Book Review: The Decameron

 As I dove into my studies of the Black Death, I uncovered one book considered to be the oldest account on the matter, The Decamaron by Giovanni Boccaccio. To my great surprise I actually had the book in my collection, but had just never got to reading it. Although this book is set during the Black Death it only briefly mentions the terrible event. It's actually set at a villa retreat where a group of 10 friends go into quarantine to avoid the terrible plague. They decide to pass the time by sharing stories with one another. This book by Boccaccio is actually a collection of 100 short stories (similar to the Golden Legend, One Thousand and One Nights, and The Canterbury Tales). While it doesn't deal with the real historical setting of the Black Death it does provide great insight into the medieval life of the time. This work would go on to inspire Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales who would then inspire the great Shakespeare. I actually do own the Canterbury Tales, and intend to read it at a later time. 

Giovanni Boccaccio was already an established Florentine poet by the time he wrote the Decameron in 1348-1353. He was inspired by the work of Dante's Divine Comedy and later became good friends with fellow Florentine writer, Petrarch. The intent of this book was no doubt to have some laughs at what most have been an apocalyptic feeling during the Black Death. Boccaccio offers some good firsthand detail of the Black Death in his intro, explaining the symptoms and how corpses were piled into the streets. He discusses the world of quarantine, where everyone stayed indoors. Social order was destroyed as isolation became the new norm. He uses this idea of quarantine and isolation to create a romantic setting. A group of 10 young nobles, (7 women and 3 men) get together in a beautiful villa in the countryside to enjoy one another's company. One can imagine the drama and romantic flings that arise within this household. However this book is more interested in their system of storytelling with themes for each day.  

As I read this book I couldn't help but think of how ahead of it's time it must have been. Many of the stories in this book deal with controversial/scandalous topics pertaining to the church and marriage. It's no wonder it was so popular during this time, since it offered a completely new and groundbreaking perspective with great humor. It could be considered one the earliest literary transitions from the old fashioned Christian dogma to a new age of humanism that inspired the Renaissance. For this reason alone Boccaccio is often considered the father of humanism, alongside Dante Allegri and Petrarch. It's also no surprise that the book was censored by the papacy and even burned as a vanity by reformists such as Girolamo Savonarola. 

Aside from the critique on religion, there are also some shocking examples of dark humor and tragedy throughout the book. There were many stories where I just couldn't believe the cruelty or unfairness that had unfolded. Another underlying theme is the complete objectification and disrespect for women (which was likely the norm in those days). While there are some disturbing tales there are also some very clever and humorous tales. The book is very easy to comprehend, and truly takes the reader into the medieval age of Europe. In truth I read about 50% of the tales, however I made sure to read the most famous ones. The book has a total of 100 short stories, 10 tales in 10 days. These are the ones I enjoyed the most with my reviews. All in all I'd say it was some great poetic writing and I can see what it is considered an all time classic. 

Notable stories of the Decameron

Theme of the 1st Day: No theme on the first day, but the majority seem to be critical of the Catholic Church. Which is probably how Bocaccio wanted to start off with a bang.  

 Day 1: Tale 1 (Ser Cepparello lies his way into heaven)

 Boccacio opens with a controversial bang on the first tale, completely slamming the flaws of the Christian church. This is a reoccurring theme thru many of the tales. In this one there is a terribly wicked man known as Ser Cepparello who moves to a new city in Burgundy as he approaches death. A friar arrives to hear his final confession and give him is last rites. Ser Cepparello lies about his life so that he comes off as a righteous man. The friar believes every word he says, and preaches of his righteousness. Since none of the townspeople know of his past life of wickedness they believe his lies and have Sir Ceparello's venerated as a saint. 

Review: In this tale Boccacio is essentially putting focus on the hypocrisy and gullibility of the church. He demonstrates how a system that is driven by judgement can be easily swayed with convincing lies. 

Day 1: Tale 2 (The Jew visits Rome)

Another controversial story that hits at the hypocrisy of church. A Christian man constantly tries to convince a Jew to convert to Christianity. Finally the Jewish man decides to travel to Rome to better understand the Catholic faith. He witnesses corruption amongst the clergy members who are supposed to be the examples of Christ. Knowing that Christianity is on the rise and Judaism is on the downfall, he is blown away. He is convinced that if Christianity can be so corrupt and still prosper, it must be a stronger faith. 

Review: Boccaccio is achieving two things with this story. He is pointing out the corruption of the Christian faith however he is also clarifying how powerful the religion still is despite all that. 

 Day 1: Tale 3 (Saladin's 3 rings)

 Another story with a religious theme, the powerful sultan Saladin asks a Jewish noble which is the true faith; Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. The Jewish man feels trapped with the question and instead answers with a parable. He tells a story of how a father was asked a similar question and had to present a ring to his favorite son. Unable to chose one over the other, the father has 3 identical rings forged to present to his 3 sons. The Jew explains it is the same with choosing one faith over the other. Despite dodging the question, the sultan Saladin appreciates the Jew's wisdom and they remain friends. 

