The Decameron

A young, eager traveler who comes to Naples to buy horses. He is quick-witted and opportunistic, yet easily duped by a polite rich woman and a dangerous urban underworld. His luck swings between peril and cunning as he navigates traps and thieves to come away with a ring and a tale of survival.

A roguish old thief and sly fraud who weaponizes lies and a sham sanctimony to survive. His scheme culminates in a posthumous sainthood of convenience, exposed only after his death. The character embodies the trope of deceit masquerading as virtue within a corrupt social order.

A young gardener who seeks work at a convent and pretends to be deaf and dumb to avoid suspicion. Inside the convent, he becomes the subject of sexual curiosity, and his silence is used to cope with the mounting demands. His arc highlights desire, power, and the fragility of virtue.

A cunning housewife who manipulates her husband through a ruse involving a pot and a lover. Her scheming keeps social order within the domestic sphere while exposing the gullibility and complicity of her husband. The episode centers on wit, sexuality, and social cunning.

A young woman who falls in love with Ricciardo and orchestrates a plan to sleep with him outside the eye of her family. Her father's practical consent—marriage for dowry—drives the social logic of the tale. The couple's gamble pays off in a socially strategic marriage.

A lover who scales walls to be with Caterina, willing to secure a future through marriage. His relationship with Caterina navigates the tension between illicit love and social legitimacy. The tale centers on youth, risk, and pragmatic arrangements.

A married woman who becomes entangled in a magical ruse that threatens her sense of self and her marriage. Don Gianni's scheme exposes the vulnerability of sexual narratives and the male gaze. The episode blends farce with a critique of manipulation.

A pupil of Giotto who travels to Naples to paint a mural, serving as the frame that binds the episodic stories. His art-seeking journey anchors the film in medieval storytelling and artistic aspiration. The interlude underscores the tension between dream and reality.

A crafty figure who embodies mischievous cunning and practical scheming. He orchestrates the events that enable Gemmata to become a subject of his proposed 'transformation' tale, highlighting the interplay of manipulation and desire. His actions propel the satire of social norms.