The Decameron is a collection of short stories written by the Italian author Boccaccio in the 14th century. Gender is a major theme of note in the Decameron. It was set in a time when there was plague in Italy and many people had fled various cities and were hiding in the countryside. The tales came from a group of three young men and six women who fled the city of Florence, and used these tales to pass the time which became the tales used to compose the Decameron. Boccaccio's writings abound with statements that focus on women, and it is a fact that these statements on the one hand praise women and on the other blame them. Lust, strength, and wit are the three main talking points used by the writer with respect to both genre categories. These three topics which can be classified as feminist or anti-feminist will therefore shape the topic of gender. There is a relationship that exists between Boccaccio's era and modern society, and this especially concerns the way women are viewed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayIt can therefore be said that Boccaccio, in his time, was a feminist who in a certain sense also had an eye on the future. Boccaccio maintained a misogynistic and traditional view that seems to be obsolete about women. This can be supported by the fact that most playwrights praise women for using their wits and aggression, especially on issues such as love or lust. Boccaccio goes so far as to ignore or refrain from speaking about his personal misery, his pain, and his destruction, and proceeds to allow the reader to be entertained by female supremacy. He writes the following to support the refrain; “The more I reflect on this misery, the deeper my sense of personal pain; therefore I refrain from describing those aspects that can conveniently be omitted, and proceed to inform you that these were the conditions prevailing in our city" (Boccaccio, 1804) The tension existing between men and women was best represented by Dioneo's story. The gender disparity that was very much inherent in Boccaccio's time was best explored in Dioneo's narrative. Therefore, the stories of the Decameron are mostly controversial but to some extent also very inspiring. The women in Boccaccio's stories were portrayed as difficult people to fall into the trap of susceptibility as they always find a way to maneuver some of the complex situations. they face. With this we can say that women are stronger than men, and it is clearly justified in the stories. This was demonstrated by Boccaccio through some stories that illustrated very well how women managed to juggle some adversities. The story involving Gualtieri and Griselda on the Tenth Day best explains how a woman can tolerate difficulties. Griselda displayed a calm demeanor during the unwarranted and cruel treatment she received from her future spouse. She went through these tribulations without a single thought of revenge or revenge, and through this we can say that Boccaccio's intent was to justify that women encounter more difficulties than men and ultimately triumph. Women in the Decameron were described as dominant and assertive. . Dioneo's narrative of the tenth day tells the story of a rich young man named Gualtieri who identifies a poor young woman named Griselda as his wife. Gualtieri offers many dissuasive conditions before asking to marry Griselda: "if he married her, she would always try to please him and would never be upset by anything he says or does, ifwould you obey, and many other questions of this kind, to all of which you answered yes. (Boccaccio, 1804) He made his bride strip naked in public, and Griselda was still able to go through it all without any outward expression of scruples or resistance. This showed how women at that time suffered many adversities and still managed to face them. Griselda lived happily thereafter with her spouse and bore him a son. Boccaccio through this story of the tenth day demonstrated that women are mentally stronger than men. Griselda's cruelty ends with some consoling words from Gualtieri: “The time has come for you to reap the reward of your inexhaustible patience, and for those who considered me a cruel and bestial tyrant, to know that whatever I have done is was done seriously. purpose, because I want to show you how to be a good wife and ensure my peace and quiet as long as we live under the same roof. When I came to take a wife, I was very afraid that this peace would be denied me, and to prove the contrary to you I tormented and provoked you in the ways you have seen. But since I have never seen you oppose my desires, I now intend, convinced that you can offer me all the happiness I desire, to return to you in a single instant what I have taken from you little by little, and to deliciously appease your desire. pains I have inflicted on you." (Boccaccio, 1804) This statement simply demonstrates the extent of adversity Griselda faced, yet she went through it alone and unscathed. Most of Boccaccio's stories also depict women as people who crave sex more than men, and do so by using wit to defeat their offenders. The story itself in its introductory part offers consolation to women in love. This provides an indication of how Boccaccio believes that women tend to be more present in sexual situations than men. In the story of the Third Day told by Filostrato, a young man who tended gardens