 Review: Although Boccaccio dodges the main question with a clever parable he does however hit at another important message. It is a message of religious tolerance where both a muslim and a jew come to understand one another as equals, despite their religious beliefs. 

Theme of the 2nd Day: Adventures with a happy ending

 Day 2: Tale 5 (The misadventures of Andreccuio)

 This is a hysterical tale about a man named Andreccuio da Perugia who has a wild night of problems that go from bad to worse. He is first fooled by a pretty woman and robbed of his money and his clothes. He tries to get back into the house to recover his clothes, but falls into a sewage shaft. He then meets two graverobbers who convince him to join their heist. However first they decide to clean him off from the sewage smell. They drop Andreccuio into a well, but run off when two police officers approach leaving him trapped. The police officers pull him out but leave before noticing him. Andreccuio then reunites with the graverobbers to complete the robbery of a dead bishop. The graverobbers insist that Andreccuio go into the tomb to collect the valuables. Andreccuio is able to collect a ring, but once again the graverobbers flee when others approach, leaving poor Andreccuio entrapped once again. Andreccuio fears he will either die in the tomb or be arrested for robbing a bishop. However a pair of different robbers arrive to the tomb and when the open it to see Andreccuio they panic and flea. Andreccuio is able to escape with the ring despite his terrible night.

 Review: This is such a funny story of total dark humor. Andreccuio goes from one bad situation to another, however comes out ahead in the end. 

Day 2: Tale 7 (The 9 men of Alatiel)

This is another scandalous tale from Boccaccio that objectifies women. The sultan of Babylon arranges to marry off his beautiful daughter, Alatiel to the king of Algarve, Portugal (which is wrong but was the norms in those days for diplomatic ties). However her ship gets blown off course and crashes on the island of Mallorca. From there she is claimed and passed over from one noble price to another across the Meditterrian. A total of 9 men claim her for a brief period of time, each killing the other to take ownership of her. She is naive, passive, and goes along with the chaos quite willingly. Her beauty is so desired, a war nearly breaks out amongst two princes in Greece. She eventually makes her way back to North Africa, where she is rescued by one of her father's noblemen. Before reuniting with her father, the nobleman named Antigono helps her create a story that preserves her virtuousness so that she can hide the explicit details of her experience. Her father is happy she is still alive and believes her fictional story. She then marries the king of Algarve as was planned who is convinced she is still a virgin.

 Review: This is one of the longer tales but quite a comedic and adventurous despite being a little raunchy. The poor girl Alatiel is caught in a storm of chaos due to her beauty, passed from one man to another. She is literally claimed by these predatory men like a lioness being claimed by a lion. She really gets no say in the matter because she is lost in a foreign land that belongs to men. The clever twist in the end is that her dignity is still preserved in the end with a fabricated story. So the people that matter in her life still see her as a virtuous woman, rather than someone who slept with 9 different men. 

 

Theme of the 3rd Day: To lose something dearly but later regain it

 Day 3: Tale 1 (The country boy in the convent)

One of many sexual tales from Boccaccio of a man seeking female conquest. A country boy visits a convent pretending to be dumb so as to win favor with the women. The mother superior eventually puts him to work the fields and he attracts some of the nuns. All of them begin to have relations with him so frequently that he becomes exhausted. Even the abbess partakes in the fun, at which point he confesses that he is not a dumb mute. They all allow the boy to stay as their field hand, have many children in the covenant, and agree to never speak of it.

Review: Yet another scandalous sexual story poking flaws at the Christian system of sisterhood. Even though these women have dedicated themselves to god, the narrator still wants to demonstrate their human desires. 

Day 3: Tale 2 (The king and the stable boy)

 Another tale of adultery, a young stable boy sleeps with the wife of the Lombard king Agilulf. The husband arrives later that night, and his wife mistakens him for the stable boy wanting a second round. The husband grows confused and suspicious and sets out to find this person who has just slept with his wife. He goes to the chamber of the servants where he expects the culprit to still be breathing loudly from excitement. He locates the stable boy, and not wanting to make a scene in the dark room, he decides to identify him by cutting some of his hair. When the boy awakes and realizes a chunk of his hair is missing, he goes around the stable and cuts off all the other male servants in the similar fashion as his. This way the next morning the king is unsure of who he had identified the night before. Realizing he has been outwitted the king simply tells whoever did it not to do it again.

Review: Yet another comical tale of adultery, where the adulteress lover outwits the poor husband. I think in this case it is a one-sided affair since the stable boy disguised himself as the king, and the poor wife had no idea it wasn't her husband.  

