece of literature. If it weren’t for her sending Virgil Dante wouldn’t have made it far within Inferno. With all the horrors that inhabit the 9 rings of hell, it is less than likely that Dante wouldn’t have made it out safely and with his faith. With her stance as almost a guardian angel, she is mentioned as kind, generous and independent.
Within both Boccaccio’s Decameron and Dante’s Divine Comedy their ability to empower and illustrate women in a different light than how they were normally perceived in the 14yth century is why they remain the two most entertaining pieces of Italian literature to indulge in compared to the rest discussed in class. From the way, Boccaccio displays women’s mental and emotional strength as well as intelligence to Dante’s Beatrice demonstrating the power and independence of a woman. Both show how the women in their tales didn’t need men, and how in fact the men needed the women. Beginning with Gualtier’s desire to have a woman who was compassionate and could stand by him, to Bernabò’s mistake of almost executing his wife, to finally Dante’s need for guidance. The women in their stories not only helped and guided them but showed their independence/strength along the way.
Over the course of this class, we’ve discussed and analyzed many famous Italian authors who are widely regarded as some of the greats within their field. However, while these authors remain influential today, their works were published at a point in history where women were generally considered to be inferior to men and were often forced into lesser roles in society. As a result of this, we can see the influence of gender roles and its impact on the representation of women in Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’, Boccaccio’s ‘The Decameron’, and Petrarch’s ‘Canzoniere’.
‘The Divine Comedy’ focuses on the journey that Dante, the pilgrim, takes through Hell, Purgatory, and eventually Heaven (referred to as ‘Paradise’ within the text). Over the course of this journey, Dante speaks to countless souls that have moved on to the afterlife and writes about their stories. However, men tend to dominate these conversations while women are sidelined. In fact, there are only two significant women in ‘The Divine Comedy’ that we discussed: Francesca and Beatrice. Francesca first appears in Canto 5, which centers around the second circle of Hell – lust; Dante asks Francesca and Paolo ended up being damned, to which Francesca recounts the story of reading ‘Lancelot du lac’ with her lover and that “one point alone was the one that overpowered us” (canto 5, lines 131-132). While Dante feels pity for the couple, as apparent from him fainting as the canto ends, he still believes that they should be punished for their love. In canto 3, the gates of Hell read “Justice moved my high maker; divine power made me, highest wisdom, and primal love” (Canto 3, lines 4-6), which makes it evidently clear that Dante believes all souls in Hell deserve their punishment, no matter how much pity he feels. On the other hand, we have Beatrice, who plays a significant role in Dante’s literature as a whole. In ‘The Divine Comedy’, Beatrice is the woman who made Dante’s journey possible in the first place. As opposed to Francesca, who Dante shuns for her sin, Beatrice is the exact opposite; he reveres Beatrice as graceful, beautiful, and holy. This is especially evident once we reach ‘Paradiso’, as Beatrice is the woman who allows Dante to come into contact with God, which is shown in the quote “The role that Dante assigns to her is reminiscent of the role that Christ plays in allowing humans to know God and achieve Heaven” (Carey, 2007, p.93). The portrayal of these two women are obviously very different, which makes it clear that Dante believes women should embody purity like Beatrice, and that those like Francesca who do not, should be punished.
