Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Decameron.
Summary
The Decameronleaves many questions open-ended, like when Panfilo learned that Neifile had the plague, leaving room for interpretation. One of the most tragicdeaths inThe Decameronis that of Neifile. Because the story is set in Firenze in 1348, it was inevitable that some characters would die of the plague, but that doesn’t change the heartbreak of watching Neifile die. Her character growth made her one of the more likable characters by the time of her death. Additionally, Panfilo’s devastated reaction to her death tugs at the heartstrings.
However,The Decameronremains scant with details about her experience with the plague. She doesn’t express pain or discomfort because of the symptoms, and her buboes don’t ever turn necrotic or burst. Moreover, Neifile and Panfilo never have a direct conversation about her having the plague. However, the knowledge is subliminal in their conversations. This lack of details raises the question about when exactly Panfilo learned about Neifile’s condition inThe Decameron.
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Panfilo Likely Learned About Neifile’s Plague During Their Honesty Conversation
The Decameron Never Confirms Exactly When Panfilo Finds Out
Netflix’sThe Decameronskillfully uses the ambiguity of the timeline of Neifile and the plague to keep the audience intrigued and engaged. The focus is on the bonding between Panfilo and Neifile before her death, rather than on the specifics of when Panfilo learned about her illness. This conversation or realization doesn’t occur onscreen, adding to the intrigue. However, it’s likely that Neifile would have shared her illness during their honest conversation, where they laid everything bare.
Panfilo is smart and knows that Neifile spent time in the infected villa, so he could probably guess she had the plague, too.
The Decameronepisode 7 shows little bits and pieces toward the end of this conversation, andtheir tone points to a shared knowledge about her condition. That being said, Panfilo is smart and knows that Neifile spent time in the infected villa, so he could probably guess she had the plague, too. Ultimately, the show leaves this largely up to interpretation.
Despite knowing Neifile has the plague, Panfilo is never shown telling the othercharacters inThe Decameronabout her condition. While it’s possible he told them about it offscreen, it seems more plausible that he would keep that information to himself. Earlier inThe Decameron,everyone freaks out about being exposed to the pestilence when the three bandits break in. They have a similar reaction when they are forced out of the villa into the Plague-infested world. After returning to the villa, they have the same kind of response a third time.
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Because of these reactions to theBlack Plague inThe Decameron, Panfilo would likely keep quiet about Neifile’s state to protect her. He wouldn’t want her to get thrown out for being ill. Additionally, he probably thought it more prudent to stay at Neifile’s side during her sickness instead of talking to the others in the villa.