 Day 3: Tale 10 (Sending the devil back to hell)

This is a very erotic controversial story, argubably one of the most obscene. A young naive woman named Alibech seeks to find God and goes on a spiritual quest in the desert. She meets a monk named Rustico, who fools her the best way to find God is to send the devil back to hell. He presents the devil as his erection and hell as her vagina. She obliges this request as the monk continiously pleasures himself within her. She is so convinced that she is doing good that she also begins to enjoy the act. Eventually the monk gets exhausted and sends her off to another suitor. The suitor eventually marries Alibech and happily helps her "send the devil back to hell". 

Review: I couldn't believe this tale as I read it. It's yet another example of Boccaccio pushing the limits in the 1300s. Although it's vague, the sexually implications are so raunchy and naughty. It's like reading an erotic porn. If it's shocking to read now, one can only imagine how shocking it was to read back then. 

 

Theme of the 4th Day: Romantic tales that end in disaster or tragedy

 Day 4: Tale 1 (Ghismonda and Guilelmo)

 Here's a story of cruel and dark nature pertaining to a tragic romance and a father's pride. The princess Ghismonda is reluctant to get married, but finally does so to appear her father King Tancredi. However after her husband dies, she later finds a lover in secret, Guilelmo of humble birth. She knows her father will not approve of this relationship since he is not of noble class. Nonetheless she secretly meets with him for some time in the castle's hidden chambers. Eventually King Tancredi discovers the secret and threatens her daughter to end the relationship. When she refuses he has Guilelmo arrested, cuts out his heart, and serves it to Ghismonda in a golden chalice. This dark twisted act breaks Ghismonda who then gives her father a well composed farewell address. She then drinks poison to commit suicide, out of heartbreak but also to get revenge on her father. 

Review: Truly a powerful and tragic romantic tale, that likely inspired some of Shakespeare's work. The topic of forbidden love always makes for the best romantic stories and that is certainly the case here. It is even more emotional when both lovers must accept death when they can no longer be together. The act of serving a lover's heart in a cup is such a dark yet poetic symbol. Ghismonda handles it all with such grace and composure, and chooses death as her ultimate response which shatters her terrible father. 

 Day 4: Tale 5 (The Pot of Basil)

 Here is another heartbreaking story where a woman get's maltreated. Lisabetta is the daughter of a wealthy merchant family from Messina, who falls for a common man Lorenzo. Her three brothers however intervene in the romance stating he is not good enough for her due to his lower class. Lisabetta and Lorenzo still meet nonetheless for some time in secret. The brothers eventually murder Lorenzo and bury him in secret. Lisabetta is torn from the mysterious disappearance of Lorenzo, until one night she has a dream where he tells her what happened. Lisabetta locates the buried body of Lorenzo and decides to severe his head as a memento of their love. She decides to bury the head in a pot with soil and basil seeds. She waters the plant everyday with her tears. The basil grows abundantly from the decomposition of Lorenzo's head and the tears from Lisabetta. The brothers grow suspicious once again and steal Lisabetta's pot to discover Lorenzo's severed head in a basil pot. They decide to flee from Messina afraid that they might get tried for murder. Lisabetta however never finds her pot again and eventually dies from heartbreak.

 Review: This is another heartbreaking tragic story quite similar to the tale of Ghismonda. Once again it pertains to forbidden love due to a difference in social class. At first it's very disturbing and somewhat psychotic that she would severe his head and put it in a pot. But then this idea from Boccaccio that the chemistry of the decomposed head and her tears would produce amazing plants is truly quite poetic. I think she gets treated very unfairly in this story on two accounts; first that the brothers would murder her lover, then that would steal her basil pot. It's not fair that they should get to escape while she eventually dies of grief. It is a poetic but also very unfair and tragic story. 

 Day 4: Tale 9 (Lover's heart)

 Another story of adultery with a very cruel and unusual punishment. A knight learns of his wife's affair and rides out to ambush the lover. He thrusts a lance into the lover's body and cuts out his heart. The knight then has the lover's heart cooked and served to his wife. The wife eats and enjoys the heart, at which point the husband bluntly tells her it was the heart of her dead lover. Naturally she is horrified with grief and promises to never eat a meal again. She dies of starvation and is later buried with her lover at much dismay to the knight.

Review: A very dark punishment from Boccaccio who demonstrates his range on the topic of adultery. While some of his tales allow the adulterers to walk off freely and victoriously, there are others that have a harsh ending for the adulterer. This tale is certainly an example of the latter, where both lovers meet a tragic end. To have his wife eat the lover's heart is a very twisted idea, and one of several dark stories in the book. 

