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Preface & Introduction

In the Preface, Boccaccio explains that, having recovered from a love affair, he now feels qualified to offer solace to those still suffering for love. In the introduction to the first day, he says that, in 1348, during a plague in Florence, ten young people retreated to a palace in the country. There, they agreed that each person would choose the theme for a day and they’d all tell each other stories.

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First Day

The first-day ruler, Pampinea, allows her companions to speak on any topic. They tell stories about a wicked notary who becomes a saint despite deceiving his confessor at deathbed; a pious Jew who observes the corruption of highest-level Christians in Rome; a Jew who argues with the sultan Saladin; people who cleverly outwit their superiors. The day ends with Emilia singing about her own beauty.

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Second Day

Under Filomena's rule, the stories are about suffering misfortune and then unexpectedly finding happiness. The companions walk in the garden, eat breakfast in the open air, and pass the day singing, dancing, and resting. They share their stories in the afternoon, and the day ends with Pampinea singing about burning with desire.

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Third Day

Under Neifile's rule, in the magnificent walled garden of another palace, the companions share their stories about achieving something through your own efforts. The day ends with Lauretta singing about being forsaken by her love.

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Fourth Day

The fourth-day ruler, Filostrato, proposes the topic of love that ends unhappily, which some protest. He also delays the storytelling with a long speech justifying his work as a writer. The day ends with Filostrato singing about his love forsaking him.

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Fifth Day

Under Fiammetta's rule, the stories are about lovers who survive misfortune and find happiness. The day ends with Dioneo's song asking Cupid to make a lady fall in love.

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Sixth Day

Under Elissa's rule, the theme is quick thinking to avoid trouble. Because the stories are short jokes, the companions have time to visit a beautiful valley nearby and swim in a clear lake. The day ends with Elissa's song comparing being in love to being captured by a wild beast.

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Seventh Day

As proposed by Dioneo, the topic for the seventh-day stories are about women who have tricked their husbands. That evening, Filomena performs a lament for a lover who is no longer with her.

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Eighth Day

After hearing the Sunday services at a chapel, under Lauretta's rule, the companions share stories about tricks people play on each other. The day ends with Panfilo singing about love as salvation.

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Ninth Day

Under Emilia's rule, the topic of the stories vary. They tell, for example, of a woman who gets rid of two unwanted lovers by telling one to fake his death and the other to fetch the body. That evening, Neifile's song compares her love to a flower.

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Tenth Day & Author's Epilogue

Under Panfilo's rule, the stories are about generous actions. After the stories end, the companions spend the evening singing and dancing. The next day, they return to Florence, where the women and men go separate ways. In the Epilogue, Boccaccio anticipates and responds to possible objections to his stories.

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