The Decameron · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio.

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Chapter 1
Proem
The author explains his purpose in writing the Decameron: to provide solace and entertainment for lovesick ladies who, unlike men, have few diversions from their melancholy. He recounts how his own past love, though painful, was eased by a friend's consolations, and now he seeks to repay that kindness by offering these hundred stories told over ten days by seven ladies and three young men during the plague.
Chapter 2
The Decameron
The Decameron is a collection of 100 tales told by a group of seven young women and three young men who flee plague-ridden Florence to a countryside villa, where they entertain each other with stories over ten days, exploring themes of love, wit, fortune, and human folly.
Chapter 3
Day the First
The first day of storytelling begins with the company's retreat to the countryside to escape the plague in Florence. They establish rules for storytelling and share tales that explore themes of wit, cunning, and moral hypocrisy.
Chapter 4
Day the First Introduction
The author introduces the devastating plague of 1348 in Florence, describing its symptoms and social breakdown. Seven young noblewomen (Pampinea, Fiammetta, Filomena, Emilia, Lauretta, Neifile, Elisa) meet in Santa Maria Novella and decide to flee the city for a countryside villa. They invite three young men (including Dioneo) to join them. At the villa, Pampinea is elected first queen, and they establish a system of daily storytelling to pass the time joyfully.
Chapter 5
The First Story
Messer Ruggieri de' Figiovanni, a valiant knight from Florence, serves King Alfonso of Spain but feels underappreciated when the king grants gifts to lesser men while giving him nothing. He asks leave to depart, and the king gives him a mule that later urinates only in inappropriate places. Ruggieri compares the mule to the king, who gives where he should not and withholds where he should. The king, instead of being offended, proves that Ruggieri's own fortune, not the king's will, is to blame. He shows Ruggieri two coffers—one full of treasure, one full of earth—and lets him choose. Ruggieri picks the coffer of earth, and the king, acknowledging his worth, gives him that coffer anyway, allowing him to return home with honor.

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Proem

The Decameron

Day the First

Day the First Introduction

The First Story