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How is fortune treated in the stories of Days 2 and 3 of the Decameron?
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Giovanni Boccaccio
Italian poet and scholar Giovanni Boccaccio, detail of a fresco by Andrea del Castagno; in the Cenacolo di Sant'Apollonia, Florence.
In the Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio explores the interplay between human agency and the unpredictable nature of life. The treatment of fortune serves as a central thematic progression across the early days of the collection:
- Day 2: The stories emphasize the power of fortune, depicting it as a force that triumphs over its human playthings, often leaving individuals subject to its unpredictable whims.1
- Day 3: The narrative focus shifts, illustrating the human capacity to overcome these external circumstances. In these tales, fortune is effectively "trounced" by the exercise of human will and ingenuity.1
This progression highlights Boccaccio’s broader departure from medieval sensibilities, as he consistently insists on the human ability to navigate, overcome, and even exploit fortune through wit and determination.1