Theme of the 5th Day: Romantic tales that go thru troubles but have a happy ending

 Day 5: Tale 1 (Cimone and Iphigenia)

Another twisted story about a man having his way with a woman by any means necessary. In this case the dimwitted Cimone becomes infatuated with the beautiful Iphigenia and complete changes his persona to appeal to her. However she is already promised to another noble prince. Cimone then gathers a group of pirates, raids her ship, kills a few of her servants, and kidnaps her. He is however later arrested by the bailiff and all seems lost for Cimone. However the bailiff later approaches him with a scheme of his own, where he also seeks to kidnap a woman who is set to be married to someone else. Knowing that Cimone had once partook in a similar endeavor the bailiff offers Cimone freedom so that he will help him abduct this woman. In return he helps Cimone kidnap Iphigenia. Both Cimone and the bailiff kidnap their women and marry them without any further dispute.

Review: While it might seem as somewhat of a heroic tale of romantic bravado, it's actually a total crime. Cimone is a criminal who is acting out against Iphigenia's will. To make matters worse the baliff who represents the law, supports and partakes in a similar crime. Both men literally steal their prize, by which once again the woman gets no say in the matter. Yet another controversial tale from Boccaccio. 

 Day 5: Tale 8 (The ghost of Nastagio)

Nastagio is a young nobleman that is infatuated with the beautiful Ravenna, who does not share his affection. Feeling quite heartbroken Nastagio journeys into a haunted forest where he sees a naked woman screaming in horror. He then watches as a knight with two black dogs chases her down and stabs her with a dagger. Nastagio intervenes protesting how can he do this to a woman. The knight explains that they are ghosts and he is seeking justice for the heartbreak the woman caused him. He also explains that this a weekly occurrence. Nastagio realizes that he can relate with the ghost's vengeful plight of heartbreak and decides to bring Ravenna and her family to witness the ordeal. Ravenna is terrified at the sight and realizes she is the ghostly woman that is being slaughtered. She decides to change her attitude towards Nastagio and the two get married.

Review: I think this is a cruel story in regard to the women involved. Although heartbreak is no fun, a woman should not be punished for not loving another man. The ghost scene in the forest is one of the crudest displays of unfair violence in the book as the knight slaughters this poor naked woman on a weekly basis, just because she didn't like him. Although it is meant to be a metaphor I think it is dark taste from Boccaccio. 

 Day 5: Tale 9 (Federigo's falcon)

This is one of my favorites of just sheer good storytelling. A noblemen named Federigo goes broke in his pursuit of women and is left with only a falcon. Despite his unfortunate situation he finds peace from the companionship of the falcon. However a situation arises when he is visited by one of his former loves, Monna Giovanna. Her son has grown ill, and she seeks to make him happy by giving him Federigo's bird. Federigo however is so poor that he doesn't have a proper meal to offer Monna, so has his falcon killed and served. After she explains the purpose of her visit, Federigo is overcome with grief. First that he has killed his precious falcon but second that he is unable to satisfy Monna's request. After her son dies, Monna later decides to marry Federigo, who although is not wealthy, is a good-hearted person. 

 Review: This is a great dark comedy, one of my favorites. My only complaint is I don't think it was necessary that the child had to die. Somewhat Boccaccio can be a bit grim with his stories. 

Theme of the 6th Day: Solving a problem thru clever wit

Day 6: Tale 4 (Chichibo's crane)

This is a silly comedic tale about Chichibio the cook who is able to use cleverness to save his life. The king requests a crane that he recently hunted to be cooked and prepared by  of Chichibio. As Chichibio prepares the tasty crane, a girl he likes asks for a piece, so he gives her the fried drumstick of the bird. When he serves the dish to his king, the king is outraged that a leg is missing. Chichibio explains that all cranes have only one leg, of which the king challenges him to prove it the next day. Chichibio follows the king to a pond where they see a pack of cranes sleeping on one leg. Chichibio tries to convince the king of his lie, but the king that shouts to get their attention, at which point both legs are revealed. Chichibio quickly comes up with an excuse to explain himself, stating that he never thought to yell at them like that, so as to see both legs. The king finds this explanation to be hysterical and finds favor with the cook for his cleverness.

Review: This is one of several examples in the book where the character is saved thru cleverness. It's a silly story but shows a more comedic light sided approach to Boccaccio's stories. 

Day 6: Tale 5 (Master Giotto and Forese da Rabatta)

A rather simple tale about two brilliant Florentines walking and chatting with one another. One is the famous painter, Master Giotto who speaks with the intelligent jurist Forese da Rabatta. Despite their fame and success they appear like humble old men walking thru the streets and stop for a minute to acknowledge this. Rabatta makes an insult at Giotto's wardrobe stating one would never imagine he could paint such beauty. In retort Giotto tells Rabatta one would never think he knew how to read based by his appearance. It's a witty comeback by Giotto who fits in the Day 6 theme of cleverness.

Review: This is a very brief simple story about two old man exchanging verbal jabs at one another. It also gives homage to the great Florentine painter and architect, Master Giotto. The jurist is also a historical Florentine jurist, but not quite as famous as Giotto.    

