Once you've become involved in the lively stories of The Decameron, it's easy to forget the intense suffering that led the brigata to leave Florence and retreat into a parallel universe. If you can imagine the horror, sickness, decay, bodily suffering and loneliness that would have been the daily reality during the plague years, you'll understand how the move to a locus amoenus is an action of psychological and physical preservation.
The need to escape this reality also explains why Filostrato's reign is universally hated and yet strictly adhered to. No one really wants to talk about doomed lovers, eaten hearts, or heads in pots of basil. But the structure and civility offered by the storytelling game provide stability and solace and a sense of fellowship that eases their suffering. There's also the feeling that they're doing something novel and risky, and that frees them from dwelling on the possibility of early death when they return to Florence. We're still waiting for Decameron: The Sequel to find out what happened to them all.
Despite the need to alleviate suffering in the moment, many of the stories told have happy endings that unfold only after entire lifetimes of hardship. In telling these stories, the characters are taking comfort in the knowledge that Fortune changes constantly, so they can hope for an improvement in their own prospects down the road.
Questions About Suffering
- In what ways is suffering redemptive in The Decameron? In what ways destructive?
- How important is the backdrop of the plague to the stories that are told in The Decameron? In what ways does it influence your thinking about the stories and the storytellers?
- Are there differences between male and female suffering in The Decameron? Think not only about the characters in the stories, but also of the storytellers and the narrator.
Chew on This
Nothing in the stories makes people suffer more than love.
Those characters who inflict suffering on others in The Decameron aren't always condemned for their behavior, but there's a limit on how much misery one character can inflict on the other and still get away with it.