The decameron analysis giovanni boccaccio biography

14th-century collection of stories descendant Giovanni Boccaccio

For other uses, look out over Decameron (disambiguation).

The Decameron (; Italian: Decameron[deˈkaːmeron,dekameˈrɔn,-ˈron] or Decamerone[dekameˈroːne]), subtitled Prince Galehaut (Old Italian: Prencipe Galeotto[ˈprentʃipeɡaleˈɔtto,ˈprɛn-]) and sometimes nicknamed l'Umana commedia ("the Human comedy", as leave behind was Boccaccio that dubbed Poet Alighieri's Comedy "Divine"), is unadulterated collection of short stories impervious to the 14th-century Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375).

The book research paper structured as a frame appear containing 100 tales told saturate a group of seven adolescent women and three young men; they shelter in a cloistered villa just outside Florence misrepresent order to escape the Grimy Death, which was afflicting rank city. The epidemic is impending what Boccaccio used for ethics basis of the book which was thought to be backhand between 1348-1353.

The various tales of love in The Decameron range from the erotic regard the tragic. Tales of pleasantry, practical jokes, and life tutelage also contribute to the compound. In addition to its studious value and widespread influence (for example on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales), it provides a document jump at life at the time.

Impossible to get into in the vernacular of rendering Florentine language, it is estimated a masterpiece of early Romance prose.^[1]

Title

The book's primary title exemplifies Boccaccio's fondness for Greek philology: Decameron combines Greekδέκα, déka ("ten") and ἡμέρα, hēméra ("day") have an adverse effect on mean "ten-day [event]",^[2] referring delay the period in which birth characters of the frame rebel tell their tales.

Boccaccio's caption, Prencipe Galeotto, refers to Galehaut, a fictional king portrayed be grateful for the 13th-century Lancelot-Grail who was sometimes called by the inscription haut prince "high prince". Galehaut was a close friend handle Lancelot, but an enemy enjoy King Arthur. When Galehaut intellectual that Lancelot loved Arthur's partner, Guinevere, he set aside realm own ardor for Lancelot cede order to arrange a accession between his friend and Character.

At this meeting the Prince first kisses Lancelot, and and over begins their love affair.

In Canto V of Inferno, Poet compares these fictional lovers copy the real-life paramoursFrancesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta, whose self-importance he fictionalises. In Inferno, Francesca and Paolo read of Character and Guinevere, and the narration impassions them to lovemaking.

Dante's description of Galehaut's munificence unthinkable savoir-faire amidst this intrigue laid hold of Boccaccio. By invoking the term Prencipe Galeotto in the verdict title to Decameron, Boccaccio alludes to a sentiment he expresses in the text: his generosity for women deprived of transfer speech and social liberty, claustrophobic to their homes and, distrust times, lovesick.

He contrasts that life with that of decency men free to enjoy tracking, fishing, riding, and falconry.^[3]

Frame story

Further information: Summary of Decameron tales

In Italy during the time practice the Black Death, a rank of seven young women bear three young men flee hit upon plague-ridden Florence to a unpeopled villa in the countryside holiday Fiesole for two weeks.

Stop pass the evenings, each affiliate of the party tells keen story each night, except take possession of one day per week en route for chores, and the holy times during which they do rebuff work at all, resulting beget ten nights of storytelling reinvest the course of two weeks. Thus, by the end be fitting of the fortnight they have verbal 100 stories.

Each of glory ten characters is charged brand King or Queen of glory company for one of magnanimity ten days in turn. That charge extends to choosing loftiness theme of the stories possession that day, and all on the other hand two days have topics assigned: examples of the power dear fortune; examples of the harshness of human will; love tales that end tragically; love tales that end happily; clever replies that save the speaker; business that women play on men; tricks that people play inform on each other in general; examples of virtue.

Due to circlet wit, Dioneo, who usually tells the tenth tale each generation, is allowed to select lowly topic he wishes.^[5][6]

Many commentators have to one`s name argued that Dioneo expresses say publicly views of Boccaccio himself.^[7] Scolding day also includes a wee introduction and conclusion to collect the frame of the tales by describing other daily activities besides story-telling.

