The concept of natural laws vs. human laws in the Decameron Essay - 1

The concept of natural laws vs. human laws in the Decameron - Essay Example The stories are concerned with a lot of things but it is the everyman hero which comes out on top rather than a Christian knight or a great king. Topics such as love, practical jokes, the hypocrisy and corruption of the clergy are all covered and often the hero of a tale comes from the mercantile class which was coming up at the time (Barolini, 1983). Since the audience itself was largely composed of individuals from this class, their notion of natural law being more important than human laws is certainly reflected in how the tales take shape. For example, in the very first tale a sinner is canonized as a saint which not only shows the fallacy of human law created by clergymen but also the power of natural law as the man who did wrong in his life was not appreciated by anyone expect the foolish priest who came to see him. In the same series of tales of the first day (sixth and ninth tales), we see examples of how disputes can be better resolved by words amongst individuals rather than resorting to the proper application of the law which might have resulted in the detriment of all concerned parties. It must be noted that Boccaccio does not seek to eradicate laws or even consider them bad since many laws are good for protecting the people. However, laws which make no sense to him or those which he considers archaic traditions are ridiculed extensively. As a replacement of those laws, Boccaccio shows us that natural laws are not only their equal but perhaps an improvement since they result in more equitable answers. The tales of the second day directly connect with this since they all deal with an individual losing his fortune and then through the workings of natural law is restored to his fortune while winning out over those who oppose him. In fact, to take it a step further, it can be said that the relationship between natural law and human law in the