The ten days

Decameron

VI. Concision e graphicness

In the day dedicated to “graceful mottos” and to “ready replies” the narrative evolves in the sign of concision and graphic vividness. The novellas presented under Elissa’s regency are among the shortest in the Decameron and also the most essential as to plot, greatly simplified in that it is reduced to the initiative taken by a protagonist under provocation from an opponent[1]. The extreme synthesis of the stories is in part compensated, as the author himself admits (cfr. VI, Conclusione, 17[2]), by a greater articulation of the narrative framework.

This explains, within such a tightly written piece, the considerable space given to the bickering between Filomena’s maid Licisca and Filostrato’s waiter Tindaro, with which day VI opens. The bone of contention is the myth of virginity before marriage, firmly defended by Tindaro and denied by the childly Filomena with such coloured expressions as to be at times vulgar. This insert from classical comedy, the model for which is also betrayed by the servants’ names, introduces the theme of the vindication of female sexual freedom which would seem to anticipate, albeit in stylistically quieter tones, madonna Filippa’s oration. The female protagonist of the seventh novella is caught in the act of adultery. As there is no way she can deny what she was up to, the woman argues cleverly in favour of what she was doing, saying she had an excess of vitality her husband was unable to satisfy. Filippa thus develops a sort of self-defence, based on juridical oratory, so convincing as to obtain a revision of the law in her favour.

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[1]M. Picone, Leggiadri motti e pronte risposte: la sesta giornata, in Introduzione al Decameron, ed. M. Picone-M. Mesirca, Florence 2004, pp. 163-186, in part. pp. 163-170.

[2]Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron, ed. V. Branca, Turin 1999, vol. II, p. 1258.