On the other hand, we have ‘The Decameron’ which features several stories centering around women. As opposed to Dante, Boccaccio depicts many strong, witty women that are able to stand up for themselves despite the stigma around doing so at the time. A prime example of this is seen in the story of the Madonna Filippa, which is the 7th story of the 6th day; This story centers around Filippa, who is caught cheating on her husband and is then taken to trial, where she could be put to death if found guilty. Instead of denying her crime, she admits to the judge that she was guilty of adultery and defends her actions by stating that she’s never denied her husband anything, that she simply has surplus love to give and asks the judge “Am I to cast it to the dogs? Is it not much better to bestow it on a gentleman that loves me more dearly than himself, than to suffer it to come to nought or worse?” (line 17). Seemingly through her wit alone, she’s able to get the crowd and judge on her side, and gets the law changed such that only women who commit adultery for money are punished. However, upon further inspection, this story isn’t as empowering as it seems. Firstly, while many women in The Decameron stand up for themselves (which was revolutionary in literature at the time), they generally don’t challenge specific laws or roles placed on women by society. This rings true for Filippa as well. She does challenge the law on her own, but even after her defense, it remains put in place and is only changed such that “thenceforth only such women as should wrong their husbands for money should be within its purview” (line 18); Filippa is only able to change the law to fit her given circumstances rather than calling for the abolition of said statute, or to have men included in it’s punishment. Additionally, Boccaccio seems to allude that Filippa’s beauty played a big part in her success. As Marcel Janssens states, women in The Decameron are often able to succeed in defending themselves “provided she is beautiful, witty, and tricky” (Wright, 1991, p. 27), and Filippa falls into this category as well. Early on in this story, it’s stated that Filippa’s beauty and poised nature caused the judge to feel sympathetic towards her, as shown in the quote “The Podestà, surveying her, and taking note of her extraordinary beauty, and exquisite manners, and the high courage that her words evinced, was touched with compassion for her” (line 11). While Filippa made a compelling argument that was able to get the crowd on her side, the prior quote begs the question: If Filippa did not have her “extraordinary beauty”, would she have been as successful?
Finally, we have Petrarch, whose work is unique as it only focuses on one woman: Laura. Despite nearly all of Petrarch’s poems being centered around his love for Laura (even after her death), she never actually speaks in any of his work. Instead, Petrarch decides to speak about her and describe how much he loves her, rather than depicting any direct interactions the two may have had. Similar to the depictions of Beatrice in ‘The Divine Comedy’, Petrarch describes Laura as if she’s a holy figure rather than a normal woman. This is especially seen in sonnet 90, where he states “The way she walked was not the way of mortals but of angelic forms;” (lines 9-10) and refers to her as “a godly spirit and a living sun” (line 12). While Petrarch clearly loves Laura deeply and praises her highly, this does little to let the reader know who she was as a person in real life. Due to Laura’s lack of a voice within the text, Nancy Vickers points out that “bodies fetishized by a poetic voice logically do not have a voice of their own; the world of making words, of making texts, is not theirs” (Cox, 2005, p. 3). Ultimately, Petrarch’s depiction of Laura is one that many women deem to be fetishizing, as she seemingly has no thoughts or words of her own and is only seen through the eyes of the poet.
An engraving that depicts both Laura and Petrarch done by Antonio Salamanca (from: Antonio Salamanca (1500-62) – Laura and Petrarch. Royal Collection Trust. (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.rct.uk/collection/809553/laura-and-petrarch)
Overall, Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch are all very influential authors, and their works should still be taught and read today due to how much they’ve impacted literature as we know it. However, it’s also important to note that these works were products of their time, which is evidently clear from how each author portrays women; ranging from Boccaccio’s depiction of women who use their wits and beauty to get what they want, to Petrarch and Dante’s love interests who embody holiness.
Citations:
Dante, A. D. (1996). The divine comedy of dante alighieri : Inferno. Oxford University Press USA – OSO.
Carey, Brooke L., “Le Donne di Dante: An Historical Study of Female Characters in The Divine Comedy” (2007). Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects. 573. https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/573
WRIGHT, E. C. (1991). Marguerite Reads Giovanni: Gender and Narration in the “Heptaméron” and the “Decameron.” Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme, 15(1), 21–36. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43445607
This semester, we read the works of several Italian literary figures. Two figures that really stood out to me were Machiavelli and Boccaccio. It was very interesting reading “The Prince” and “The Decameron”. Reading the Prince, I found myself being shocked at how Machiavelli thought a ruler should rule. It was way different than what a ruler looks like in my mind. It felt like he had a very cynical view of people. With Boccaccio, he provided a very human point of view in the Decameron, writing all these interesting stories, each presenting a theme that shows some insight into human behavior. Reading both pieces of work, some passages felt very similar to one another.