 Day 6: Tale 7 (Madonna Filippa's trial)

This is one of many tales pertaining to adultery where the woman, Madonna Filippa has been caught cheating on her husband. The husband has her stand in front of a trial to explain herself. She confidently explains that she did not take anything away from her husband and was always willing to make love with him, however he never wanted to. Therefore since she still had love to share she found someone else so that it did not go to waste. This bold confession shocks the judge and the court and she is found not-guilty. 

Review: This is one of the few instances in the book, where the woman actually wins her case. Although she has still committed adultery she somehow offers a clever perspective albeit she is still breaking the sanctity of marriage. 

Day 6: Tale 10 (The coal of Father Cipolla)

Here is another comical tale about Father Cipolla and his debatable holy relics. He claims to have all sorts of relics from his travels such as a vial of sweat from Michael the archangel, one of the nails from the holy ark, and a feather from the angel Gabriel. Some of the local parishioners decide to pull a prank on the friar and steal his feather and replace it with some coal. When Cipolla gives his sermon the next day to present his feather he is shocked to see it has been replaced by coal. However Cipolla handles it with smooth composure, being gifted at exaggerated oratory. He claims the coals he now possesses were the same that were used to burn St. Lawrence at the stake. The pranksters laugh at the whole event, but are also quite impressed with the friars improvisation. 

Review: This is a funny story that demonstrates a person so gifted at BS, that he can make up a lie on the spot. Despite the friar liar's outrageous claims, one can't help admire his devotion and knowledge of the faith. I think his intentions are good as someone who just uses false props as a way to help enhance his preaching of the lord. 

Theme of 7^th Day: Tales by which wives trick their husbands

Day 7: Tale 2 (Peronella's bathtub lover)

Another story of adultery, Peronella has an affair with a man while her husband is out working. One day the husband comes home early, while Peronella's lover is with her, so she quickly hides him in a tub. The wife then goes on a tirade at her husband for being home early and not making them any money. The husband tells her is has come home early because he has sold the tub and needs to inspect it. Realizing she is about to be caught, Peronella quickly comes up with a lie that she has already sold the tub and there is already a man inside inspecting it. The lover then goes along with Peronella's lie and adds a twist by stating he will buy it a higher price but it needs to be cleaned first. At this point the husband gets into the tub to clean it while the lover continues his love passion with Peronella. The lover then completes the purchase as his the husband carry it to his hose. It is a clever manipulation from the wife, but such a degrading story for the poor husband. 

 Review: This is a cruel dark comedy, where the husband gets humiliated on several accounts. First is the general fact that his wife is having an affair. Then she has the nerve to yell at him for coming home early. Then she makes him go into the tub and make sure it is cleaned while she continues to have sex with her lover. Then they make the poor husband carry it to the lover's house. Such a cruel fate for the man and a victorious affair for the woman.    

Day 7: Tale 9 (The affair of Lydia and Pyrrhus)

This is a great tale, another scandalous love affair that pertains to creative trickery. Lydia is the wife of the wealthy noble lord Nicostratus, who has much more passionate desire than her older husband. She falls for Nicostratus' loyal hunter, Pyrrhus who is youthful and has a vigor to match that of Lydia. Despite several advances Pyrrhus holds his ground not wanting to disrespect the wife of his noble lord. Seeing that he can't deter her affection, he gives her three tests to prove her love. The first is that she must kill his sparrowhawk, then pull some hair from his beard, then pull a tooth from his mouth. She comes up with a clever tactic for each of the challenging tasks and succeeds. Seeing that he is now tied to his noble's lord, Pyrrhus then comes up with a clever scheme of his own. He climbs a tree and calls out to Nicostratus and Lydia to stop making love (which is a lie he makes up, and later claims the tree is under some sort of magical spell). He then convinces the king to climb the tree for himself, and then proceeds to make love with Lydia. Upon seeing this the king grows furious and makes harsh accusations at them both. However both deny the act, and furthermore Lydia accuses her husband to never make such accusations again. This basically grants the two young lovers more freedom for future relations.

Review: I really enjoyed this story as being creative, clever, and comedic. Lydia is no doubt the instigator of the scandalous affair, and despite Pyrrhus hesitation he eventually goes along with it himself. The three tasks are quite comical, and I literally laughed out loud when she killed the sparrowhawk at the dinner table. She claimed that her husband gave more attention to the bird than to her. Then there was the trick about the magical tree which I thought was also quite original and creative. All-in-all this was one of my favorite stories of Boccaccio despite it's scandalous content. 

