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Dante Alighieri's Portrayal Of Women In The Middle Ages

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There were some authors in the Middle Ages and through the Renaissance and into reformation, such as Dante Alighieri, Boccaccio, and Macchiaveli, who wrote about women in a way different than they were recognized in the common thought of the time.Though they still maintained the iconic stance as a “lady on a pedestal” they also had an element of intellect, which an ability to have cunning thought and wit. It was common for the women of this time to mainly seen for their body, as an icon of their status, and the ultimate downfall of man. Women were also incapable of being independent or having intelligence that could even come close to that of a man. In the literature of the authors listed above, however, they possessed intellect, cunning thought, and knowledge that not only matched their male counterparts but surpassed as well as a strong character that was unusual for the woman of that time In Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, Beatrice is the main female figure. In society, Beatrice was Dante’s true love ever since he laid his eyes on her at the age of nine, and in his mind was a heavenly, ideal woman. Contrary to the present day, this love in society of the middle ages was “courtly love”, or an …show more content…

Boccaccio takes a step further than Dante in almost dedicating the book to women by starting each of the short stories with words such as “my dearest ladies”, “charming lady friends”, and “gracious ladies”. Because of this, Boccaccio has earned the title as a “proto feminist” in advocating for their intellect and ability to make their own decisions about their lives. This was especially revolutionary at the time because women were the cause of men’s suffering, had insatiable lust, no right to speech, and no saying in decisions.This catering to women as intellectual equals is a theme that is carried through the

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