How did Giovanni Boccaccio portray the plague in the opening of the Decameron?

In the opening of the Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio portrays the plague (the Black Death) in Florence in 1348 with somber, grand, and vivid prose. He describes the epidemic not merely as a medical crisis, but as a catalyst for profound moral and social chaos.12

These opening passages serve as a stark, gloomy contrast to the wit and liveliness that characterize the subsequent tales told by the ten young people who flee the city. By framing the collection of stories against the inescapable presence of the plague, Boccaccio establishes a backdrop of tragedy and instability. This setting emphasizes a central theme of the work: the human struggle to confront and overcome fortune through will, intellect, and the affirmation of moral values, even in the face of overwhelming catastrophe.123