The way that they feel similar to one another to me would be how they present morality. For Machiavelli, it seems that morality is not something that should be prioritized. In the eyes of Machiavelli, he feels that the prince should rule based on the circumstances, and not what may be considered good. “Hence it is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity.” (Chapter 15). Throughout the chapters, he suggests more immoral ways of ruling. A prince should know when to lie, not keep promises, when to be cruel, etc. With these lessons, Machiavelli ultimately decides that morality is out of the question; that the prince should act on the desire to keep his power, no matter what. Power is the priority, not your morals. This in a way is similar to what Boccaccio writes about in his stories, where desire overcomes morality.
Before talking about desire, what are the morals being presented in the Decameron? According to Robert Hastings in “Nature and Reason in the Decameron”, he states “Arguably, the moral base of the Decameron is Nature.”. In the Decameron, it seems that our desires and morals are intertwined; as nature can be seen as our natural desires. A big example of a natural desire is love. In day four of the Decameron, a common theme among the stories is love ending unhappily. “Those who oppose themselves to the law of Nature are bound to failure and also perhaps to causing great harm.” (Hastings). In the fourth day, there are characters that oppose the love between two people, and end up causing “great harm”; causing the love to end, as the theme suggests, unhappily.
Desire can be seen as a strong force that drives the characters’ actions in each story. This desire is what causes the characters to abandon their morals and oppose nature. “Determined to quench the heat of her love by wreaking his vengeance on her lover, and bade the two men that had charge of Guiscardo to strangle him noiselessly that same night…” (Decameron, fourth day, first story). In this instance, the one wreaking vengeance is Tancredi, a prince. Tancredi has a daughter who is dear to him, and does not want her to marry. With this desire to keep his daughter close to him, he opposes his daughter’s love and kills her lover. Unfortunately, this causes the daughter to kill herself, showing the “great harm” that is caused by Tancredi’s opposition to nature. With this, we can see a similarity between the Prince and the Decameron.
Both works present a different moral system, but both present desire as a way to overcome those morals. One’s desire is strong enough to ignore these morals, and can cause them to carry out actions, good or bad, to pursue that desire. It was really interesting to read these two pieces of literature and see this. Each work provided a compelling insight into morals, and how we as people act with these morals, or how it affects us.
Sources:
Boccaccio, Giovanni. G. H. McWilliam, trans. The Decameron. London: Penguin Books, 197
Hastings, R. Nature and Reason in the Decameron. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1975.
Marriott, W. K. “15.” The Prince, Project Gutenberg, 2017.
Giovanni Boccaccio’s “The Decameron” is set at a time period in which in society women were generally held at lower social standings than those of men. In The Decameron although women were demonstrated to have no significant social status, it is seeming that women did have an upperhand in some aspects. Throughout the 100 stories when it did come down to Boccaccio comparing men and women he did seem to favor the women as better in the terms of evil and good. Taking a closer look into female/male relationships in the stories Boccaccio has shown the idea that women are much more stronger, cunning and lustful than men.
While men are portrayed to be “strong” the women have to tolerate a lot more adversity than men, which follows back to women having a lack of alternatives. Women must bear the hardships because they have no sense of power to eliminate them. For example, the tenth day, tenth story in The Decameron the story of Griselda is told in which she puts up with such horrors and abuse of power acted upon by Gualtieri, her supposed husband. Gualtieri uses his role and power to temper with Griselda’s emotions through various “tests”, which was fine at first but he got carried away and put her through a lot of emotional distress but her reaction was rather the same through it all. She was sad and heartbroken but had no choice but to put up with it because she vowed to do anything to keep him happy. In the Decameron web it states, “My lord, do with me as thou mayst deem best for thine own honour and comfort, for well I wot that I am of less account than they, and unworthy of this honourable estate to which of thy courtesy thou hast advanced me. ” [ 029 ] By which answer Gualtieri was well pleased, witting that she was in no degree puffed up with pride by his, or any other’s, honourable entreatment of her. [ 030 ] A while afterwards, having in general terms given his wife to understand that the vassals could not endure her daughter, he sent her a message by a servant. So the servant came, and: “ Madam, ” quoth he with a most dolorous mien, “ so I value my life, I must needs do my lord’s bidding. He has bidden me take your daughter and . . . ” [ 031 ] He said no more, but the lady by what she heard, and read in his face, and remembered of her husband’s words, understood that he was bidden to put the child to death. Whereupon she presently took the child from the cradle, and having kissed and blessed her, albeit she was very sore at heart, she changed not countenance, but placed it in the servant’s arms,” Boccaccio’s descriptive language use detailing the cruel acts Gualtieri made towards Griselda serves to prove how women are much more able to tolerate more adversity than men and show his point of view.
