Boccaccio- Decameron Day 5
THESE stories have the theme of HAPPY ENDINGS
First Day—Story 1 Pamfilo
Aristippus, a wealthy man from Cyprus, had a beautiful but vulgar son who was called Cymon (the donkey). He was sent to live with peasants whose uncouth manners matched his own. While there he saw a young girl aseep in the woods, who he immediately fell in love with. Iphigenia (the girl) is afraid of him, but he, to win her love, wants to become educated—in literature and philosophy, warfare—all the accuitrements of a learned person. Love breaks all previous bonds. “Iphigenia, he says, “through you I became a man; I will have you or I will die.”
Iphigenia is scheduled to go by boat to Rhodes to be married. He captures her but leaves the crew alone. Setting off for Cyprus there is a storm so they end up in Rhodes and come upon the galley they released the day before. The couple are led to the chief magistrate, Lysimachus. Lysimachus arrests Cymon and takes Iphigenia so the marriage that could not take place the day before takes place then; Passimondas to Iphigenia and Osmisdas Passimondes brother) to Cassandra. Now Lysimachus loves Cassandra, and can only abduct her to get her to be his. So he makes a deal with Cymon who would like to do the same thing with Iphigenia.
They attend the wedding ceremony, and while seated at the banquet, they take the girls shrieking –Cymon kills Passimondas and Osmisdas. They flee to Crete and as a result of this action there was trouble between Crete and Rhodes. Eventually, Cymon goes to Cyprus, and Lysimachus back to Rhodes with their wives.
Day 5 Story 2 as told by Emilia
Costanza is in love with Martuccio Gomito. Father would not consent because he was poor. With pride, Martuccio leaves Lipari, and decides never to go back until he has money. He turned pirate off the Barberry shores. He was attacked by Saracen galleys, and taken to Tunis. People in Lapari thought Martuccio had drowned so Costanza is heartbroken and takes a boat far out to sea hoping she would drown, but the boat crashes against a shore where an old woman finds her and speaks the Latin tongue. Her name is Carapresa. She is employed by a fisherman. She takes Costanza to a Saracen lady. The king of Tunis is being attacked by a man from Grenada who claims he is king, and when news of this reaches Martuccio, in prison, he immediately tries to help the king.
His advice to the king was to figure out how to take the arrows of the enemy, and make the strings of the bows thinner; and make the darts and arrows suitable for those bows. After the enemy exhausts their arrows, the king and his men can use the dart and arrows of the new bows and win the war. The war was indeed won by using this strategy. Costanza hears that Martuccio gave the advice. They reunite, marry, and move back to Lipari.
Day 5 Story 3 as told by Elisa
In Rome, a youth called Pietro Boccamazza fell in love with Agnotella; the relatives did not approves o they eloped. At a fork in the road he turned the wrong way and were attacked by people who were enemies of the Orsinis. They were also ambushed by people in the woods—Pietro leads his horse further into the woods while the girl, on her horse, goes in another direction. Alone in the forest, at dusk, he searches for the girl. She was deeper in the woods than he was. She finds a cottage and stays the night.
Next day the couple from the cottage bring her to the castle of the Orsini family. A woman there, recognizes Agnotella and also knew Pietro. In the meantime Pietro spent the night in the woods up in a tree. During the night 20 wolves finding his horse tied to a tree, attacked the poor beast and devoured him as Pietro helplessly watched. The following day shepherds find Pietro; tell him of a castle; bring him there where he finds Agnotella. God has rescued both. The wedding takes place there, and then they return to Rome.
Day 5 Story 4 as told by Filostrato
In Romagna there is a man named Lizio da Valbona. He has a daughter in old age. Ricciardo is a frequent visitor at Lizio’s home. He liked the girl; she liked him.
He entices her away from the control her parents had over her. “Come to the terrace to sleep at night” says Ricciardo. She tries to no avail, but finally the parents give in to her request.
At that point, they sleep together in bliss; father finds them the next morning; and insists if Ricciardo has enjoyed his daughter, he must marry her for further enjoyment. He does, and they do (further enjoy one another.)
Day 5 Story 5 as told by Nefile
Two Lombardian friends ; Guidotto and Giacomin. Guidotto about to die leaves his daughter with Giacomin. Giacomin goes to Faenza where his adopted daughter is now loved by two men—Giannole and Minghino. Giacomin’s servant, Crivello, tries to help Giannole get Agnesa, the girl.
They devise a plan; when Giacomin dines out, the lover is to come to the door which will be left open by Crivello.At the same time, the maid servant is helping Minghino to also enter the house where Agnesa lives.
At night the two men position themselves and wait for signals. Giannole grabs the girl who shrieks; Minghino hears that and rushes to her rescue. By now the whole town is involved—the town captain arrest both men.
