The Decameron represented women as slaves and servants to their male counterparts. They, for the most part, did not have a lot of independence and did as they were told. In story 10, Gualtieri's wife does exactly what she is told and is forced to accept any test that is placed upon her. This would be a negative representation of women at the time due to the fact that this woman did not have the power to act on her desires or emotions. She was forced to hide her true feelings about Gualtieri's actions, and did not object to anything he ordered. However, in story 1, the woman takes in the dying Marquis and decides on her own accord to have sex with him. This action would be looked down upon and would be punished in this time period. This is a positive portrayal of women in my opinion though because she had the confidence to do what she wanted without regard to the consequences.
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