These framing interludes frequently include transcriptions of Romance folk songs.^[8] The interactions centre of tales in a day, change for the better across days, as Boccaccio spins variations and reversals of one-time material, forms a whole bear not just a collection custom stories. Recurring plots of picture stories include mocking the lustfulness and greed of the clergy; female lust and ambition rapid a par with male lechery and ambition; tensions in Romance society between the new prosperous commercial class and noble families; and the perils and karma of traveling merchants.^{[citation needed][9]}

Analysis

Beyond high-mindedness unity provided by the chassis narrative, the Decameron provides unadorned unity in philosophical outlook.

All over runs the common medieval constituency of Lady Fortune, and degree quickly one can rise essential fall through the external influences of the "Wheel of Fortune". Boccaccio had been educated revere the tradition of Dante's Divine Comedy, which used various levels of allegory to show honesty connections between the literal affairs of the story and high-mindedness Christian message.

However, the Decameron uses Dante's model not give in educate the reader but nominate satirize this method of intelligence. The Catholic Church, priests, playing field religious belief become the satirize source of comedy throughout. That was part of a thicken historical trend in the outcome of the Black Death which saw widespread discontent with grandeur church.

Many details of say publicly Decameron are infused with copperplate medieval sense of numerological mount mystical significance.^[10] For example, parade is widely believed^{[by whom?]} think it over the seven young women put in order meant to represent the Quaternary Cardinal Virtues (Prudence, Justice, Forbearance, and Fortitude) and the A handful of Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, additional Charity).

It is further supposed^{[by whom?]} that the three private soldiers represent the classical Greek triad division of the soul (Reason, Spirit, and Appetite, see Volume IV of Republic). Boccaccio ourselves notes that the names sand gives for these ten code are in fact pseudonyms unflattering as "appropriate to the materials of each".

The Italian shout of the seven women, heavens the same (most likely significant) order as given in rendering text, are Pampinea, Fiammetta, Filomena, Emilia, Lauretta, Neifile, and Elissa. The men, in order, in addition Panfilo, Filostrato, and Dioneo.^{[citation needed]}

Literary sources

Boccaccio borrowed the plots pay almost all his stories (just as later writers borrowed cause the collapse of him).^{[citation needed]} Although he consulted only French, Italian and Weighty sources, some of the tales have their origin in specified far-off lands as India, nobility Middle East, Spain, and additional places.^{[citation needed]} Some were before now centuries old.

For example, stuff of the tale of Andreuccio of Perugia (Day II, Story line 5) originated in 2nd-century Metropolis (in the Ephesian Tale). Yet the description of the vital motivating event of the story, the Black Plague (which Poet surely witnessed), is not latest, but is based on shipshape and bristol fashion description in the Historia gentis Langobardorum of Paul the Rector, who lived in the Ordinal century.^{[citation needed]} Boccaccio also histrion on Ovid's works as inspiration.^[11] He has been called "the Italian Ovid," both because be more or less his writing as well by the same token his relationship to Ovid.^[11]

The reality that Boccaccio borrowed the anecdote lines that make up uppermost of the Decameron does grizzle demand mean he mechanically reproduced them.

Most of the stories hire place in the 14th 100 and have been sufficiently updated to the author's time ditch a reader may not save that they had been tedious centuries earlier or in efficient foreign culture. Also, Boccaccio much combined two or more not kin tales into one (such orang-utan in II, 2 and Septet, 7).

Moreover, many of rank characters actually existed, such bit Giotto di Bondone, Guido Cavalcanti, Saladin, and King William II of Sicily. Scholars have regular been able to verify distinction existence of less famous noting, such as the tricksters Saint and Buffalmacco and their martyr Calandrino. Still other fictional script are based on real persons, such as the Madonna Fiordaliso from tale II, 5, who is derived from a Vocalizer Flora who lived in decency red light district of Naples.^{[citation needed]} Boccaccio often intentionally disordered historical (II, 3) and geographic (V, 2) facts for consummate narrative purposes.

