The Decameron

The Decameron is a collection of short stories by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio, completed in 1353. The book was published in the wake of the Black Death, a bubonic plague which swept through Europe in the 14th century. The plague killed a large percentage of the population of Boccaccio’s native Florence. Boccaccio uses the epidemic as a key part of the book’s framing narrative, as in the book, a group of young Florentine men and women attempt to escape the plague-ridden city. They stay in a villa in the countryside and swap stories. The Decameron not only provides an important historical document of the Black Death, but also helped to established vernacular Italian as a legitimate literary language. The book has been hailed as one of the most important and influential literary pieces from the era. This guide uses an eBook version of the 1995 Penguin edition, translated by G. H. McWilliam.

Plot Summary

The Decameron opens with a description of the Black Death that is ravaging the Italian city of Florence in 1348. The plague is killing many people and the extent of the death and suffering means that social order and institutions are on the point of collapse. Traditional relationships and morals are forgotten at a time when so many people are dying in the streets. During this moment of crisis, seven young women from rich and noble families gather together. They want to escape the city, not just for their health but to maintain hope for the future. They meet at the Santa Maria Novella cathedral in Florence and discuss their plans. Pampinea is the oldest of the young women, while the others are named Fiammetta, Filomena, Emilia, Lauretta, Neifile, and Elissa. Pampinea recommends that they find a villa outside the city and pass some time together. In this fashion, they will not be constantly confronted with the specter of death in their day-to-day lives.

Pampinea’s friends like her plan. They recommend that they invite some young men to accompany them to the villa. Fortunately, three young men are passing by Santa Maria Novella at this exact moment and several of the young women happen to be acquainted with them. These three young men are named Panfilo, Filostrato, and Dioneo. They accept the women’s invitation. The group of ten young people nickname themselves “the brigata” and make plans to travel to a villa in the countryside, taking with them food, drink, and servants to make their lives easier.

In the countryside, the brigata spend their time at leisure. They talk, play games, and sing songs to one another. On the first day, they invent a system for storytelling. Each day, the brigata will choose a king or a queen. The only exceptions will be certain days of the week which will be put aside for religious observances and bathing. The king or queen will then select a theme for the day and each member of the group will tell a story based on this theme. As such, over the course of the following ten days, the brigata will share 100 stories. These 100 stories give The Decameron its name, which uses a Greek word to allude to the ten days of storytelling.

Pampinea is made queen for the first day. On this occasion, she does not select a theme. The other members of the brigata, enthused by the concept, begin to swap stories. Over the course of the ensuing days, many similar threads tie the stories together. Ideas of honor, love, betrayal, trickery, and the corruption of the clergy appear in many seemingly disparate stories. At the end of each day, the characters relax and sing songs to one another. Often, these songs will echo similar themes from the stories and hint at the brigata members’s own love lives.

On the second day, Filomena is queen. She chooses misadventures with unexpectedly happy endings as her theme. On the third day, Neifile is queen. After two days set aside for religious observances, she suggests that they move to a garden. Then, she selects a theme of stories in which the characters demonstrate ingenuity. Boccaccio pauses the story before the fourth day to respond to his critics with a story of his own. He returns to the narrative on the fourth day, when Filostrato is king. He chooses love stories with unhappy endings as his theme. On the fifth day, Fiammetta is queen. She chooses love stories in which the characters overcome their misfortunes as her theme. On the sixth day, Elissa is queen. Before the stories can begin, the brigata is called upon to settle a dispute between two servants. When their stories resume, Elissa proposes a theme about characters who overcome difficulties. On the seventh day, the brigata visit a valley. Dioneo is king and he calls for stories in which women trick men. On the eighth day, Lauretta is queen. She also reminds the group to skip the stories for two days for religious reasons. When they reconvene, she calls for stories in which people trick other people. On the ninth day, Emilia is queen. She chooses no theme. On the tenth and final day, Panfilo is made king. He selects generosity as a theme. When the final story is told, the characters agree to return to Florence the next day. Their escape comes to an end.

In a short conclusion, Boccaccio rebukes his critics.