 Day 7: Tale 10 (A vision from purgatory)

Here's an interesting tale about two friends from Sienna (Tingoccio and Meuccio) who make a deal with one another. Whoever dies first must contact the other and tell him what the afterlife is like. Before either die, they both fall in love with the same woman, Monna Mita. It just so happens that Tingoccio is the godfather of her child, which gives him the edge, but also makes it a little more controversial. Despite winning the affection of his godson's mother he dies later. He then visits his friend Meuccio in a vision and tells him he is in purgatory for his past sins. However when the question comes up about sleeping with his godchild's mother, he laughs it off as not that bad of a sin. Which basically enables Meuccio to continue his pursuit of Monna Mita. 

Review: This is an intriguing story detailing the afterlife, perhaps a nod to Dante's Divine Comedy. As a ghost Tingoccio explains that he is not quite in heaven or hell, but somewhere in the middle layer (like Purgatory). He has committed many sins, most likely pertaining to his loose pursuit of married women. However the joke is that sleeping with his godchild's mother is not that bad of a sin. It's actually quite funny that he can laugh at his own predicament and encourage his friend to continue with his sleezy morals. 

Theme of 8^th Day: Comical tricks and pranks

Day 8: Tale 3 (The prank of the invisible stone)

This is a humorous tale about a pair of friends pulling a prank on their naive friend Calandrino. They tell him about a magical location where there are stones known as heliotropes that can make a person invisible. Calandrino eagerly sets out to the Mugnone River in Florence to locate these magical black stones. His friends (Bruno and Buffalmacco) secretly follow him and when they witness Calandrino gather some stones they begin their prank. They begin to discuss amongst themselves and speak of Calandrino (who is in plain sight) as if they cannot see him. Calandrino is convinced the invisible stone is working. The friends even throw rocks at Calandrino as they speak ill of him (which Calandrino assumes is an accident). Calandrino makes it home without a single person addressing him, until he is confronted by his wife. He then throws a fit and beats his wife whom he suspects has ruined his magical spell. The friends later intervene to save his wife and confess their prank. They all laugh at Calandrino's stupidity. 

 Review: This is a comical tale, fairly innocent except the part about Calandrino beating his wife. Calandrino is convinced that women ruin everything, including his magical spell and he takes out his foolishness on her. Although this might add a touch of dark humor it seems quite unfair that the wife should have to suffer from her husband's foolishness. 

Day 8: Tale 5 (The judge's breeches)

Carrying on with this theme of pranks, this tale is a rather brief one. The judge Niccola da San Lepidio is a messy person with sloppy loose clothing. Three Florentine friends decide to pull a joke on him during a courtroom trial. The two friends present a fake dispute to be heard by the judge, while the other friend hides under the judge's bench. At the right moment the friend yanks down the judge's breeches in front of everyone at the courtroom. Thus creating a humiliating moment for the judge, but a hysterical moment for everyone inside the courtroom. 

 Review: This is a pretty simple silly story without any major theme or message. The judge probably had it coming for his sloppy demeanor. Perhaps this humiliation will inspire him to dress in a more dignified manner fitting of a judge. 

Day 8: Tale 6 (Calandrino's Pig)

We return here to another comical prank on the poor buffoon Calandrino played by his cruel friends Bruno and Buffalmacco.  Calandrino is going on about selling this pig, so his wife doesn't get mad at him. His two friends then decide to kidnap the pig, by getting Calandrino drunk with the priest. While asleep they easily kidnap the priest and the next morning Calandrino find's himself in a state of panic. His friends try to calm him and come up with a plan to question all the local neighbors who could have committed the theft. They procure some bread and cheese and declare whoever committed the crime will not be able to eat the bread or cheese (they also acquire a couple pieces of sour bread). When they start passing out the bread all the townsfolk eat it without complaint until they come to Calandrino. They give him the sour bread which Calandrino is unable to eat and thus points to him as the culprit. Calandrino is besides himself unable to make sense how he is being accused of stealing his own pig. However his friends convince him this is the reality of the situation which he eventually accepts.

Review: This is a comical tale, almost more of a dark comedy in regards to the poor Calandrino. His friends completely take advantage of his stupidity. It's pretty cool to see Bonnaccaccio bring back the same characters for a different story. Calandrino is actually the most frequent character throughout the book.  One could see how they could make an entire television series around Calandrino and his prankster friends. 

Day 8: Tale 7 (The Scholar's Revenge)

This is far worse than a tale of a prank, rather cruel and unusual torture. Rinieri is a scholar who spends most his free time studying at the university never interested in woman. That is until he falls for Elena, who is a young beautiful widow. Elena agrees to meet him one cold winter night, but decides to play a cruel prank on Rinieri with her other lover. As Elena awaits outside for Elena to let him in, she delays and laughs with her boyfriend. She stalls and mocks him for nearly two full days, while Rinieri foolishly awaits in the bitter cold night, almost freezing to death. Rinieri realizes it was all a very cruel joke and decides one day to get revenge on her. Years later she comes to him for counsel since he is a wise scholar, asking if he knows any magical spells to help bring her lover back. Rinieri comes up with a cruel plan to have her climb a moon tower, butt naked, and recant some spell. However when she does this, he removes the ladder so that she is trapped in the tower. She freezes in the night and burns during the heat of the day (so much so that her skin is scolded). As she is trapped there, the two have dialogue for some while where Rinieri basically encourages her to commit suicide. It is not until a farmer chasing his livestock, that she is rescued. So she is in truth paid double fold for her cruel joke on the scholar. 