Furthermore, Boccaccio had also depicted women to be superior to men because of their cunning ways. Women have ways of outsmarting men in this society, though men are viewed to be the more physically able, “smart” and powerful they did not possess the capabilities of women. In The Decameron Boccaccio writes about the story of a young woman, Madonna Fiordaliso who creates a great plan to outsmart Andreuccio on the second day, fifth story. Andreuccio goes about his way with merchant friends to purchase some horses in Naples, he was unable to come to an agreement with any sellers. As a result he went around showing the gold florins within his purse, as a way of basically showing the sellers that he was actually serious about purchasing the horses. Unfortunately for him many others were able to see his revealed purse including Madonna Fiordaliso. Along with her was a woman who was Sicilian like her who is much older, and she claims to recognize Andreuccio and greets him. The older woman also tells Madonna Fiordaliso that she knows a whole lot about him, as a result Fiordaliso uses the information to her advantage and creates a wicked plan. She invites him to her home and plays the trick that they are somehow siblings. After doing so he goes to quickly use the bathroom and is encountered with the trap she has set, he stays stuck while she is able to attain his purse. In The Decameron Web it states, “ It was a very hot night; so, no sooner was Andreuccio alone than he stripped himself to his doublet, and drew off his stockings and laid them on the bed’s head; and nature demanding a discharge of the surplus weight which he carried within him, he asked the lad where this might be done, and was shewn a door in a corner of the room, and told to go in there. [ 038 ] Andreuccio, nothing doubting, did so, but, by ill luck, set his foot on a plank which was detached from the joist at the further end, whereby down it went, and he with it. By God’s grace he took no hurt by the fall, though it was from some height, beyond sousing himself from head to foot in the ordure which filled the whole place, which, [ 039 ] that you may the better understand what has been said, and that which is to follow, I will describe to you.”
There have also been times in which men have both outsmarted and used power against women in The decameron but they have only done so through their own depravity and not because their intellicity superior. An example of so is presented in the Decameron fifth day, third story in which the story of Pietro di Vinciolo and his wife is told. Pietro finds his wife’s lover in their chicken coop and decides the suitable punishment for them would be for the man to have sex with them both. Pietro was only able to obtain what he desires not through superior cunning or intellect but through his fortune in catching his wife’s lover.
Boccaccio’s The Decameron, touches on a variety of topics and themes, providing a significant amount of perspectives on the differing characteristics of men and women. The stories propose that women are significantly superior in many aspects. In the stories, the various narrators compare both male and female attempts with characteristics to provide a reference of which to compare the genders.
Giovanni Boccaccio created The Decameron in a time period back when women were seen as inferior to men, and quite frankly anyone else in society. They were seen as individuals holding lower social positions than men. In The Decameron, women are mostly always shown as severely restricted, and unable to do or act in ways that they wish they could. They were depicted in a way where they were not allowed to hold power or have a significant position in society, and that is exactly the way they lived their lives in the 14th-century. Instead, they were made to maintain their positions of stay-at-home wives and mothers, whose primary focus was to solely care for their families. However, In The Decameron, Boccaccio showcased women as being a lot more independent and more powerful for the most part (not all female characters showed this.) He surpasses the roles and expectations of women from that time period, by illustrating women as more intelligent, more patient, and way more lustful than they normally would be. He even shows women as being a lot more capable than men to endure a lot of hardships, heartache, and pain that others have put them through. All things considered, Boccaccio seemed to have been feminist, as seen by a lot of these stories.
