Boccaccio’s Decameron---Day 3
ON THE THIRD DAY, the company of friends come upon a lovely palace with beautiful rooms and a wonderful garden where animals are at play. They eat, have wine, and begin their storytelling for the day.
The theme of these stories is: about a different kind of fortune. It deals with people, who through their own efforts, have obtained something they wanted badly, or got back what they had lost.
Day 3 –story 1 as told by Filostrata.
Women who are nuns are still sexual! There is a woman’s convent where a simpleminded fellow tended the gardens. When he returns to his hometown, he tells Masetto about this job, so Masetto is interested in having a job there. After all, there are plenty of women.
Masetto gets the job, and pretends to be a deaf mute. The nuns want to sleep with him because he can’t tell on them. The girls try it first, and then the Abess takes him to her cell. He eventually produces many monklets, and goes back to his hometown rich in money and children.
Day 3 –story 2 as told by Pampinea
A groom in the service of a king, falls desperately in love with the King’s wife. He decides to find a way to her room, He observes what the King brings with him to enter the room at night, so he copies it and sleeps with the Queen. The King comes later, and is chastised by the Queen. He immediately knows what has happened , and so decides to figure out who it is. When he comes upon the groom, the groom’s heart is pounding so the king knows who it is. The king clips a few locks from the side of the groom’s hair so he would know who it was the next day.
The groom, being clever, took shears from the stables and cut off all the hair of the men—bareheaded they were, so the king could not discern the culprit. The king, being wise, said “Let him who did it, not dare do it again.” What luck for the groom!
Day 3 --story 3 as told by Filomena
There was a noble lady who was married to a wool merchant she thought was beneath her even though he was wealthy. In order for her to attract a real gentleman, she devises a plan to tell the local friar that the gentleman she has in mind, is pursuing HER, and that he must stop because she will tell her husband and brothers about it and there will be trouble.
The gentleman, at first has no idea of what is going on, and the friar, being a religious person, believes what she tells him. Little does he know that she is using “reverse psychology” to get what she wants.
The gentleman begins to notice her, to her satisfaction. Now her husband goes on a journey, and she goes to the friar and tells him the gentleman tried to break into her house, and bedroom. The friar goes back to the gentleman—tells him to please not bother this lady, and at that point, the gentleman knew what the lady was after.
They sleep together in joy and laugh at friars, wool merchants, carders, and combers.
Day 3—story 4 as told by Pamfilo
There was a fellow named Pucci who joined the Franciscan order—did nothing but say pasternosters all day long—even fasted and mortified his flesh. He has a young and lively wife.
He also has a monk friend who he invites for dinner. The monk sees “what’s up”. He knows the fool Franciscan ignores his wife’s needs, so he approaches Pucci with a plan to achieve sainthood. He has Pucci promise not to tell anyone about it.
It involves penance of 40 days which involves abstinence and being in a room every night where Pucci can observe the sky (out of the way of the monk and Pucci’s wife who are in the bedroom). While there he must recite “Our Fathers” and “Holy Marys”. In the morning, he is allowed to leave the room. Pucci loves the idea, and tells his wife, The wife knows what the monk is devising, and loves it.
Day 3—story 5 as told by Elisa
People think because they are wise, others know nothing. A gentleman of Pistoia, Francesco, goes to Milan as a provost. In Pistoia is a man who is wealthy and well dressed named Ricciardo—also known as Il Zima. Ricciardo was in love with Francesco’s wife.
Francesco asks for Ricciardo’s horse to use on his trip to Milan. Ricciardo responds that he can’t sell it, but he will give it to Francesco if only he can speak with his wife. Francesco instructs his wife to meet with the man but say nothing to him---no words at all.
So Francesco arranges for his wife to meet Ricciardo. Ricciardo declares his love for her. He realizes she is affected by it, and bound not to talk, SO HE TALKS FOR HER, her saying: “ Of course, Ricciardo, I have always cherished you above other men, etc.” I will put out 2 handerchiefs on my window sill—when my husband leaves, that is a signal for you to come to me.” The lady said nothing.
When her husband left, she reflected upon her domestic life, and the words Ricciardo used to woo her, and decided to do something about it. The handkerchiefs were put out, and they enjoyed their pleasure.
Day 3—story 6 as told by Fiametta
In Naples there was a man named Riccairdo Minetolo—he had a good looking wife, but he fell in love with another woman. Her name was Catella. She was married to Filipello. She loved her husband. Ricciardo wanted to make her jealous, so he takes up with a new lady and tries to show off with feats of arms and jousting. Now, everyone thought he loved the new lady.
People go to the seashore for a party. He let fall an idea that Catella’s husband was involves in an intrigue. Instantly, she became jealous, and asked for an explanation.
“Maybe your husband,” began Ricciardo, “ would like to get even with me for bearing love for you by satisfying his pleasure upon my wife. I think he is sending her messages.” Like most victims of jealousy, she believed him.