 Review: This was one of the longest tales in the book I read. I thought it was quite a dark tale, that went a bit too far. I did feel sorry for the scholar at first when he was left outside in the cold, while Elena and her boyfriend made fun of him. This is double the pain, to be humiliated like this but to also nearly freeze to death from it. So naturally he wanted revenge, but I'm afraid he just went too far. To have her naked, freezing during the night, and then burning during the day. Then to torment her with back-and-forth dialogue made it all the worse. The majority of this tale is actually the dialogue they share, where Rinieri basically tells her she is a devil. He even leaves her for a while to go take a nap. Boccaccio clearly intends to make the scholar victorious in the tale, with a fair warning to never prank a scholar. But in truth I think the scholar should have pumped the breaks a little bit, rather then pushing the poor woman near death. I think he came off as very ungentlemanly and rather more the villain in the end. 

Theme of 9^th Day: No theme of the day

Day 9: Tale 3 (Pregnant Calandrino)

Here is another brief, comical prank story pertaining to the recurring star of the book, the foolish Calandrino. It's another cruel ploy from Bruno and Buffalmacco who seek to take advantage of Calandrino's gullibility. They convince him that he looks very unhealthy, then are able to bribe a doctor to diagnose Calandrino as being pregnant. Calandrino is shocked and blames his wife for riding on top of him. The doctor states he can cure the remedy, but will need a good fortune from Calandrino. Poor Calandrino coughs up the money to pay for the treatment which the doctor shares with Bruno and Buffalmacco. 

 Review: Once again another funny story that makes one wonder, why is Calandrino friends with Bruno and Buffalmacco who always torment him with pranks. Furthermore these aren't just silly pranks, but also involve theft and stealing money from the dimwitted Calandrino. In this particular tale, I couldn't help but notice a minor flaw when the doctor convinced Calandrino he would "take care" of the pregnancy. Even if it was fake, Calandrino and his wife had no idea, and thus decided to carry on with this abortion. That part is obviously ignored since it's a fake pregnancy anyway.  

Day 9: Tale 6 (The mix-up at the inn)

This is another funny story about quite the lover's mix-up. Pinuccio is a young Florentine who is in love with the innkeeper's daughter, Niccolosa. He devises a plan with his friend Adriano to arrive to the inn late at night, and request a room, so that he can sleep with Niccolosa. The father agrees, and has 3 beds arranged in the small house for him and his wife, for his daughter Niccolosa, and for the two friends Pinnucio and Adriana to share. Pinnucio feeling bold decides to sneak into Niccolosa's bed where the two quietly make love. Meanwhile Adriano gets up to go the bathroom, and must move the cradle next to the innkeeper's bed. This confuses his wife who later gets up to check on something and returns to Adriano's bed (thinking it is her husband's bed since the cradle has been moved). Pinnucio also makes a similar mistake and lies next to the innkeeper thinking it is his friend Adriana. Pinnucio then goes on to reveal all the deatils with his daughter, (thinking that he's talking to his friend) which is actually the daughter's father. The innkeeper's wife then comes to the rescue and realizes the mistake. She makes up a lie that she was sleeping with her daughter by mistake, and the young Pinnucio was in truth sleepwalking. Pinnucio plays along with this detail and the next morning everyone shares a good laugh.

This is one of the funnier stories in the book and I laughed several times. Most especially when Pinnucio accidentally lies next to his lover's father and spills all the beans. Adriano also gets quite lucky when a naked woman (the wife of the innkeeper) lies next to him. Luckily the confusing mix-up is resolved with some good humor and there are no major losses in the story (except for maybe the innkeeper's pride). 

Day 9: Tale 9 (The Bridge of Geese)

This is another example of dark humor that is very disrespectful to women. Two men decide to travel to Jerusalem to get counsel from the wise king Solomon. The first one seeks to get other people to respect him, and the second seeks to better control his unruly disobedient wife. The wise king is brief with them both telling the first man to "love" and the second man to go the bridge of geese. Both men are disappointed with this limited counsel and on their way home they are halted at a bridge with a pack of geese. They then witness a man beating his mule so as to get it moving. At this point the second man heeds the counsel of Solomon, at arriving at the bridge of geese. He reasons that in seeing this stranger beat his mule, is the answer Solomon had pointed him too on how to treat his disobedient wife. So naturally the husband goes home and beats his wife, and the next morning she falls in line. As for the first man seeking respect, his counsel is more straightforward and he simply changes the way he treats people.

