Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron, which was inspired by Europe’s worst disaster, the Black Death is a remarkable and important literary work. The book contains an assortment of personal anecdotes set in the context of the disease. Ten wealthy Florentines decide to move to the country to avoid getting the plague. The residents recount their stories each day after being placed in quarantine. These anecdotes demonstrate the importance of leadership to combat the effects of the pandemic. The book is fiction-like, but it’s practical. Boccaccio uses the stories of the Florentine people to provide a social commentary on power within the community. Boccaccio’s Decameron uses storytelling to show the importance of the authorities (such as the Church or aristocrats) and the abstract power that social conventions have in dealing with societal problems. Leaders are challenged to keep their morality.
Boccaccio addresses the problems caused by the plague in society and the inability to control it. From the stories, the audience learns the real consequences and importance of having fair authority within society. Boccaccio’s most significant criticism concerns the authority and legitimacy of the church. The Catholic Church had been one of Europe’s most prominent institutions prior to the Protestant Reformation. The crucial tasks of the Church included organizing crusades, deciding who will enter heaven and enforced interdict. Because of their influence, clergy could be as shrewd and opportunistic as they wanted. Boccaccio criticizes the failure of the Church to uphold moral values through satirical stories. Boccaccio illustrated the problems of the church by telling the story of Jehannot (the Jew) on day one of his storytelling. Jehannot attempts convert Abraham into the Catholic faith. Abraham rides his horse to Rome and settles, not informing anybody about his goal to watch the behaviour of the clergy. He accuses Christian leaders of immorality, especially their greed, which resulted in the taxation and exorbitant price hikes for all. Abraham said, “On closer inspection, he discovered that they were such voracious money-grubbers, they were just as happy to buy and sell human, which is Christian blood, as they were to trade profit in any kind of holy thing be it sacraments, or church livess.” (Boccaccio 2003). Religious leaders’ hypocrisy is indicative that they lack social justice. They should lead the fight for positive change and address the issues facing people.
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