Page 114 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 114
“Teodoro and Violante“
Teodoro is a good-looking youth who was captured by hears the ruckus she’s making and figures out what’s going
Genoese pirates (the brigata’s on a pirate kick, it seems) on. Amerigo threatens Violante with death if she doesn’t
along the Armenian coast and sold to Messer Amerigo reveal the name of the father. She caves. Amerigo makes
Abate in Sicily to care for his large family and estates. arrangements for the lovers and their child to be killed
Though Teodoro’s a servant, Messer Amerigo likes the on the same day: Pietro by hanging, Violante by poison
look of him and is charmed by his noble behavior, so he’s or dagger (her choice), and the child will have its brains
brought up among the gentleman’s children. Amerigo knocked out and be fed to dogs. Be glad Amerigo’s not
likes him so much that he has the boy baptized (Amerigo your father. As it happened (Fortune again), three Armenian
believes him to be Muslim) and re-named Pietro. He also ambassadors were being entertained by Amerigo at a place
puts him in charge of his business concerns when Pietro’s on Pietro’s route to the gallows. One of them recognizes
old enough. Now Amerigo has a beautiful (natch) daughter a birthmark on Pietro and is convinced that he’s the son
called Violante. She falls in love with Pietro and he loves her he lost 15 years ago to pirates. The ambassador calls out
back. As so often happens (at least in myth and folktales), a to Pietro in Armenian and addresses him by his real name
terrible storm in the countryside gives the two young lovers (Theodor). Pietro reveals that his father was called Phineas
the opportunity to consummate their love in an abandoned and that he was, indeed, captured by pirates. Phineas
cottage. Pietro and Violante find various ways to “meet” in pleads with Amerigo: let the two children be married and
the days that follow, and pretty soon Violante’s pregnant. enough with the revenge business. Amerigo worries that
To save Pietro’s life (to say nothing of Violante’s), she agrees Violante has already killed herself, so he sends a speedy
not to reveal that he’s the father. Violante waits until she messenger to tell her he’s changed his mind. Happily,
can no longer conceal her condition and throws herself on Violante was stalling in her choice of death, so instead of
Mom’s mercy. Her mother sends Violante off to a secluded occupying a grave, she soon becomes Theodor’s wife. In
property of theirs to have the baby. She doesn’t tell the end, Phineas regains his son, adds a daughter-in-law
Amerigo. But Amerigo happens to be passing this secluded and grandson to the family and returns to Armenia with
spot on the very day that Violante goes into labor. He them, where they all live happily ever after.
“Teodoro and Violante” retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
DECAMERON 114 <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/fifth-day-seventh-story>
