History 119B – Medieval Europe, 1000 to 1500
PAPER SHOULD BE NO MORE THAN SIX TYPED PAGES IN LENGTH. IT SHOULD
BE DOUBLE-SPACED WITH REASONABLE MARGINS. USE PAGE NUMBER.
PROVIDE REFERENCES.
PROMPT: Read Boccaccio’s description of the plague and other of the readings on the Black Death in the
website. Think of how those writing about the plague describe its course and development. How
would you relate those experiences of the plague in the past to the present pandemic? How was it
different? How was somewhat similar?
I included the readings that go accordingly to the essay prompt please refer to this reading. Starts from pages 95-106.
BOOK: The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
Section from where to include reference: Preface to the Ladies
Answer preview
The plague, which broke out in Florence in 1348, ended up being one of the deadliest pandemics in human history. As Giovanni Boccaccio illustrates in The Decameron, the plague spread in the East and extended to other countries through trading activities, causing countless deaths. Men and women got swellings under the armpits or the groin, which people referred to as boils and then spread everywhere on their bodies (Boccaccio, 96). During the outbreak, physicians did not have appropriate preventive measures; hence, people who got infected died within three days. Based on the plague’s description and its development, people’s experiences regarding the pandemic and the current Covid-19 have certain similarities and differences.
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