Summary: All Tenth-Day Stories 

At dawn on the day of his reign, Panfilo, accompanied by Filomena and Fiammetta, leads the group on its morning walk. The three friends discuss their future lives. They walk farther than usual before returning to drink clear, cold water from the fountain. That afternoon, they gather at the fountain for the final round of storytelling.

Panfilo, the king of the tenth day, has called for stories about those who have performed liberal or munificent deeds. Elissa recounts a tale about how the Abbott of Cluny reconciled the Pope with a former enemy. Emilia tells of a virtuous married woman who, to get rid of an unwanted suitor, commits a wrong deed. She confesses her mistake to her husband, who deals with her gently. The remaining companions contribute stories about noble generosity and liberal gestures.

Summary of Selected Story: Tenth Day, Tenth Story

Dioneo tells the story of Griselda, a poor girl from a small village, whose beauty attracts the attention of a local nobleman, Gualtieri. This nobleman marries Griselda in a spirit of defiance. Against all expectations, the marriage is a success. Griselda seems to become a new woman. She develops a noble, gracious manner and becomes known for her virtuous deeds. People praise Gualtieri’s wisdom in choosing her. Griselda bears him a daughter and a son.

Suddenly, however, Gualtieri is seized on a strange desire to test his wife. He begins criticizing her lowly condition and otherwise belittling her. Gualtieri grows ever more cruel, first taking away Griselda’s children and telling her they are dead and then sending her back to her poor village with only the clothes on her back. Griselda responds patiently to these and other indignities, never criticizing her husband but accepting his will as her fate.

Gualtieri announces that he will marry a new young bride. He sends for Griselda and orders her to make the wedding arrangements. The prospective bride is only twelve years old. Griselda wishes the bride and her husband happiness but begs Gualtieri not to inflict the same wounds on his second wife. Gualtieri, now convinced that Griselda is worthy, tells her that his test is over. He reveals the identity of his children and restores Griselda to her place of honor by his side.

Summary: Conclusion of the Tenth Day

The ladies discuss Dioneo’s story for some time, some believing it was Gualtieri who acts nobly, while others are convinced it is Griselda. Panfilo makes a speech about their upcoming return to Florence, reminding them of the spirit of harmony and good behavior that has prevailed among them. All agree that it is time for their retreat to end. On this last evening, Fiammetta sings a love song about the pains of jealousy. Dioneo begs her to reveal the man’s name because she is so angry about it. The next morning, the companions arise at the crack of dawn and follow Panfilo back to Florence. The women return to the church where they met, and the men go about their business.

Summary: Author’s Epilogue

In a direct address to noble young ladies, Boccaccio anticipates and responds to several objections to his stories. He reminds those who don’t like some of the stories that tastes differ. To the objection that some stories are too long, he reminds the ladies that they have plenty of free time. Boccaccio admits that his tongue might have become unstable from time to time, but he assures his audience that a lady has told him he has the sweetest tongue in the world.

Analysis: Tenth Day & Author’s Epilogue

Panfilo’s choice of topic, people who do munificent deeds, changes the nature of the stories and ensures that the last day of the retreat will end on a positive and cohesive note. The topic allows each storyteller one last chance to express his or her values by defining liberality and munificence. Elissa defines munificence as the forgiveness of former enemies. Emilia’s munificent hero is a husband who treats his foolishly mistaken wife with kindness. Emilia appears to be making up for her approval of wife-beating on the previous day, which did not go down well with her listeners, by portraying an ideal patriarch’s benign use of his power.

As Dioneo so often does, he inserts a controversial element with his story of the patient Griselda. According to traditional values, Gualtieri is liberal and munificent in marrying Griselda, a poor peasant woman, and he has the perfect right to test her to see if she is up to his patriarchal and aristocratic standards. However, Gualtieri’s behavior is extreme to the point of criminal abuse, as when he tells Griselda that her children are dead. Griselda’s plight is made hopeless by the fact that she is from a poor family. To some of Dioneo’s listeners, as well as to modern readers, Gualtieri is an emotionally warped bully, while Griselda, the patient wife, is liberal and munificent in putting up with his abuse. Griselda has already proved her worth before Gualtieri begins his test, so he neglects the evidence of his senses when he takes his stupid and cruel actions. The debate that follows Dioneo’s story reveals deep differences between the companions over the relationship between women and men.

As usual, the tenth day contains hints, but no hard facts, about the relationships between the storytellers. At the start of the day, Panfilo, Filomena, and Fiammetta walk together and talk about their future, a clue that their connection will continue after the retreat is over. After the storytelling ends, Panfilo delivers a long speech suitable for their farewell evening, thus assuming the role of the group’s moral leader. However, Dioneo gets the last word. After Fiammetta sings about jealousy, Dioneo tries to get Fiammetta to reveal the name of the man she loves, which might or might not be Dioneo. Fiammetta has been making music with Dioneo throughout their days of retreat, but Fiammetta talks with Panfilo about her future. Boccaccio leaves further developments up to the reader’s imagination.

The controversial last story, combined with Fiammetta’s song about a negative aspect of love, adds a bittersweet tone to counteract the uplifting final impression that Panfilo hopes to achieve. Boccaccio seems to be reminding the reader that real life is more complicated than the world of stories. The sorrowful events that happen to Griselda and the jealousy that consumes Fiammetta help prepare the companions emotionally for their return to Florence the next day.

The return of the brigade to Florence reverses its exit from the city. The companions go together to the church, but then the women stay there while the men go their separate ways, leaving the women frozen in place and in the exact spot where their adventure began.

In the Author’s Epilogue, Boccaccio echoes much of the language of the Preface. Like the Preface, the Epilogue is directly addressed to noble ladies and offers justification for his writing. The tone of the Epilogue is lighthearted. Boccaccio ends the Epilogue with a compliment to his own sweet tongue, which might refer to something besides his writing.