Introduction
Literary works often reflect the times during which they were written. As positions of men and women in society changed significantly over time, literature gives the readers a unique opportunity to see the differences in the treatment and perception of the two genders centuries ago. Many stories comment on the lack of female voices in patriarchic society or how they were silenced and misunderstood. This essay will examine how women are portrayed in Boccaccio’s The Decameron and de Navarre’s Heptameron.
Similarities in the Depiction of Women
There are many parallels in the portrayal of women in Heptameron and The Decameron. In both the collection of tales, they are put in romantic relationships and presented primarily as objects of male desire. The plot of many stories is propelled by men trying to seduce women regardless of their marital status. One of Heptameron’s stories tells the readers about a virtuous wife who died at the hands of a servant who was in love with her (de Navarre). He tried to “obtain by force what neither prayer nor service had availed to procure him” (de Navarre). The servant does not care about her feelings and kills and rapes her despite his claims of love. The Decameron has similar tales of men desiring women and seeing them as objects. In one of the stories, a girl is so terrified to be killed and given to the dogs to be devoured, she agrees to wed a man she refused to marry before (Boccaccio 450). Thus, many characters in the stories are shown as objects of men’s desires and advances that they are often unable to thwart.
The Decameron and Heptameron often describe women as brides, wives, or lovers, indicating that their principal position in society is to be companions to men. All main female characters in the stories are depicted through their relationships, either romantic or strictly physical. They are also only viewed as potential lovers by their male counterparts. For instance, a young prince in Heptameron sees a young girl his sister used to play with as a prospective mistress (de Navarre). Meanwhile, most of the stories in The Decameron revolve around married women and their affairs with other men. Thus, the lives of female characters in these tales are not painted beyond their relationships.
Differences in the Depiction of Women
There are also many notable differences in how Boccaccio and de Navarre write about women and their place in relationships and society. The most striking difference can be seen in the depiction of female sexuality by the two authors. De Navarre portrays women as virtuous and righteous and defends those who cheat on their husbands, giving love as the main reason. Meanwhile, Boccaccio often describes them as hyper-sexual and being capable of becoming just as depraved as men. One example of this wanton behavior can be seen in the story about a convent where nuns use a hapless gardener as a sexual outlet (Boccaccio 204-211). The narrator notes that people assume that when a young woman becomes a nun, she “is no longer a woman and no longer feels female cravings” (Boccaccio 204). The author does not shame his characters for being sexual but instead states that it is in their nature just as it is in men’s nature to crave physical contact with others. He also does not shame the nuns in the story shifting the blame onto those who put restrictions on them.
Another difference lies in the way in which the authors empower women in their stories. Boccaccio gives his female characters the power of great cunning, while de Navarre gives them the power of virtue. The latter often depicts how being virtuous lends women power over men. Thus, in one of the novellas on day five, the author describes how a girl of low social standing refuses a prince who “hoped easily to obtain what he sought” (de Navarre). The girl’s refusal inspires admiration for her in the prince, who later allows her to be married to one of his men and live out her life with a good reputation (de Navarre). However, in The Decameron, the author favors cunning over virtue. In one of his stories, he describes how cunning helped Madonna Agnesa avoid her husband’s wrath by quickly coming up with an excuse for being in a locked room with another man (Boccaccio 534). Overall, although both Boccaccio and de Navarre show the power of virtue, the former also illustrates and praises women’s cunning.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both Boccaccio and de Navarre depict women from a similar perspective, albeit with few significant differences. The main parallels in the two works of fiction are the portrayal of female characters through their relationships and as objects of male desire, which they are often unable to escape. Nevertheless, the authors do not describe female sexuality in the same way, with Boccaccio allowing women to give in to their desires. Female power is also described differently, with women’s cunning being championed by Boccaccio and virtue being praised by de Navarre.
Works Cited
Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. W. W. Norton, 2015.
de Navarre, Marguerite. “The Heptameron, Volume I.”Project Gutenberg. 2016, Web.