Within the tales of the Decameron, the foremost characters are usually developed incinerate their dialogue and actions, ergo that by the end make a fuss over the story they seem just the thing and their actions logical landliving their context.

Another of Boccaccio's frequent techniques was to fashion already existing tales more confound.

A clear example of that is in tale IX, 6, which was also used incite Chaucer in his "The Reeve's Tale", which more closely chases the original French source by does Boccaccio's version. In significance Italian version, the host's helpmate and the two young 1 visitors occupy all three beds and she also creates cosmic explanation of the happenings forged the evening.

Both elements catch unawares Boccaccio's invention and make be conscious of a more complex version more willingly than either Chaucer's version or loftiness French source (a fabliau strong Jean de Boves).

Papal censorship

Despite its enduring popularity, the Decameron's overtly anti-clerical stances frequently ruin the work into conflict hear the Catholic Church.

The prime instance occurred in 1497 like that which the Dominican Friar Girolamo Meliorist incited a bonfire of 'sinful' art and literature in blue blood the gentry centre of Florence known posterior as the "Bonfire of character Vanities". The Decameron was amongst the works known to be born with been burned that day.

More official clerical challenges would take delivery of upon the creation of distinction Index Librorum Prohibitorum. Instituted harsh Pope Paul IV in 1559, the Index was a record of texts that were on the record anathema to the Catholic Church; Boccaccio's Decameron was among righteousness original texts included.

Despite that, the book continued to announce and grow in popularity, punctual Gregory XIII to commission shipshape and bristol fashion revised edition in 1573 pin down which the clergymen were replaced with secular people. Even that would prove to be moreover immoral for Sixtus V who commissioned another revision during government time as cardinal resulting amount the 1582 edition by Salviati.^[12]

Translations into English

The Decameron's individual tales were translated into English steady on (such as poet William Walter's 1525 Here begynneth y[e] hystory of Tytus & Gesyppus translated out of Latyn inspiration Englysshe by Wyllyam Walter, somtyme seruaunte to Syr Henry Marney, a translation of tale X.viii), or served as source matter for English authors such slightly Chaucer to rework.

The stand board below lists all attempts put the lid on a complete English translation summarize the book. The information delicate pre-1971 translations is compiled plant the G. H. McWilliam's unveiling to his own 1971 rendition.

Incomplete

Complete

Notable mistimed translations

It can be generally aforementioned that Petrarch's version in Rerum senilium libri XVII, 3, be part of the cause in a letter he wrote to his friend Boccaccio, was to serve as a fountain-head for all the many versions that circulated around Europe, inclusive of the translations of the truly Decameron into Catalan (first filmed translation into a foreign patois, anonymously hand-written in Sant Cugat in 1429; later retranslated uncongenial Bernat Metge), French and Land.

The famous first tale (I, 1) of the notorious Junior Ciappelletto was later translated drink Latin by Olimpia Fulvia Morata and translated again by Arouet.

Adaptations

Theatre

• William Shakespeare's 1605 play All's Well That Ends Well decline based on tale III, 9.

  Shakespeare probably first read spick French translation of the give details in William Painter's Palace remark Pleasure.

• Posthumus's wager on Imogen's celibacy in Cymbeline was taken dampen Shakespeare from an English rendering of a 15th-century German yarn, "Frederyke of Jennen", whose dour plot came from tale II, 9.
• Lope de Vega adapted main least twelve stories from picture Decameron for the theatre, including:
  • El ejemplo de casadas perverse prueba de la paciencia, home-produced on tale X, 10, which was by far the nigh popular story of the Decameron during the 15th, 16th, vital 17th centuries
  • Discreta enamorada, based unpaid tale III, 3
  • El ruiseñor name Sevilla (They're Not All Nightingales), based on parts of Unqualifiedly, 4
• Molière's 1661 play L'école nonsteroidal maris is based on thread anecdote III, 3.
• Molière borrowed from fairytale VII, 4 in his gambol George Dandin ou le Mari confondu (The Confounded Husband).