and did menial jobs called Nuto introduced Masetto to replace him at the convent and fill the same roles. Masetto plans to trick the nuns into having sex with him, which he manages to do by pretending to be deaf. He does this for several days but later realizes that this was becoming too much for him. This can be interpreted to mean that Boccaccio is if he thought that women crave sex more than men. The tenth story of Alibech and Rusticus told by Dieneus also explains the aspect of lust better. Rustico tricks Alibech into believing that the best way to send the devil back to hell is to have sex with him. Rustico finds this ritual of “serving God” very interesting and becomes overly zealous about it (Boccaccio, 1804). The insatiable nature of female lust is further illustrated very well in the second day in the story of Ricciardo da Chinzica. The narration made by Dioneo talks about an old lawyer who marries Bartolomea, a very young and beautiful lady who easily attracts the attention of young and single men. She is not sexually satisfied by her husband and for this reason she decides to go and live with a certain young man named Paganino. Bartolomea refuses to return to her husband when he begs her to return. She responds to Ricciardo with the following; "you showed little sign of knowing me, when I lived with you, for if, then or now, you had been as wise as you would pretend, you would surely have had the courage to understand that a fresh and vigorous young woman like me needs something more of food and clothing, even if modesty forbids her to say so. And you know how little you have provided. If you had been more interested in studying law than in supporting a wife, you should never have married to beinterpreted in the sense that Boccaccio agreed with what Bartolomea did, and that he praised the fact that she had decided to follow her natural desires and live with the young man forever. It is also important to note that not only did Bartolomea agree with his point of view, but the other women also unanimously agreed with what he had done. This can be illustrated by the following writing by Boccaccio; “This story threw the whole company into such laughter that there were none of them whose jaws did not ache, and the ladies unanimously agreed that Dioneo was right...” (Boccaccio, 1804)The theme chosen by Dioneo in seventh day illustrates very well how Boccaccio saw women as obsessed with lust or sex. During his appointment as king, Dioneo explains the following to the brigade;” I'd like us tomorrow to talk about the tricks that women, either out of love or for reasons of self-preservation, have played on their husbands, whether they got caught or not. (Boccaccio, 1804) Dienao believed very well that the topic was very delicate but did not refrain from discussing it. In Boccaccio's time it was generally believed that every topic should be discussed freely. The laughter that comes from these types of stories shows the amount of pleasure women get from these types of stories. This is interpreted to mean that they must also have practiced what was in question. According to Dioneo, used by Boccacio to tell his stories, sexual desire is the key to a woman's stature of power in any society. He notes that wit and cunning often play an important role alongside sexual desires in achieving this power. The question of sexuality is so fundamental for Boccaccio because it can be identified as the most powerful point to allow the comparison between the two types of genders. On the ninth day Dioneo tells a story from the Decameron which tells the story of a priest and a poor couple. The peasant couple receives a surprise visit from the priest who suggests they sleep in the stable because his mare turns into a female during her sleep. The farmer's wife desires such power and he asks the priest to help her perform this kind of miracle. The priest agrees, and in Boccaccio's words; “..he took off all his clothes and got down on all fours like a mare, also ordering her not to say a word whatever happened, after which he began to caress her face and head with his hands..” (Boccaccio, 1804) This is the The process continues while the priest touches all parts of the peasant's body without her complaining. This shows how much she really enjoyed this type of sexual activity. The husband, who has always followed the unfolding of events, complains to the priest. The priest then interrupts the process by complaining that the magical transformation has been interrupted, and the wife is really offended and calls her husband a fool for interrupting the process. The wife's anguish goes further to show how supportive the wife was of what was happening. The cunning nature of women has been well demonstrated in most of the stories, and this simply shows how women, once again in Boccaccio's stories, triumph over men. . In the Seventh Day, the story narrated by Elissa of Rinaldo who hatches a plan of lust with the neighbor's wife named Madonna. Her makeup doesn't help much, but Madonna's makeup works very well to save the situation that was almost getting out of hand. When Rinaldo finally manages to sleep with Madonna, they are almost discovered by Madonna's spouse on that fateful night but she comes up with a clever plan. Through this, we can also say that in Boccaccio's time, women deceived their pious men by making them.