Primary source document analysis worksheet

Primary Source Document Analysis Worksheet

Primary source: Giovanni Boccaccio – The Decameron

_________________________________________________1. What is the main idea Boccaccio is trying to communicate in this excerpt from 

The Decameron? How does he describe the reactions of the citizens of Florence?

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2. What is the author’s bias? What might have motivated Boccaccio to describe the Black 

Death’s impact in Florence?

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3.  What was the context in which Boccaccio was writing? Where and when was this 

document written, and what was going on at that time (beside the plague epidemic)?

_________________________________________________4. Who was the intended audience for The Decameron?

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5. Can you connect The Decameron to other things you’ve learned about, either in class

or elsewhere? How might this source add to our understanding of history?