Giovanni Boccaccio was an Italian author and humanist born in 1313 who wrote notable works including the Decameron. The Decameron comprises 100 stories told by 10 young adults (7 women and 3 men) fleeing the Black Death plague in Florence. It is structured such that each character tells a story over 10 days. Boccaccio began work on the Decameron around 1349 and revised it in 1370-1371 before dying in 1375. He educated himself on works like Dante's Divine Comedy but used allegory in the Decameron for satire rather than instruction.

1. Written by:GiovanniBoccaccio

3. Giovanni Boccaccio ((June 16,
1313-December 21,1375)
An Italian author, poet and correspondent of
Petrarch
An important Renaissance humanist
The author of a number of notable works including
the Decameron, On Famous Women and his poetry
in the Italian vernacular
He is particularly notable for his dialogue, and he
surpasses in verisimilitude on his contemporaries

4. GiovanniBoccaccio ((June 16,
1313-December 21,1375)
• Boccaccio grew up in Florence and in 1320s
married Margherita dei Mardoli
• He began work on the Decameron around 1349.
The work was largely complete by 1352.
• He revised and rewrote the Decameron in 1370-
1371
• Boccaccio died at the age of 62 on the 21st of
December 1375 in Certaldo, where he was buried

5. GiovanniBoccaccio ((June 16,
1313-December 21,1375)
• Boccaccio had been educated in the tradition of
Dante’s Divine Comedy which used various levels
of allegory to show the connections between the
literal events of the story and the Christian
message. However Decameron uses Dante’s model
not to educate the reader but to satirize this
method of learning.

6. The Decameron
• It comprises 100 novellas told by 10 men and women (7
young women and 3 young men) over a 10-day journey
away from plague-infested Florence.
• The Decameron is said to be a portrayal of everyday life,
including wit, and mockery following a framed structure.
• The title comes from the two Greek words déka (meaning
“ten”) and hēméra, or day
• One of the greatest work of Italian prose

7. The Decameron
• G.H. Mc William, known translator of the Decameron,
writes that the women probably represent the 4 cardinal
virtues (Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude)
and the 3 theological virtues (Faith, Hope and Love)
• The 3 men could represent the tripartite division of the
soul into Reason, Anger, and Lust

8. The Decameron
• Boccaccio writes in the Introduction that he has withheld
the true names of the members of the Brigata, because
he doesn’t want them to “feel embarrassed, at any time
in the future.
• Structured in a frame narrative or frame tale

9. Translations of the Italian names of themembers of Brigata
•Pampinea
– full of
vigor
(Prudence)

10. •Fiammetta –
little flame
(Temperance)

11. •Emilia – she
who allures
(Faith)

12. •Elissa – an
Italian variant
of Dido
(Hope)

13. •Neifile – newly
enamored,
possibly a
reference to the
dolce stil novo
and Dante (
Love)

14. •Lauretta – a
diminutive of
Petrarch’s Laura
(Justice)

15. •Panfilo – all-loving
(Reason)

16. •Filostrato –
defeated by
love (Anger)

17. •Dioneo – an
Italianized
version of
Dionysus (Lust)

18. Last day of the 10-
day Journey told by
Filomena