Netflix’s The Decameron shares its name with the 14th-century book by Giovanni Boccaccio, raising questions about how the two are connected. When the Black Plague first hit Italy in the summer of 1347 via Crimea, the disease devastated Italians, wiping out large chunks of the population, with high-density cities having higher rates of death. By 1348, the illness hit Florence, Italy so hard that the disease gained the nickname “the plague of Florence.” In response, a poet and scholar named Giovanni Boccaccio wrote a book called The Decameron, which included 100 short stories that pushed back against oppressive values.

Boccaccio’s book is now considered one of the best historical records of life during the Black Plague and has been adapted into film numerous times. The most popular movie adaptations include The Decameron (1971), Virgin Territory (2007), Wondrous Boccaccio (2015), and The Little Hours (2017). However, Netflix breaks the mold by adapting the book into a TV show that’s equal parts raunchy, dark, and funny – despite what some reviews for The Decameron say. Because the episodes aren’t anthological, though, questions come up about how Netflix’s The Decameron relates to the book by Boccaccio.

Netflix’s The Decameron Is Loosely Based On The 14th Century Collection Of Short Stories

The Basic Idea Of Fleeing The Plague Remains The Same In The Netflix Show

Netflix’s The Decameron is only connected to the book in the loosest sense of the word. Giovanni Boccaccio’s book consists of 95% short stories and about 5% frame story, similar to Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (though this more famous short story collection was written approximately forty years after The Decameron). The frame story is loosely related, as it involves a bunch of nobles going to a villa outside Florence to escape the Black Plague, which is the same premise of the show. Both stories rely heavily on the horrors of the plague, though the Netflix show approaches it in a more comical way.

The difference might be disappointing to fans of the source material, but it allows the show to create a unique and fun storyline that speaks to the fears and neuroticism the world faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The modern period piece also integrates the themes from the short stories, such as love, sex, lies, betrayal, female pleasure, religious corruption, tragedy, and cynicism. However, these themes aren’t introduced through short stories; they are woven into the character arcs and overall plot. The frame story’s general concept, themes, and the show’s last moments are the only significant connections, though. The difference might be disappointing to fans of the source material, but it allows the show to create a unique and fun storyline that speaks to the fears and neuroticism the world faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Decameron’s Characters & Events Aren’t Included In The Original Book

The Decameron Characters And Plot Have Little In Common

Pretty much everything about The Decameron‘s main characters, including their backstories, motivations, interactions, and most of their names, is made up for the show. Boccaccio’s book features ten nobles and seven servants who hunker down in a villa outside Florence. The show cuts this down to ten people; only a handful share names with book characters. Of the people whose names match, only Dioneo has a personality similar to his counterpart. The other characters have entirely new personalities and values.

It could be argued that Pampinea is overbearing and Neifile is pious in the book, but not nearly to the degree they are in the show. The book version of Pampinea is assertive rather than controlling, rude, and manipulative. Neifile, on the other hand, brings up the Bible a few times rather than previously wanting to be a nun. Additionally, the other characters in Boccaccio’s book speak about god and religion fairly often, making it less unique to Neifile.

The Decameron killed off multiple characters, with some dying from the bubonic plague during the Black Death, while many others were murdered.

Another difference is that the events of Netflix’s story don’t come from the book. For starters, they leave out the main event of telling stories to one another every day for 14 days. Dioneo’s chapters explain that when they aren’t telling stories in the book, they sing, dance, play chess, tend to the garden, and write poetry. There aren’t people showing up and kicking them out of the villa. They don’t have to deal with mercenaries or the villa’s owner dying from the plague. All the nobles and servants are also alive by the end of Boccaccio’s The Decameron.

The Decameron’s Real Book Adaptation Comes At The Very End Of Season 1

The Last Five Minutes Of the Netflix Show Captures The Spirit Of Boccaccio’s Book

Despite having almost no connection with the source material, the last five minutes of Netflix’s The Decameron‘s ending are the real book adaptation. The surviving characters Filomena, Sirisco, Misia, Licisca, Stratilia, and Jacopo sit in a circle, taking turns telling each other stories. They take turns wearing the mourner’s wreath around their necks, which is like the flower crown the characters take turns wearing in Boccaccio’s titular book.

Like in the book, an air of death looms over them when they tell the stories, but their stories are more of a celebration of life. From Misia’s story alone, it’s clear that the stories possess the same sexual liberation themes as those in the source material. Ultimately, these five minutes of The Decameron capture the spirit of the book, even if the characters and circumstances are different.