The Decameron is a collection of stories or novellas by the 14th-century Italian author. In this series of stories, women have been represented in many different ways, both good and bad. One of the many representations being women outwitting men, and surprisingly, is something that happened pretty often. He tends to showcase women as coming out on top in most predicaments that they’re in, or doing things that at that time were probably frowned upon (An example of this being in the fifth story of the second day). In this story, a young and beautiful Sicilian woman named Madonna Fiordaliso sees Andreuccio’s open wallet filled with a ton of money and decides that she wants to take it from him. Fiordaliso uses all the information that she gathered from her older companion to devise a devious plan, inviting him into her home, and tricking him into believing that they are siblings. When he goes to the restroom, he falls into her trap, quite literally because he steps onto a loose plank and drops into an alley. He is left high and dry, while his wallet stays in her home.
He also showcases these women as very loyal, in these stories, enduring things that many of us would have most likely walked away from. (An example of this is on the ninth story of the third day.) In this story, the protagonist, Gillette, is very infatuated and crazy in love with Bertrand. She watched and learned her father’s medical skills, and implemented them on the king who unfortunately became sick. By successfully curing him in one week, she was able to get married to whomever she chose, which unsurprisingly was Bertrand. However, he wasn’t too happy with this because she was a working-class woman and not of a higher class. Ultimately, the only way for him to live with her is if she were to have his kids and a ring from him (which he thinks would never happen.) Since he is actually cheating on her with someone, she tricks him into giving her his ring & sleeping with her by pretending to be her.
These two stories differ in this aspect because 2.5 shows a woman outwitting a man negatively, to get his wallet, while 3.9 shows a woman outwitting a man to get a positive outcome. As Monica Donaggio stated in Implications of Gender Reversal Disguise, “The idea of “putting oneself to the test/mettersi alla prova” is one of the main narrative situations in the Decameron. The character is able to use his or her disguise to accomplish something specific, but, as Donaggio carefully notes, when this is done, the character is able to return to his or her previous identity (which hasn’t ever really been forgotten).“ In these stories Boccaccio had these women go through great lengths and detailed plans to get what they want from these men, masking their true intentions. This is clearly shown with Donna Zinevra (second day, ninth story), who dresses as a young man in order to escape her husband Bernabò.
This same concept can be seen in reverse where men are the ones outwitting women (An example of this being the fifth day, eighth story.) In this story, Anastasio, a Gentleman of the Family of the Honesti, fell in love with the Daughter of Signior Paulo Traversario. However, the feelings were not mutual and she was very unkind to him. Seeing that his attempts to make her fall in love with him were not working, he moved away. While he was walking in the forest he saw a naked woman being chased by an angry knight and dogs, but soon came to realize that they were already dead. He used this to his advantage and showed the woman with whom he was in love with this crazy event, scaring her into thinking that if she did not fall in love with him, he would do the same to her. This goes to show that although Boccaccio tried to show a positive side of women, in this case, their independence and intelligence, this story along with others are very counterintuitive. They show how women in fact still have a weaker, less intelligent, dependent side of them that others can easily notice and manipulate in their favor. All in all, women are depicted in both negative and positive ways in The Decameron, and we are given a glimpse of these different illustrations of them in all of the stories.
Throughout The Divine Comedy by Dante and Il Canzoniere by Petrarca, women and love are portrayed in very similar ways that intrigued me. During this course, I loved reading these particular texts because these authors’ portrayals of love and women were very enlightening and movie-like. They portrayed women as very delicate goddesses, which is my most preferable way to read about women. Growing up, I loved to read fairy tales about princesses falling in love and happily ever after. In these texts by Dante and Petrarca, they brought me back to my younger reading days, and they stuck with me a lot more because of that.