When Giacomin returns, he decides to marry off the girl so there is no further scandal. He tells the men the girl is a Faenza not from either of their towns. As they talk about her it becomes known that she is the daughter of Bernabuccio—to prove it she can show a scar she has along her left ear in the shape of a cross. As she is revealed, then it is apparent that Giannole is the girl’s brother, so Agnesa was given in marriage to Minghino.
Day 5 Story 6 as told by Pampinea
Ischia is an isle close to Naples. Rastuta is the daughter of Marin Bolgaro. Gianni, from a neighboring isle loves her.One day she is on the seashore; and some Sicilians kidnap her and go to Calabria where they present her to the King of Sicily who thinks her beautiful. He has her stay in a country house, and one night visits her. In the meantime, Gianni who has sailed the seas looking for her, finds her in Sicily at the country home, and intends to visit her room which he does, When the king visits, he finds that they are sleeping together and calls for their death by burning.
The two are taken to the public square; shamed, chained, and about to be burned when a man intervenes and convinces the king of their love for one another, and the king upon believing that to be true releases them.
Day 5 Story 7 as told by Lauretta
In Sicily a man named Amerigo Abati buys boys to be used as servants. He thinks they are Turks, but in fact they are Armenians. Teodoro is one of them, He grew up in the Palace and plays with Amerigo’s children. They change his name to Pietro and have him baptized. Amerigo’s daughter falls in love with Pietro.
At some point they stay together and Violante becomes pregnant. Violante promises not to tell who got her pregnant. Her father is furious, and threatens to kill her if she doesn’t tell him so she does. Pietro is then put on the rack, and he tries to poison his daughter and dash the newborn’s brains against the wall.
While Pietro is being flogged in the town square a passing Armenian nobleman sees it, and sees that Pietro has a birthmark where his son had one. His son, having been bought, was the same age as this young man, and takes a chance and calls out to him. “Teodoro” he cries; the young man responds. The nobleman goes to the governor; tells him the lad is not a slave but a freeman by birth, and so is willing to marry the girl. He is freed and marries the girl.
Day 5 Story 8 as told by Filomena
In Ravenna there is a nobleman called Nastagio degli Onesti—a wealthy man. He fell in love with a woman who felt no one was good enough for her—including Nastagio. He goes to Chiassi where he led a gay life.
One day, still brooding over this lady, he enters a forest where he hears a woman’s cry, and finds a naked woman running from mastiffs. A dark knight is following her. The knight tells Nastagio not to interfere. I was “of your country” says the knight to Nastagio. I was in love with this girl and she was cruel towards me. Eventually we both entered Hell, and what you are seeing is our penance. I pursue her not as my mistress, but as my enemy. I am meant to tear out her stony heart, and cast it to the dogs. This story continues every Friday—this is DIVINE JUSTICE.
The youth, although shocked by the knight’s story, calls all his friends to a dinner party including the lady he loved from Ravenna. He has his lady sit near the spot where the spectacle would occur. After seeing the event take place, the lady changed because she saw herself as the naked woman. Her cruelty turned to love.
Day 5 Story 9 as told by Filomena
Federigo, famed for his gallantry, fell in love with a lady named Giovanna. He tried to give her gifts, and held tournaments in her honor, but there was no response from her. She was not interested in him. Eventually his riches were gone so he moved to Campi.
In the meantime Giovanna’s husband fell ill—and now she became a widow. She goes to Campi, close to Federigo’s farm where she is living with her young son. Her young son liked to watch Federigo work with his falcon. The young boy becomes ill, and asks his mother for the one wish before he dies which is to have Federigo’s falcon.
She asks to dine with Federigo ; he is so poor that he really has no food for her so he decides to kill the falcon. After dinner, Giovanna asks her question; could she have the falcon for her son?
Tears well up in his eyes; “I served it to you on a platter” he says. At that point, she admired him; his generosity. She knew she was wealthy, and with her son dead, she would need someone. She said she would rather have “ a man in need of wealth than wealth in need of a man.”
Day 5 Story 10 as told by Dineo
In Perugia there was a rich man named Pietro di Vinciolo. He decided to marry a red haired-stocky woman. He was not really interested in her; he was interested in other men. He is a sinner both against the law and nature.
She befriends a woman who tells her to enjoy her life any way she can, because women are born only for work and to bear children.
Pietro goes to a friend’s home for dinner. The woman dines with a young man. Pietro returns home unexpectedly so the woman hides the boy in the chicken coop. Pietro’s laborers come in that evening with their donkeys carrying produce from the country. A donkey steps upon the young boy’s hand; the boy screams, and Pietro knows why he is there.
As he admonishes his wife for what he knows is going on she says; “ fine thing for you to be judgmental—every woman gets what she needs from her husband; you do not give me what I need.”
He sees his faults and says, “Come, come woman; drop the subject for the present. I’ll satisfy you well enough on that score, but for now prepare us some supper!”