Document 1

Vergognando
chancor si taccia,
Petrarch, Francesco. - 53
Poems fromtalor
the Canzoniere.
A.K.Kline, 2002. Web. 01 June
2015.
Ashamed sometimes that your beauty,
lady, is still silent in my verses,
The following is Vergognando talor chancor si taccia, a poem by Francesco
I recall
that time
I first
saw it, insight on how women were
Petrarch. In your essay,
this poem
can when
be used
to provide
viewed by men duringsuch
medieval
times. else could ever please me.
that nothing
But I find the weight too great for my shoulder,
a work not to be polished by my skill:
the more my wit exercises its force
the more its whole action grows cold.
Many times my lips have opened to speak,
but my voice is stilled in my chest:
who is he who could climb so high?
Many times Ive begun to scribble verses:
but the pen, the hand, and the intellect
fell back defeated at their first attempt.

Summary: In this poem, Petrarch briefly describes the beauty of a

lady whom he harnesses feelings for, and he is described as being shy
and lost for words in her presence.

Document 2
Cimabue. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo National del Prado,
Madrid. Museo National del Prado. Web. 22 May 2006.
This painting offers a portrayal of the Virgin Mary, surrounded by angels, as a
nurturing and motherly figure. Her motherly presence is helpful in identifying the
role women played during 12th and 13th century society.

Summary: In this piece of artwork by the Italian painter Cimabue, the

Virgin Mary is shown surrounded by angels. It features a large amount
of gold leaf and a symmetrical appearance.

Document 3
Cossar, Roisin.. "A Good Woman": Gender Roles and Female Religious Identity in
Late Medieval Bergamo.. JSTOR. Web. 27 May 2015
In this document, Roisin discusses the donations of women to a certain
almsgiving charity. This document can be used to identify the roles of
women and the typical wealth they possessed during the time period. It
also shows the relationship between women and the church.

Summary: Women, as the article highlights, were treated as

slightly inferior to men. They played a significant role in providing for
the poor, however, the amount tended to vary.

Document 4
Glenn, Diana C. "Women in Limbo: Arbitrary Listings or Textual Referents? Mapping the
Connections in Inferno 4 and Purgatorio 22." Dante Studies, with the Annual Report of the
Dante Society (1999). JSTOR. Web. 31 May 2015.
In this review, Glenn discusses Dantes description of women in Canto V1, the first circle of
hell. You can use this information in your analysis to describe the achievements of some
women and how people might have viewed them during Dantes lifetime.

Summary: Many pagan women, whom Dante placed in the first circle of hell, were
viewed as impressive beings, aside from their lack of faith. In fact, in Canto VI, many of
them were received as equal to their pagan male counterparts.