The Decameron, Volume II

In Short

The second volume of Giovanni Boccaccio’s medieval masterpiece continues the famous frame story set during the Black Death in Florence. To escape the horrors of the plague, seven young women and three young men retreat to countryside estates, passing the idle hours by taking turns as "king" or "queen" and telling ten stories a day. Across the final days of the collection, these tales span a wide range of human behavior—from wild, romantic adventures and bawdy marital deceits to sharp-witted pranks and extraordinary acts of nobility. Celebrated for its rich variety, vibrant prose, and psychological realism, the work remains a monument of world literature because it captures human nature in all its absurdity, intelligence, greed, and generosity.

The Story

The frame narrative finds a group of well-born young Florentines who have fled their disease-stricken city to seek refuge in the hills. To maintain order and keep despair at bay, they establish a structured daily routine: each day, a designated ruler sets a theme for story-telling, leading to a total of one hundred novellas. Volume II captures the latter half of this retreat, where the storytellers move through themes of resourcefulness, love's triumphs over adversity, hilarious tricks, and grand magnanimity.

As the days progress, the stories weave through every tier of medieval society. In the earlier days of this volume, the tales frequently feature lovers who undergo grueling trials before achieving happiness. Cimon, transformed from a simpleton into a resolute warrior by his passion for Iphigenia, undertakes violent sea raids to rescue her, eventually escaping to Crete. In another realm of romantic misadventure, Pietro Boccamazza runs away with Agnolella only to be captured by robbers; after a series of narrow escapes and coincidences—including a young man saved from the gallows when a noble ambassador recognizes a birthmark on his chest—the lovers are reunited and legally wed.

Not all tales are elevated romance; many turn sharply toward bedroom farce and clever deceit. In Perugia, an adulterous wife hides her young lover under an empty hen-coop when her husband unexpectedly returns; when the husband describes a neighbor's house being disrupted by a hidden intruder's persistent sneezing, the wife's own scheme is nearly exposed. In another tale, the clever Peronella hides her lover inside a large wine cask; while her gullible husband climbs inside to scrape it clean, the lover satisfies his desires right over the rim, completely unobserved. Elsewhere, the rogue friar Fra Cipolla tricks a gullible crowd into worshipping ordinary pieces of charcoal by claiming they are the genuine embers used to roast Saint Lawrence, turning a prank played on him into a massive financial windfall.

As the storytelling reaches its eighth and ninth days, the tales highlight vengeance, jealousy, and comedic folly. A scholar, brutally humiliated by a widow who left him freezing in the snow all night, devises an equally harsh retribution. Meanwhile, recurring comedic figures like the foolish painter Calandrino fall victim to elaborate pranks engineered by their sharper companions, Bruno and Buffalmacco, who trick him into believing magic scrolls can win him a lover's heart, only for his jealous wife to catch him in the act.

The tenth and final day elevates the tone, focusing on individuals who perform magnificent, selfless deeds. Saladin, the Soldan of Babylonia, travels through Europe disguised as a humble merchant and is hosted with unmatched nobility by Messer Torello; later, when Torello is captured during the Crusades, Saladin repays the kindness with grand generosity. The collection concludes with the famous tale of Griselda, a humble peasant girl married to the Marquis of Saluzzo. The Marquis subjects her to agonizing tests—forcing her to believe he has executed her children and casting her out in her shift to make way for a new bride—yet Griselda endures every cruelty with total patience. Overcome by her steadfast virtue, the Marquis reveals that their children are alive, restores her status, and honors her as Marchioness. Their storytelling complete, the ten companions give thanks, leave their rural sanctuary, and return to Florence.

How It Unfolds

The escape from peril — Driven from Florence by the devastation of the Black Death, ten young companions retreat to rural villas, organizing their days around music, rest, and structured storytelling.

Romantic ordeals on sea and land — Early tales depict lovers battling immense odds, such as Cimon's bold maritime raid to seize Iphigenia or Gostanza sailing a desolate boat to Tunis after hearing rumors of her lover's death.

Clever trickery and comedic infidelity — Storytellers recount ribald tales of resourceful wives and cunning lovers outwitting foolish husbands, using hen-coops, wine tuns, and fake exorcisms to conceal their affairs.

Sharp wits and public hoaxes — Characters like Fra Cipolla turn potential embarrassments into triumphs, convincing a gullible public that common charcoal is a sacred relic of Saint Lawrence.

Cruel practical jokes and swift revenge — The mood darkens briefly as characters exact elaborate vengeances, from a scholar leaving a woman exposed to the sun to pranksters convincing Calandrino that a scroll will grant him instant romance.

Grand displays of magnanimity — On the final day, the tales shift to noble deeds, featuring powerful rulers like Saladin who reward loyalty, and husbands who grant their wives freedom out of respect for honor.

The ultimate test of patience — Dioneo concludes the stories with the tale of Griselda, whose unyielding patience under her husband's brutal trials ultimately earns her restoration, honor, and family.

Return to the city — With one hundred tales told, the author offers a defense of his work, expresses gratitude for completing the grand task, and sends the young companions back toward Florence.

The People

• Cimon — A young nobleman who begins as an unrefined, foolish man but is transformed into a brave and cunning warrior by his devotion to Iphigenia. He risks his life, faces imprisonment, and slays his enemies at sea to secure his bride.
• Fra Cipolla — A quick-thinking, silver-tongued friar who uses unmatched eloquence to manipulate his parishioners. When pranksters steal his prized relic—a feather—and replace it with coal, he instantly invents a elaborate story to turn the trick to his financial advantage.
• Peronella — A sharp-witted woman who manages to indulge her lover right under her husband's nose. When her husband returns home unexpectedly, she hides her lover in a wine cask and instructs her husband to scrape it clean inside while her lover takes his pleasure.
• Calandrino — A gullible Florentine painter who serves as the constant target of his friends' elaborate practical jokes. Desperate for love and easily led astray by fake magic scrolls, he repeatedly falls into embarrassing traps that invite the wrath of his fierce wife.
• Saladin — The powerful Soldan of Babylonia who travels incognito through Europe to survey Christian forces. He exemplifies chivalry and deep gratitude, lavishing gifts and freedom upon Messer Torello after remembering the hospitality Torello showed him in Italy.
• Griselda — A poor peasant girl chosen by the Marquis of Saluzzo to be his wife. She endures severe emotional cruelty—including the reported death of her children and public repudiation—with complete humility and patience, eventually winning total devotion and public honor.

In Its Own Voice

"Lysimachus, comrade stouter or more staunch than I thou mightst not have in such an enterprise, if such indeed it be as thou sayst: wherefore lay upon me such behest as thou shalt deem meet, and thou shalt marvel to witness the vigour of my performance."

Cimon declares his fierce resolve to his ally Lysimachus as they prepare to storm a wedding feast, cut down their rivals, and carry off their chosen brides by force of arms.

"Wherefore, notwithstanding that of Calandrino and his doings not a little has from time to time been said among us, yet, considering that, as a while ago Filostrato observed, there is nought that concerns him that is not entertaining, I will make bold to add to the preceding stories another..."

Fiammetta introduces her tale to the gathered companions, highlighting how the group delights in returning to their favorite target of foolishness and mockery.

"Sir Abbot, you must know that 'tis not for that he has an evil heart, but because, being a gentleman, he is banished from his home, and reduced to poverty, and has not a few powerful enemies, that in defence of his life and honour, Ghino di Tacco, whom you see before you, has become a robber of highways..."

The famous highwayman reveals his true identity to the captive abbot after curing his stomach ailment, explaining the political exile and poverty that drove a nobleman to a life of robbery.

What It's Really About

Beneath its entertaining facade of romantic intrigue, comedic hoaxes, and worldly misadventures, The Decameron presents a profound exploration of human resilience in the face of chaos. Created against the backdrop of the Black Death—an event that destroyed traditional social structures, moral norms, and religious authority—the book investigates how humanity reconstructs order through intellect, humor, and narrative art.

Boccaccio contrasts the blind cruelty of Fortune with the active power of human agency (ingegno). Whether through a fast-talking friar turning a trick to his advantage, a clever wife hiding her lover in a wine tun, or a fallen noble turning to highway robbery to survive exile, the collection repeatedly argues that sharp wits and adaptability are humanity's greatest assets. At the same time, the final shift toward grand acts of generosity and Griselda's extraordinary patience suggests that self-control, honor, and loyalty are essential for rebuilding a civilized society out of social ruin.

Why Read It Today

Reading The Decameron today offers a direct encounter with one of the founding masterpieces of Western prose narrative. Readers who enjoy rich character studies, clever plot twists, and historical slice-of-life storytelling will find themselves fully immersed. The book moves with a lively, dynamic energy, shifting effortlessly between lighthearted slapstick, dark revenge, romantic melodrama, and high moral seriousness. It feels surprisingly modern in its frank acceptance of human desire, bodily needs, and social hypocrisy.

However, modern readers should be prepared for certain period challenges. The prose style—even in translation—retains an elevated, formal cadence with long, complex sentences and archaic vocabulary ("ycleped," "hied," "wist"). Furthermore, some tales reflect medieval attitudes regarding sexual consent, extreme vengeance, and patriarchal authority that can feel jarring to contemporary sensibilities; the story of Griselda, in particular, presents an intense depiction of emotional cruelty presented as ideal patience.

What lingers long after finishing the volume is the overwhelming sense of vitality. Boccaccio’s characters refuse to be passive victims of plague or bad luck; they scheme, love, laugh, trick, and forgive. In a world thrown into uncertainty, this collection remains a timeless testament to the power of storytelling to heal, entertain, and restore our shared humanity.