WORLD LITERATURE

The
Decameron
Presented by Yza Samar & Maria Jullie Anne Salunoy
INTRODUCTION
GIOVANNI BOCCACIO who is
Giovanni
Boccaccio?
- the author of The Decameron
published in 1349–53
- was born in Paris in 1313 The
Decameron
- He is an Italian Poet and Scholar Overview
 The Decameron
The Decameron, a word of Greek derivation, translates as
"Ten Days Work"—a reference to the 10 stories told each
day over the course of 10 days, for a total of 100.
 The Characters

Dioneo
The most clever among the group

Pampinea Fiammetta, Filmena, Emlia, Lauretta, Neifile, Elissa

She is the eldest of the girls. These are six of the seven young women.
Pampinea leads the group and
makes most of their decisions

Panfilo and Filostrato

These are the other two escorts.
 THE DECAMERON

1ST DAY - QUEEN PAMPINEA - OPEN THEME

2ND DAY - QUEEN FILOMENA - OVERCOMING MISFORTUNE TO ATTAIN HAPPINESS
3RD DAY - QUEEN NEIFILE - INGENUITY
4TH DAY - KING FOLSTRATO - LOVE THAT ENDS UNHAPPILY
5TH DAY - QUEEN FIAMETTA - LOVERS WHO BECOME MISFORTUNE
6TH DAY - QUEEN ELLISA - USING WIT TO OVERCOME HARDSHIP
7TH DAY - KING DIONEO - WIVES FOOL THEIR HUSBAND
8TH DAY - QUEEN LAURETTA - PEOPLE TRICKS OTHERS
9TH DAY - QUEEN EMILIA - OPEN THEME
10TH DAY - KING PANFILO - WHY PEOPLE ACTED GENEROUSLY FOR LOVE
 PAMPINEA

DAY 1
4th Story
A monk enjoys the sexual company of a
young lady. He avoids punishment by
discovering the abbot also had sex
with the young lady.
 FILOMENA

DAY 2
5th story
The character Andreuccio journeys to Naples to
buy horses, but instead gets caught up in
several unfortunate adventures. He loses the
money he came with to a woman. He meets
two thieves who try to double-cross him, but he
leaves town after many adventures with a ring.
 NEIFILE

DAY 3
1st story
Masetto pretends to be a deaf-mute to get a
job as a gardener at a convent. He enjoys
sexual favors from all the nuns there. After
becoming exhausted by all of the sex, he
pretends he's been healed and becomes
steward of the convent.
FILOSTRATO

DAY 4
2nd story
Brother Alberto convinces a vain woman the
angel Gabriel is in love with her so he can
enjoy her sexual favors. When his ruse is
discovered, he attempts to hide, only to be
duped by a man who promised to help him. He
is rescued by his fellow brothers and dies in the
monastery.
 FIAMMETTA

DAY 5
9th story
Federigo loves a woman who does not return
his love, and he spends all of his money
attempting to impress her. When she visits him
to save her son, Federigo feeds her his
treasured falcon. Her son dies, but she marries
Federigo.
 ELISSA
DAY 6
5th story
Summary
Panfilo tells a story of two intelligent but ugly men, Forese and the artist
Giotto. Forese is a famous jurist, and Giotto a remarkable painter. The two
meet on the road, both riding ugly horses and dressed shabbily. They decide
to ride together. They are caught in a rainstorm, and take shelter with a
mutual friend. But they are desperate to return to Florence, so they borrow
hats and capes from their friend and continue on their way in the rain. When
the rain finally lets up, Forese looks over at Giotto and laughs at his sorry
appearance. He asks Giotto if a stranger saw him now would he "believe [he]
were the best painter in the world?" Giotto replies: "Looking you over, he
were to think you knew your ABCs!" Forese realizes they both look terrible,
and he had been insulted in the same way he had insulted Giotto.
 DIONEO
DAY 7
1st story
Summary
Emilia relays the first story of the day. Monna Tessa is the wife
of Gianni Lotteringhi. Her lover Federigo visits her when
Gianni isn't home. One night, Gianni returns home
unexpectedly. When Federigo knocks on their bedroom door,
Tessa convinces her husband it's a werewolf knocking, and
she has a prayer to get rid of the creature. She says the
prayer aloud—it is a warning to Federigo her husband is with
her. Federigo leaves with Gianni none the wiser. Later, Tessa
and Federigo laugh over her prayer.
 LAURETTA
DAY 8

Emilia is the narrator of this story. A beautiful

widow attracts the attention of an old priest.
She has no interest in him but can't afford to
alienate him. When he refuses to leave her
alone, the widow hatches a plan. She invites
the priest to her house, but bribes her
maidservant to sleep with him. The widow's
brothers go into town to fetch the bishop, and
bring him back to the house so the bishop
catches the priest with the maid. The priest
becomes the laughingstock of the village.
 EMILIA
DAY 9
Dioneo tells the final story of the day. Pietro da Tresanti and
Father Gianni di Barolo are friends who stay in each other's
houses when they travel on business. Pietro's wife Gemmata
always says she will stay at a friend's house so Father Gianni
doesn't have to sleep in the straw with his mare. But Gianni says
he knows a spell that can "turn a mare into a woman."
Gemmata stupidly asks Pietro to learn the spell so he can turn
her into a horse so they can carry more to and from the market,
and make more money. Gianni uses this as a way to have sex
with Pietro's wife: he orders her to strip and get down on all
fours. Pietro is to say nothing, or the spell will not work. Gianni
caresses her body, exciting himself. When he puts his "tail" into
Gemmata, Pietro objects. The spell "fails" and Gemmata is
displeased with her husband.
 DAY 10 PANFILO
Story of Griselda
This is a story of a wife who has been undergo
different test from her husband. To test her wife's
patience and loyalty. He said false things to her
and even made her believe that he kills their
child. But despite of all this test Griselda
handled it without complain. And in the end the
husband reveals that everything was just a test
and are being reunited again as whole family
and live happily.


Griselda
patient and loyal wife of Gualtieri

Gualtieri
Husband of Griselda

Guannucole
Father of Griselda

 theme of the story

LOVE
Love is a force of nature, something that cannot be
reasoned with, nor denied.

CLASS
Women and their place in society is one aspect of this
change in class hierarchy.
 theme of the story

RELIGION
The clergy present in the stories of The Decameron
are quite an interesting and startling collection of
scoundrels, liars, and con men.
TRICKERY AND WIT
Trickery plays an important part in nearly all of the
stories in The Decameron. It is present in practically
all of the stories—either through pranks, disguises, lies,
magic, and misdirection.