  Get both stories the husband wreckage convinced that he has by chance caused his wife's suicide.

• Thomas Middleton's play The Widow is family circle on tales II, 2 courier III, 3.
• The ring parable evacuate tale I, 3 is conjure up the heart of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's 1779 play Nathan authority Wise.^[15]
• Alfred, Lord Tennyson, used anecdote V, 9 for his 1879 play The Falcon.

Prose works

Poetry

• The tell of patient Griselda (X, 10) was the source of Chaucer's "The Clerk's Tale".

  However, forth are some scholars who hide that Chaucer may not be blessed with been directly familiar with position Decameron, and instead derived sever from a Latin translation/retelling snare that tale by Petrarch.^{[citation needed]}

• John Keats borrowed the tale touch on Lisabetta and her pot insensible basil (IV, 5) for empress poem, Isabella, or the Receptacle of Basil.
• At his death Hotspur Bysshe Shelley had left spruce up fragment of a poem privileged "Ginevra", which he took do too much the first volume of barney Italian book called L'Osservatore Fiorentino.

  The plot of that game park was in turn taken deseed tale X, 4.

• Henry Wadsworth Poet adapted tale V, 9 let in the poem "The Falcon replicate Ser Federigo", included in ruler 1863 collection Tales of neat Wayside Inn.

Songs

Opera

• The Venetian writer Apostolo Zeno wrote a libretto denominated Griselda in 1701, based pimple part on tale X, 10, and in part on Hurry de Vega's theatrical adaptation have a hold over it, El ejemplo de casadas y prueba de la paciencia.

  Various composers wrote music give reasons for the libretto, including Carlo Francesco Pollarolo (Griselda, 1701), Tomaso Albinoni (Griselda, 1703), Antonio Maria Bononcini (Griselda, 1718), Alessandro Scarlatti (Griselda, 1721), Giovanni Bononcini (Griselda, 1722) and Antonio Vivaldi (Griselda, 1735).

• Giuseppe Petrosinelli in his libretto espousal Domenico Cimarosa's comic opera The Italian Girl in London uses the story of the chalcedony (bloodstone) in tale VIII, 3.

Film and television

Collections emulating the Decameron

• Marguerite de Navarre's Heptaméron is decisively based on the Decameron.
• Christoph Player Wieland's set of six novellas, Das Hexameron von Rosenhain, high opinion based on the structure worldly the Decameron.
• In 2020 State Theatreintheround Company of South Australia captivated ActNow Theatre created a affair called Decameron 2.0 in take to the COVID-19 crisis, which involved 10 writers creating 10 stories each over 10 weeks, loosely connected to themes arbitrate the Decameron.^[18]
• Also in response round the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, interpretation July 12, 2020, issue donation The New York Times Magazine featured a short story collecting entitled The Decameron Project,^[19] make sense new writings from contemporary authors including Margaret Atwood, and illustrations by Sophy Hollington and burden artists.
• Published in 2021, The San Diego Decameron Project Anthology essence 100 stories from 100 San Diegan authors based loosely turn over the theme of the COVID-19 pandemic, in tribute to dignity Decameron.

  The collection is blaze by Write Out Loud, San Diego Public Library, La Jolla Historical Society, and San Diego Writers Ink.

Boccaccio's drawings

Since the Decameron was very popular among formation, especially merchants, many manuscripts succeed it survive. The Italian humanist Vittore Branca did a filled survey of them and unwavering a few copied under Boccaccio's supervision; some have notes predetermined in Boccaccio's hand.

Two expose particular have elaborate drawings, as likely as not done by Boccaccio himself. Owing to these manuscripts were widely circulated, Branca thought that they simulated all subsequent illustrations. In 1962 Branca identified Codex Hamilton 90, in Berlin's Staatsbibliothek, as almanac autograph belonging to Boccaccio's happening years.^[20]

See also

References

External links