
The Decameron
'The Decameron' Summary
In Italy during the time of the Black Death, a group of seven young women and three young men flee from plague-ridden Florence to a deserted villa in the countryside of Fiesole for two weeks. To pass the evenings, each member of the party tells a story each night, except for one day per week for chores, and the holy days during which they do no work at all, resulting in ten nights of storytelling over the course of two weeks. Thus, by the end of the fortnight they have told 100 stories.
Each of the ten characters is charged as King or Queen of the company for one of the ten days in turn. This charge extends to choosing the theme of the stories for that day, and all but two days have topics assigned: examples of the power of fortune; examples of the power of human will; love tales that end tragically; love tales that end happily; clever replies that save the speaker; tricks that women play on men; tricks that people play on each other in general; examples of virtue. Only Dioneo, who usually tells the tenth tale each day, has the right to tell a tale on any topic he wishes, due to his wit. Many commentators have argued that Dioneo expresses the views of Boccaccio himself.Each day also includes a short introduction and conclusion to continue the frame of the tales by describing other daily activities besides story-telling. These framing interludes frequently include transcriptions of Italian folk songs.The interactions among tales in a day, or across days, as Boccaccio spins variations and reversals of previous material, forms a whole and not just a collection of stories. Recurring plots of the stories include mocking the lust and greed of the clergy; female lust and ambition on a par with male lust and ambition; tensions in Italian society between the new wealthy commercial class and noble families; and the perils and adventures of traveling merchants.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
Italian (Florentine)Published In
1886Authors

Giovanni Boccaccio
Italian
Giovanni Boccaccio (Italian: 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. He was known par excellence as...
Books by Giovanni BoccaccioDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

Arabian Nights Entertainments, Volume 02 by Anonymous
This volume, part of a four-volume set, continues Scheherazade's intricate storytelling to delay her execution at the hands of the Sultan. The storie...

Aesop's Fables, Volume 07 (Fables 151-175) by Aesop
Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost...

Fábulas de Esopo, Vol. 3 by Aesop
Las clásicas Fábulas de Esopo han sido traducidas a todos idiomas por cientos de años. Las fábulas, en forma de alegorias, nos dan consejos en una for...

Revolt of the Angels by Anatole France
Anatole France's *Revolt of the Angels* delves into the complexities of heaven and earth through the lens of a mischievous angel named 'Miel.' As a g...

Little Johannes by Frederik van Eeden
Little Johannes is a captivating allegorical tale of a young boy's journey of self-discovery. Guided by his loyal dog Presto, Johannes embarks on adve...

Kai Lung's Golden Hours by Ernest Bramah
Kai Lung's Golden Hours is a collection of whimsical and insightful stories told by a cunning Chinese storyteller named Kai Lung. Facing a potential s...

Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night (Arabian Nights), Volume 03 by Anonymous
The "Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night", also known as "Arabian Nights", is a collection of interwoven stories from the Middle East and South Asia...

The Life Everlasting: A Reality of Romance by Marie Corelli
In this thought-provoking novel, Marie Corelli explores the nature of reality and the possibility of an afterlife. "The Life Everlasting: A Reality o...

Tortoises by D. H. Lawrence
A curious secret lies hidden beneath the ancient shells. Delve into a mesmerizing tale where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, and the timeless wi...

Great Stone Face and Other Tales of the White Mountains by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Great Stone Face and Other Tales of the White Mountains" is a collection of four short stories that explore the relationship be...
Reviews for The Decameron
No reviews posted or approved, yet...