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Day 6: Conclusion
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Decameron, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love and Sex
Men and Women
Moderation and Excess
Intelligence
Class and Character
Faith vs. Religion
Summary
Analysis
Only Venus is still visible in the sky when the steward (Parmeno) takes the day’s supplies to the Valley of the Ladies. The sun is still rising and the nightingales are still singing when the company sets out behind him. The Valley seems even more beautiful in the morning. After they sing, eat breakfast, and amuse themselves (or rest in canopied beds tucked between the trees), they gather for the day’s tales.
On the dawn of a day that will feature bawdy and explicit stories, all signs point to sex: the planet Venus (named after the Roman goddess of love) is shining in the sky; nightingales (patron birds of lovers, which are a central feature in tale V, 4) are signing; and the Valley of the Ladies is even more luscious in the morning than it was the previous night.
Themes
