Selection from Boccaccio's Decameron                                                        Name/ Date _________________________

1) What do the opening lines of the selection reveal about attitudes toward women during this time period?

2) What do you think is being compared to "a rugged hill?"

3) During what year does this story take place?

4) What were some theories regarding the cause of the plague? Where did it supposedly start?

5) What societal and religious measures were taken in Florence to try to stop the plague?

6) What were some of the notable symptoms of the disease found in the west?

7) Who was trying to cure the sick? Why didn't this work?

8) How was the disease transmitted from one person to another, according to Boccaccio?

9) What short anecdote does Boccaccio use to show the speed with which the disease was transmitted?

10) What did people do to try to avoid the sickness? What did they do to keep their spirits up? What is your opinion of these actions?

12) What happened to law and order in Florence? Why did this happen?

13) How did the plague affect the family structure?

14) In what way were people buried while the plague was raging? How did this differ from their traditional burial rites?

15) What was happening in the areas surrounding Florence?