The rules are simple: everyday there will be a 'king' or a 'queen' that will be in charge of choosing the stories' theme and caring about their meals and entertainment. In this ideal places, represented with all the features of the locus amoenus, they eventually commit themselves to storytelling in order to occupy their time. The new-formed posse or brigata leave the city and its horrors and reach a countryside palace where they decide to stay. The oldest of the group, Pampinea, suggest to leave the city and thus avoid the sad vision of deaths, the risk of contagion and the lack of authority which eventually had weakened all social and moral controls.īeing afraid of traveling alone, the women took with them three young men of their acquaintance just arrived into the church. While chaos reigns in the streets and every friendship or kinship is broken by the plague's fear, seven young gentlewomen gather in the church of Santa Maria Novella to pray and try to find out some way to face the situation.

The Decameron is set in 1348, when the Black Death was ravaging the city of Florence, as portrayed by Boccaccio in his famous description of plague's effect on people and places. Written by jovelyn agcang, Rina Elizavetenkova, Christian Fajardo and other people who wish to remain anonymous We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.

These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio