A World Where Cleverness Wins

If you read enough of the Decameron's hundred tales, a pattern becomes clear: the character who wins — who gets the lover, escapes punishment, gains the money, or humiliates the oppressor — is almost never the most virtuous. They are the most clever. Boccaccio's fictional world is one where ingegno (ingenuity, wit, intelligence) is the supreme human virtue.

This is a significant departure from the moral frameworks of medieval religious literature, where virtue, piety, and patience were typically rewarded. In the Decameron, the pious often get tricked, and the cunning almost always prevail.

The Clever Servant and the Foolish Master

A recurring character type in the Decameron is the clever person of low social standing who outsmarts a wealthy or powerful superior. These tales can be read as social commentary — the merchant class and even servants proving themselves more intelligent than the nobility — which reflects the real social mobility of 14th-century Italian merchant culture.

Notable examples include:

  • Chichibio (Day 6, Novella 4): A cook who improvises a ridiculous excuse on the spot and charms his way out of punishment through sheer quick-thinking.
  • Guido Cavalcanti (Day 6, Novella 9): A philosopher who humiliates a group of nobles with a single, devastating witty remark.
  • Andreuccio of Perugia (Day 2, Novella 5): A naive young merchant who, after a series of disasters, uses growing cunning to escape and even profit from his misadventures.

Day Six: A Celebration of the Well-Turned Phrase

The sixth day of storytelling is explicitly dedicated to stories of wit — specifically, stories where a sharp retort or clever remark saves the day. This day functions almost as a manifesto for Boccaccio's values. The ability to speak well, to think quickly, to find the precise word at the precise moment, is presented as a form of nobility that transcends birth.

"Not the stars, but good counsel and ready wit must guide the affairs of men."
— A sentiment running through countless Decameron tales

Women and Wit

One of the most striking aspects of the Decameron's treatment of cleverness is how frequently it is attributed to women. In many of the tales on Days Three, Seven, and Eight, women outwit jealous husbands, lecherous priests, and foolish lovers. This is genuinely unusual for medieval literature, where women's intelligence was often portrayed as dangerous or suspicious.

Boccaccio frames female wit sympathetically — and often as a necessary response to unfair social constraints. A woman who cannot own property, choose her own husband, or move freely in public develops other tools. Her intelligence becomes her agency.

The Limits of Wit

The Decameron is not a simple celebration of cleverness at any cost. Some tales show wit deployed for genuinely cruel purposes, and Boccaccio does not always endorse the outcome. The elaborate trick played on Calandrino (repeated across multiple tales) edges from comedy into something closer to cruelty. The author seems aware that ingenuity without compassion can become a form of violence.

This moral complexity is what elevates the Decameron above simple entertainment. It uses comedy and wit to explore real questions about power, fairness, and what we owe each other as human beings.

Why This Theme Resonates Today

Boccaccio was writing for a merchant audience in a city where social status was increasingly determined by wealth and ability rather than birth. The celebration of ingegno reflects that world's values. Today, in an era that prizes innovation and problem-solving, the Decameron's clever heroes feel remarkably contemporary — which is part of why the book continues to be read nearly seven centuries after it was written.