Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Netflix’s The Decameron.

Summary

Netlfix’sThe Decameronfeatured multiple plot twists and surprising reveals, including Dioneo’s attempt to poison and kill his client, Tindaro.The Decameroncharacters consisted of wealthy nobles and their servants, who escaped the plague-ridden Firenze in 1348 in hopes of finding peace and safety in a beautiful countryside villa. This included Tindaro and his doctor, Dioneo, whom he also considered his only friend. However,The Decameronrevealed that their relationship as doctor and patient was far more complicated than it appeared.

The Decameronfeatured multiple character deaths, and Tindaro almost fell victim to poisoning thanks to Dioneo. This was a turning point for his character and the dynamics between the characters.The Decameronwas inspired by the 14th century Italian short-story collection of the same name by Giovanni Boccaccio and featured themes about class differences. This is evidenced byThe Decameron’sendingand the servants' roles in the series. Though Dioneo wasn’t a servant,the villa was divided into the nobles and those who worked for them.

Tanya Reynolds as Licisca from The Decameron is in front of music notes and a treble clef.

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Dioneo Poisons Tindaro Because He’s Jealous Of Him

Dioneo Was In Love With Licisca In The Decameron

Dioneo was characterized as an attractive ladies' man inThe Decameron, and he’d had affairs with multiple women. On the other hand, Tindaro was a misogynist who would likely be characterized as an incel if he lived in the 21st century rather than the 14th. Dioneo slept with many women, but wasn’t committed to any of them. However, things change when he meets Licisca, who he believes is the noblewoman Filomena. While she only saw Dioneo as a lover,Dioneo fell in love with Licisca inThe Decameron.

Dioneo became jealous at the idea of Tindaro being with Licisca as he had.

Licisca leans in to kiss Dioneo in The Decameron season 1, episode 3

While Licisca may have had feelings for him, she had a goal for her and the actual Filomena that included blending in with the nobles. This meant marrying a fellow noble, not someone of the lower working class who the nobles employed. When Tindaro plans to have sex with Licisca for the first time inThe Decameronepisode 3, Dioneo feels threatened. Dioneo became jealous at the idea of Tindaro being with Licisca as he had. Thus, he tricks Tindaro into drinking a deadly poison, giving him the chance to be Licisca’s only lover.

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How Dioneo Slowly Poisons Tindaro Throughout The Decameron

Dioneo Needed Tindaro To Rely On Him As His Doctor

Dioneo’s plan to poison Tindaro inThe Decameronepisode 3 was unsuccessful, and he was exposed for attempted murder. This was accompanied by the reveal thatit wasn’t the first time Dioneo had poisoned Tindaro. Tindaro had been painted as somewhat of a hypochondriac inThe Decameron, as he was always ill or fearing he’d become ill. This is why he brought Dioneo with him to the villa in the first place, to protect him from the Black Death and take care of the other ailments he always seemed to be suffering from.

The Decameron’s Black Plague Explained: Was It Really As Bad As It Is In The Show?

The Black Plague played such a prevalent role in The Decameron, it felt like its own character, with multiple characters dying of the disease.

Yet, Tindaro wasn’t naturally a sickly person inThe Decameron. Rather, Dioneo had been making him sick with his concoctions to ensure Tindaro would need him. Dioneo wasn’t a true doctor but a scammer who was taking advantage of Tindaro. In this time, everyone greatly feared the pestilence, and Dioneo took advantage of this. Dioneo taking advantage of this fear is likely why he was killed off inThe Decameronwhile other servants became the story’s sole survivors. Ironically,Dioneo died of the plague.

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The Decameron

Cast

In 1348 Italy, a group of nobles and their servants seek refuge in a grand villa from the bubonic plague. As they attempt to wait out the pandemic, their interactions reveal class tensions and personal secrets. The show blends dark comedy with historical drama, examining survival and societal divides in a crisis.

Zosia Mamet holds up a goblet with shock on her face in front of an image of a plague pit from The Decameron

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