85 pages • 2 hours read
Giovanni BoccaccioThe Decameron
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1353A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Pampinea
Pampinea is the de facto leader of the brigata, the group of young Florentines who escape their plague-ridden city and tell each other stories in an isolated villa. Leaving the city is Pampinea’s idea, setting the tone for her leadership as the other characters demure to her role as a leader. In her late twenties, she is the oldest member of the group and she shows her authority by becoming the queen for the first day. The ideas and structures she introduces as queen (such as the selection of a theme and the way in which the king or queen select the next storyteller) are broadly copied by everyone else. Whereas other members of the group may be bawdy, shy, or emotional, Pampinea retains control of her emotions at all times. Her calm authority is a demonstration of her maturity and this maturity allows the others to trust Pampinea as their leader.
When speaking between the stories, Pampinea hints that her maturity may be affected by a tragic understanding of love. She claims to have been in love many times but she never explicitly mentions a current romantic partner. Likewise, she is almost a decade older than most of the characters in the stories who are described as being of a marriageable age. Pampinea’s mature perspective may be due to tragically failed relationships in her past, giving her a clearer understanding of the tales of love and loss that the brigata share with one another. However, Pampinea’s narration and her song hint at the prospect of romance within the group. The song she sings at the end of the second day and the meaningful glances she shares with Panfilo suggest that the two brigata members may be romantically involved. The failed relationships of her past, her age, and her potential relationship with one of the brigata members color Pampinea’s interpretation of love. She has more experience and understanding than the other members, imbuing her leadership with additional authority.
Pampinea’s role as leader reflects the hints of feminism which can be glimpsed throughout The Decameron. Observing the decline of social institutions in Florence, Pampinea recognizes the need for change. When she looks at the institutions around her, she sees the government falling apart as so many people die and the church decaying due to rife corruption. As the old world dies, a new world is struggling to be born and Pampinea emerges as a female leader at the dying end of a patriarchal cultural moment. However, her role as a leader reflects the contradictions which are found in this emergent feminism. Pampinea is accepted as a leader by the men and women of the brigata but she lacks real authority outside of the villa. At the same time, the stories which she shares and enjoys with the brigata often contain clear demonstrations of the old patriarchal misogyny which has not gone away. Pampinea reflects social change, perhaps in an unwitting fashion, but she also embodies the difficulty in challenging patriarchal institutions even as those same institutions are falling apart.
Fiammetta
If Pampinea is the calm, mature voice of authority in the brigata, then Fiammetta is her anxious, fretful, but no-less-generous counterpart. Boccaccio describes Fiammetta’s beauty in glowing terms, particularly compared to his descriptions of other brigata members. As such, critics have suggested that Fiammetta may be modelled on a woman from Boccaccio’s own life though actual historical evidence for this claim is scant. Other than the extended descriptions of Fiammetta’s beauty, her actual narration is limited. She plays the role of queen on the fifth day and only once she is crowned does she feel empowered enough to impose her own rules and ideas on the group. After becoming queen, for example, she criticizes Filostrato for telling depressing stories, demanding that he sing them a cheery song to address the depressed mood that he has brought about with his themes and subjects. The contrast between the demure, beautiful, and passive Fiammetta and the scornful, authoritative queen is stark. Fiammetta may seem to be quiet and anxious but her outward appearance masks a strong-willed personality.
Fiammetta reveals other qualities when she sings a song at the end of the tenth day. Fiammetta’s song is one of the final contributions to the book by the members of the brigata. In the song, her lyrics describe her immense jealously toward a man. She describes a lover who can barely control their emotions or their actions, describing her pain and suffering at the thought that her lover may have been unfaithful. The irony of her song is that her earlier criticism of Filostrato still holds true. After criticizing Filostrato for depressing the group, the final piece of storytelling is a depressing song sung by Fiammetta, after which no one has the opportunity to respond to her sorrowful lyrics. Fiammetta is guilty of exactly the same behavior for which she earlier criticized Filostrato, hinting again at the more complicated, nuanced personality which lurks behind her beautiful, shy exterior.
Dioneo
Dioneo has a reputation for being the wittiest member of the brigata, perhaps because of his confidence. He is prepared to speak his mind at all times and is sufficiently charming to undo any offence his lewd, sexual stories often cause. In this respect, he is one of the most important members of the group. His stories are those which most consistently challenge preconceived notions. His stories are overtly and unapologetically sexual in a society which valued virtue and civility, allowing Dioneo to use his storytelling as ideological rebukes of traditional values. Even Dioneo’s presence in the brigata is enough to make some female members of the group worry that he will sully their reputations simply by being seen with them. In this respect, Dioneo occupies an important position in the group as he allows for the most challenging and transgressive stories to be told, but the criticism and offence among the other members of the brigata tempers any similar criticisms which could be made about Boccaccio. The author of The Decameron mentions such criticisms in his conclusion (as well as occasionally throughout the book) and he uses Dioneo as a mouthpiece for his more subversive views.
Dioneo is also uniquely privileged among the group. He is allowed to tell the final story of the day and he is only occasionally required to adhere to any day’s respective theme. Whereas other members of the group carefully select a story to suit the theme of the day and to ensure that they do not cause offence, Dioneo speaks impulsively and confidently on any topic that he chooses. In this respect, he illustrates his subversive nature. Dioneo is not bound by the rules which govern society, whether those rules are sticking to a theme when telling a story or perpetuating a system of manners and decorum which is expected in polite society. Dioneo admits to this subversive attitude and justifies his free-wheeling, hedonistic worldview by reminding the brigata that death is always nearby. Dioneo is the unbound, debauched portrayal of a man who no longer feels bound to live by the rules of a society which is evidently collapsing. If the world is about to end, he reasons, he may as well have as much fun as possible.
Filostrato
Dioneo’s outgoing charm contrasts with the more reserved, almost sulky attitude of Filostrato. His surly attitude is reflected in his choice of theme when he is made king, as he selects stories which have unhappy or tragic endings. His miserable attitude may be caused by his floundering relationship with one of the members of the brigata, implied to be Pampinea. But while Pampinea is dealing with their relationship in a mature, sensible manner, Filostrato is not so able to guard his emotions. His tries to spread his misery to others, providing the counterpoint to Dioneo’s delightful, offensive banter.
Ironically, Filostrato’s lovelorn misery may be the closest any of the brigata come to resembling the characters in their own stories. Many of the stories of lovers and relationships which are shared in The Decameron end badly. With so few of the members of the brigata in a successful relationship, there are no models for successful relationships in the group. Filostrato is the best example of someone who has experienced tragedy in his love life and makes no attempt to hide it. He needs the guidance of Fiammetta and Dioneo to help him from ruining his time as king, showing how the members of the brigata shape his life as though he were one of their stories. Filostrato may be miserable and occasionally unpleasant but his negative character does resemble the literary figures from the stories more closely than anyone else in the group.