In The Divine Comedy, Dante writes and vividly describes his journey through hell in search to finally reach heaven. In Inferno, the poem about hell, he describes his path through the different circles of hell. He is guided by a Roman poet by the name of Virgil, who was sent to him by his love, Beatrice. Each circle represents a different sin. There was a circle for gluttony, wrath, heretics, and many more. However, before Dante entered the gates of Hell, he was unsure if he should do it or not. It was his love and devotion to see Beatrice that motivated him to take on his journey. Beatrice wanted him to take on this journey, so she along with two other women sent for Virgil. For instance, in Canto 2 of the Inferno, Beatrice states, “O Mantuan Shade, in courtesy complete, whose fame survives on earth, nor less shall grow through all the ages, while the world hath seat; a friend of mine, with fortune for his foe, has met with hindrance on his desert way, and, terror-smitten, can no further go, but turns; and that he is too far astray, and that I rose too late for help, I dread, from what in heaven concerning him they say. Go, with thy speech persuasive him bestead, and with all needful help his guardian prove, That touching him I may be comforted. Know, it is Beatrice seeks thee thus to move. Thence come I where I to return am fain: my coming and my plea are ruled by love. When I shall stand before my Lord again, often to him I will renew thy praise.” This pledge from Beatrice shows how much she truly loves Dante and wants him to get guidance while he goes through hell. She said that she is coming to him out of love for Dante, which was very pure hearted. Dante then states, “When of these words she spoken had the last, she turned aside bright eyes which tears did fill, and I by this was urged to greater haste. And so it was I joined thee by her will. As flowers, by chills nocturnal made to pine and shut themselves, when touched by morning bright upon their stems arise, full-blown and fine; so of my faltering courage changed the plight, and such good cheer ran through my heart, it spurred me to declare, like free-born generous wight: alert in service, hearkening her true word! Thou with thine eloquence my heart has won to keen desire to go, and the intent which first I held I now no longer shun. Therefore proceed; thou art my guide, Lord, Master; thou alone!’ Thus I; and with him, as he forward went, the steep and rugged road I entered on.” Dante’s response was very heartwarming and sweet to read because he knew that it was destined for him to go on this trip because Beatrice wanted him to and because he knew that he had the chance to see her in the end. His love for her as well and Virgil and God made him determined to start and continue his journey. In addition, in Canto 5, Dante enters the Second Circle of Hell, which is for the sin of lust. Dante met a woman named Francesca da Rimini who he felt very sorry for because she gave into lust and desire. He mentioned how him and Beatrice’s love is chaste, which was virtuous and eventually led him closer to God. This was very significant to me because it proved how serious and deep Dante and Beatrice’s connection was, and it contrasted from the sinful love that Francesca gave into.
In continuation, Il Canzionere by Petrarca also had a very evocative depiction of love and women. In this story, the main theme is the many love poems/letters that Petrarca wrote for his love, Laura. In my opinion, his love for Laura was the strongest out of all the texts we have read. He had a very profound passion for Laura and it was very obvious while reading the poems. I was very intrigued and drawn into the poems about Laura because it radiates divine feminine energy. For example, in poem 90 of Il Canzoniere, Petrarca states, “She’d let her gold hair flow free in the breeze that whirled it into thousands of sweet knots, and lovely light would burn beyond all measure in those fair eyes whose light is dinner now. Her face would turn the color pity wears, a pity true or false I do not know, and I with all love’s tinder in my breast; it’s no surprise I quickly caught on fire. The way she walked was not the way of mortals but of angelic forms, and when she spoke more than an earthly voice it was that sang: a godly spirit and a living sun was what I saw, and if she is not now, my wound still bleeds though the bow’s unbent.” This poem is very crucial to the theme of love and it is a very vivid description of the way that Petrarca feels about Laura. When he talks about her eyes and her angelic forms, it makes women seem so delicate and fragile which I really enjoyed reading from a male perspective. During this course, I came to realize that from my experience, the way love was depicted in ancient literature was way deeper and more passionate than the way it is depicted in stories now. This was one of the reasons why I enjoyed continuing to read the texts in this course. All the elements and aspects are much more intense and even though at times it was hard to follow on, the passion from the authors always came through, and especially Petrarca. The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica did a summary on Il Canzoniere and made Laura a literary subject in their analysis. The Encyclopedia Britannica states, “The poems treat a variety of moods and subjects but particularly his intense psychological reactions to his beloved. Many of his similes, such as burning like fire and freezing like ice, beautifully stated in the sonnet beginning ‘I find no peace, and all my war is done,’ were to be frequently repeated by sonneteers of Elizabethan England and later became poetic cliches. Some of the poems express the very simple, human wish to be with her and to be treated kindly. After Laura’s death Petrarch’s poems continued on the same themes, expressing his sorrow and describing her to return to him in dreams.” This quote from The Encyclopedia is very important because it explains how captivating Petrarca’s tactics were in the poems he was writing about Laura. The quote even says that his similes were later on used by different poets and eventually his quotes became cliche because of how often they were being used.
To conclude, The Divine Comedy by Dante and Il Canzoniere by Petrarca portray love and women in very similar and fascinating ways. Both authors have very strong characters and passion for the women they are idolizing and it made their texts way more intriguing to read and analyze. Their portrayal of love was like a fantasy in a fairytale, and the way they depicted women brought out their use of great vocabulary and literary tactics in their writing, which made those connections feel stronger.
References:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Laura”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Laura-literary-subject. Accessed 21 December 2021.
Petrarca, Francesco, and Mark Musa. Selections from the Canzoniere (Poem 90) Oxford [Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1999. Print.
Dante, Alighieri, and Mark Musa. Dante’s Inferno. Canto ll; Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1971.
by: R Solow. A picture of the fox and lion Machiavelli uses to describe when it’s necessary to be cruel.
In Machiavelli’s The Prince, he mentions countless themes and topics such as free will, cruelty, and virtue. Machiavelli believes that cruelty should be advised only in instances where it’s necessary. His views were more clearly shown in chapters 8 and 17. In chapter 8 he advises the prince against injuring his peasants on a regular basis, as this will make him loathed. Instead, he must only be cruel when it is absolutely essential to avert worse wrongdoing. In The Prince, it wasn’t a matter of whether cruelty was wrong or not it was a matter of whether it is used well or not. In Chapter 17 he mentions the instances where being cruel is necessary. In Chapter 17 he states, “You must know there are two ways of contesting, the one by the law, the other by force; the first method is proper to men, the second to beasts; but because the first is frequently not sufficient, it is necessary to have recourse to the second. Therefore it is necessary for a prince to understand how to avail himself of the beast and the man.” In this Machiavelli basically shows his view on cruelty, he believes that the amount and severity depend on the person and situation you are dealing with. In his metaphor when dealing with someone who is a snare you must act like a fox, and for those who are wolves, you must act like a lion. The more power the person has the more necessary cruelty is.
One of the images that Machiavelli places in our heads as fortune; which is that fortune is like a raging river, representing bad fortune
Early in “The Prince”, we see that Machiavelli believes that personal ability is very important, determining how well they can rule. In chapter 5, he talks about those who have risen the ranks through their own ability, and those who haven’t, rising through fortune. “where there is a new prince, more or less difficulty is found in keeping them, accordingly as there is more or less ability in him who has acquired the state”. With those who have risen only through fortune, Machiavelli believes that they will have difficulty keeping that power. Machiavelli talks more about fortune later on, and more on why fortune shouldn’t be relied on too much.
In chapter 25, Machiavelli uses a river to describe fortune. He talks how fortune can be a raging river that floods the plains and sweeps away anything in its path, but “when the weather becomes fair… their force be neither so unrestrained nor so dangerous.”. Later in the chapter, he talks about the prince determining their actions based off their circumstances; and how if their actions are not suited for the situation, they will not succeed. If their fortune is like a “raging river” and do not react properly, they will not succeed, and may even end up losing their power. Machiavelli believes that fortune is the first half of what your actions are, and that the other half is your free will, or what can be seen as your own ability. The prince’s ability to react to their fortune will determine whether or not they will successful.
In The Memorial, Angela’s transcendental journey is disclosed to us through various steps, where we see her devotion grow as she moves further along. During the ninth step, Angela reveals some of the things that she abstained from and some of the things that she integrated into her daily life in order to strengthen her relationship with God. Once “the path to the cross” became clear to her, Angela started to reject “fine food, fancy clothing and head dresses.” In addition, she also stripped herself in a literal and metaphorical sense which strongly indicates her drive to follow God, regardless of society’s view on what is scandalous or not.
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