Despite being a crude story it does have some interesting elements to it. The part about the bridge of geese is a pretty clever set-up from Boccaccio. This is the highlight of the story, and a very  vague response from the wise king Solomon. In truth it should be the bridge of the mule, where the traveling man is inspired. However this is another example of the dated material where beating one's wife could be seen as an acceptable solution to a problem. Another minor flaw in this story is unequal symmetry between the two issues. The disobedient wife issue takes up the majority of the tale, while the man with the love issue becomes an afterthought. 

Theme of 10^th Day: Righteous and generous acts

Day 10: Tale 5 (The 3 good deeds)

This is a clever tale regarding a sequence of righteous deeds among nobles. The noble Messer Ansaldo is in love with the married Madonna Dianora who does not share his affection despite the many gifts he sends her. Hoping to dissuade his advances, Dianora presents an impossible challenge to Messer. She states she will accept his love, if he can produce a garden in the middle of January. Seeing this as an impossible task during the heart of winter, Messer pays off a magician who is able to create the garden. Dianora is shocked at the result and confesses to her husband regarding her promise to Messer. The husband then performs the first good deed, by allowing his wife to uphold her promise to Messer even if this means giving up her body. When Dianora presents herself to Messer as she promised with the support of her husband, Messer completes the 2^nd good deed by cancelling their deal. They become good friends instead. The final good deed is performed by the magician, who in seeing the other two deeds decides to also follow suit and not accept payment for his magical garden. 

Review: Such a clever tale with a great message of treating others fairly. While the story starts off with the usual scandalous affair arch, it actually goes in a whole different direction. It becomes like a competition of good deeds, each person one-upping the other. Boccaccio leaves an open-ended question at the end of which person did the best deed. I think it's actually the magician that does the most righteous act, but not accepting payment (especially since he wasn't affiliated with any side,  rather in it for a business matter). 

Day 10: Tale 7 (King Pedro the just)

This is a love story with a happy ending, pertaining to a young woman's obsession with King Pedro III of Aragon. The young Lisa watches the king perform in a jousting ceremony and falls head over heels for him. It's a rather unhealthy obsession since he is the married king and she is just a noble woman. She grows lovesick, bedridden, where no medicine will save her. Her parents are devastated and call upon the famed musician Minuccio to help cheer her up. The musician feels sorry for the heartbroken woman and agrees to write her a song to perform for the king. The song is so beautiful the king decides to meet the infatuated Lisa. Upon visiting her, Lisa begins to recover and regain a sense of hope. Furthermore the king shows her favor by giving her a kiss, arranging a noble marriage for her, and promising to forever be her knight. 

Review: This is the epitome of a happy ending fairy tale. The young Lisa is your typical lovestruck person, however she takes the obsession to extreme severity near death. The good King Pedro III was a historical figure who reigned the Spanish kingdom of Aragon from 1276-1285. His just character is on fully display here as he finds favor with this lovestruck young woman. His 3 deeds of kindness fit in perfect with the theme of day 10, making for a true happy ending. 

Day 10: Tale 10 (Story of Griselda)

This one I found to be very cruel and somewhat on the dark side. The wealthy noble lord, Gualtieri refuses to marry but is eventually convinced by his friends and family. He then chooses a peasant woman named Griselda, to everyone's surprise. Gulatieri even goes to the womans' father to seek his approval, which he gladly accepts this being a major jump in their wealth status. However there is a major catch in that Gualtieri want's his wife to be very devoted and obedient (to the extent of a pet). Griselda accepts the terms, then goes thru a series of very cruel tests from Gulatier. He first sends both their two children away since he deems them of low-birth of which Griselda must live with. He then decides to marry another woman and divorce Griselda, which she also accepts. Too add insult to injury he then has Griselda clean and prepare the house for his new marriage. After she passes all these tests (which likely span a good twenty years) she is redeemed and forever loved by Gulatieri. 

Review: I think the cruelty of Gultaieri is beyond measure and Griselda should have never gone back to him. To have a mother give up her children voluntarily, would be unbearable and is simply unbelievable in this tale. The other trials are equally as painful and far-fetched. I found her one line in the book to be very powerful and emotional. She basically requests Gulatieri to treat his new wife with much more care since she is of noble birth, rather then a peasant upbringing. Here Griselda is making reference to how peasants have a higher tolerance for pain and suffering unlike those of higher class. It's a happy ending in that she gets to maintain her wealth and status. But no human being should have been disrespected in that manner for that long. I think Gulatieri deserves a harsh punishment for this cruel treatment he put his wife thru. I suppose it's yet another example of the gender inequality from the medieval days which could never pass in today's day-and-age.