In the meantime Ricciardo has a “go-between” help him with his plan to snatch Catella. They set up a room in the house that Ricciardo says her husband is using for an affair. Ricciardo, himself is waiting for Catella. She thinks it is her husband, and after their love-making she hurls insults at him and tells him she will shame him in front of family and friends. Ricciardo is enjoying the lambast, but knows that if he doesn’t come clean, she will do worse outside of the room. So he tells her who he is, and then tells her what’s been done, cannot be undone. You could lose your reputation “ You ought to know how much quicker people are to accept evil rather than good! They would not believe you”, says Ricciardo.
Catella tells how foolish she was to be tricked, but also tells him she will have her revenge. Eventually she calmed down, and enjoyed the sweet love of a lover over a husband.
Day 3—story 7 as told by Emilia
Tedaldo Elisei who lives in Florence loves a noble lady Ermellina—the wife of Aldobrandini Palermi. For awhile she and Tedaldo were fine together. Then she stopped seeing him, and he decides to go to Cyprus.
After a time, he comes back to Florence, and by chance hears that HE, Tedaldo has been murdered by Ermellina’s husband who is in prison for the murder. It is a frame-up. In a hostelry he hears his own 6 brothers confess to the frame up.
He goes to Ermellina and tells her she has sinned, and must atone for it. He tells her that when she took herself from Tedaldo, she was guilty of robbery, and dishonest behavior. Tedaldo tells her that he is a friar, and he knows about these things. If a woman robs, or kills or banishes a man she is guilty of having a wicked mind. Then he tells her that if Tedaldo returns, then she must give him grace and forgiveness.
When she knows Tedaldo is not dead, because of a ring Tedaldo had that she had given him, she is shocked. She still thinks Tedaldo is a monk until he takes off his robes of disguise.
He goes to the prison; tells Aldobrandini that he will be freed; Aldobrandini is deeply grateful and as a reward, is asked to forgive Tedaldo’s brothers for framing him. “Of course,” he says. And in addition gives Tedaldo free reign of his house while Tedaldo is in Florence.
Day 3—story 8 as told by Lauretta
This is a true story about a living man buried alive. There was a monk who was head of an abbey—he was pious but lecherous. A farmer befriends him. The abbot invites the farmer and his pretty wife to the abbey garden. She confesses to the abbot that her husband is jealous and she hates that.
“He must be made to go to Purgatory” says the abbot. “He must die first, and then we’ll resurrect him; and his experience in all of this will change him.” “But dear lady, I must have a reward for doing this.”
“Anything” says the wife. “Well, love me” says the abbot, “And don’t worry , it is not a sin because holiness is in the soul.”
He produces a powder—made the farmer sleep for 3 days—people thought he was dead. Finally, the farmer comes to, but the assistant to the abbot thrashes him. He yells, “Where am I?” “You are in Purgatory!” the assistant replies, and tells him he is being thrashed for his sin of jealousy.
For 10 months he endured this—meanwhile the wife conceives (from the abbot, of course) so now is the time to return her to her husband just in time to become a father. He was totally cured!
Day 3—story 9 as told by The Queen
In France there was a knight named Isnard who had ill health. He had a son named Bertrand. Gillette, ( young lady) was the physician’s daughter. She liked Bertrand.
Now the King was ill. She goes to Paris where she can see both king and Bertrand. She feels she can cure the king of his fistula. “King,” she says if I don’t cure you, you can burn me alive, but if I do, I want to marry Bertrand.”
Bertrand and Gillette marry. He becomes a soldier for Florence in the war against Sienna and seems to be in love with someone else. She asks a woman who he is in love with for her address. Gillette goes to see the girl’s mother; and tells her she can give her daughter a dowry if her daughter asks Bertrand for his ring.
If Gillette gets the ring, she will pretend to be the girl—sleep with Bertrand; conceive and have a child. The girl’s mother agreed, and he never knew it was Gillette he was sleeping with. She had 2 sons by him. She confronts him by showing him the ring and children, and he recognizes Gillette as his lawful wife
.
Day 3 –story 10 as told by Dioneo *
Once there was a rich man who had a charming daughter whose name was Alibech. She goes to the desert of Thebais to serve God. She meets a young holy man named Rustico—he keeps her in his cell. As he finds out, she is a virgin, and the only way to keep her, and to get her to sleep with him, is to tell her that she is serving God by doing so.
So he devises a story about the Devil who must be put back into Hell. “How” she asks. “You’ll see—do what I do” he says. He gets hard, and tells her it is the Devil. “Oh good, that I don’t have that,” she says. “True, but you have Hell”, he says. God sent you to me to put the Devil back into Hell”
“I am beginning to realize what a holy thing it is to serve God” she says.
*NOTE: I think this is the most revealing of Boccaccio’s stories—it simply makes eroticism the symbol for his work—in a most delightful and humorous way.
