Decameron WebA growing hypermedia archive of materials dedicated to Boccaccio's masterpiece. Click on the section "PLAGUE" to learn about the effects of the disease.
Complete the questions, based on the video, and your knowledge of Global History.
1. What was the status of life in Europe in terms of
faith, technology, and trade before the Plague
arrived?
2. Where do historians believe the Plague
originated? What were the primary methods of
its transmission?
3. What changes in society do you think could
have played a role in the rapid spread of the
Plague?
4. Do you think the spread of the Plague was
inevitable? If not, what could have been done
to prevent its spread, and by whom?
5. What was the philosophy of the “flagellants”?
Why do you think their method of dealing with
the Plague was appealing to so many people?
6. What were some of the explanations people gave
for what the Plague was and why it had arrived?
Which reason do you think would have made the
most sense to you at the time?
7. Why do you think so many Europeans blamed
others for the Plague? What does this say about
their understanding of disease?
8. In what ways did the Plague alter the relationship
between humans and their faith in God? Explain
your answer.
9. How did the Plague affect concepts of authority
and social class?
10. What sources have historians used in order to
learn more about the Plague? Which of these
sources do you think are the most accurate?
Which do you think are the most revealing?
11. What were the long-term ramifications of the
Plague? How did it transform European society
and medical knowledge?
12. Do you think a disease as devastating as the
Plague could spread today? Why or why not?
1. Is it more likely that the plague originally entered Europe on the Venetian or Genoese
trade route? Cite some evidence for your answer.
2. Did the plague seem to travel more quickly along the shipping routes or overland? Cite
some evidence for your answer.
3. How do you believe the plague traveled to Paris, overland or along the shipping routes?
Cite some evidence for your answer.
4. Why did the plague take so long to reach London, when it had arrived in nearby Paris a
year earlier? Cite some evidence for your answer.
5. How do you believe the plague traveled to Hamburg, overland or along the shipping
routes? Cite some evidence for your answer.
6. Is it possible, given the information you have, to tell if the plague traveled to Hamburg
overland directly from Genoa or by way of Paris? Cite some evidence for your answer.
