Page 104 - SUMMARIES OF GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO’S DECAMEON : A Visionary Journey In 100 Stories And 100 Etchings By Petru Russu

Mazzeo the Doctor: The Hidden Lover’s Dilemma

Set in a bustling Italian town, Lisetta, the spirited and charming wife of a
respected physician, finds herself entangled in a passionate affair with
Mazzeo, a gallant and well-spoken lover. Their rendezvous unfold behind
closed doors, until one fateful night when Mazzeo, intending only to calm his

nerves, mistakenly consumes an opiate and falls into a deep, deathlike sleep.

Panicked and convinced he has died, Lisetta scrambles to conceal the supposed
corpse, choosing a large chest as the quickest hiding place. But fate has other

plans: before she can recover from the shock or alert anyone, the chest is stolen
from her home by two greedy usurers who believe it contains valuables.

Unaware of its true contents, the thieves lug the chest home, anticipating a

handsome prize. To their horror, Mazzeo awakens and climbs out, groggy and
confused. The usurers, stunned and certain they’ve caught a burglar in the
act, raise a clamor and have him arrested for theft. Mazzeo protests, but his
story sounds too far-fetched to be believed.

As the drama escalates and Mazzeo faces dire punishment, salvation arrives
in the form of Lisetta’s shrewd and loyal maid. With great courage and calm
reasoning, she tells the authorities the truth: that Mazzeo was hidden in the chest

by her mistress and the chest itself was stolen while no one was watching.

DEEP-ROOTED IN PLAYFUL NEO- The authorities, amused and slightly incredulous, uncover the bizarre chain
RENAISSANCE SURREALISM AND of events. Mazzeo is cleared of wrongdoing, and the usurers, despite their
NARRATIVE ABSURDISM, THIS
ARTWORK BURSTS WITH DYNAMIC protests, are fined heavily for theft. Lisetta, though shaken, rejoices at her
LAYERING AND VISUAL IRONY, lover’s unexpected survival and escape from execution. This lively tale
TRANSFORMING DECEPTION, concludes with a wink to fate and folly. In this clever farce, a chest meant to
PANIC, AND ESCAPE INTO A
WHIMSICAL BALLET OF CHAOS conceal shame becomes the unlikely vehicle of justice, and perhaps a lesson
AND CLEVERNESS. in not hiding one’s truths too deeply.
DECAMERON 102 103