Page 126 - SUMMARIES OF GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO’S DECAMEON : A Visionary Journey In 100 Stories And 100 Etchings By Petru Russu

Pietro di Vinciolo

In the city of Perugia, Pietro di Vinciolo is a man of wealth and reputation,
though his heart, as Boccaccio slyly suggests, is “anywhere but the right
place.” To deflect suspicion and maintain appearances, he marries a
young, fiery redhead whose passions far exceed his own. Their marriage,

built more on social necessity than affection, quickly sours. Pietro’s wife,
frustrated by his indifference and her own unmet desires, decides to take
matters into her own hands.

One evening, Pietro announces he’ll be dining with his friend Ercolano.
Seeing her chance, his wife invites a young lover into the house. But fate,
ever fond of mischief, intervenes, Pietro returns unexpectedly, claiming
Ercolano’s supper was canceled due to a scandal: Ercolano’s wife had

been caught hiding her lover at home. Pietro recounts the tale with
theatrical outrage, and his wife, feigning moral superiority, condemns the
woman’s behavior with righteous indignation, all while her own gallant lies
hidden beneath a hen-coop in the very same room.

The farce reaches its peak when an unsuspecting donkey steps on the
hidden boy’s fingers, prompting a cry of pain that shatters the illusion.
Pietro, startled, investigates and discovers the young man. The truth is

laid bare, but instead of fury, Pietro responds with a shrug and a smirk.
He recognizes the hypocrisy of his own outrage, after all, he too has
THIS TALE’S VISUAL FEELS LIKE his secrets, and perhaps his wife’s indiscretion is not so different from
THEATRICAL SATIRE SMUGGLED his own.
INTO COSMIC ABSTRACTION,
CRESPO’S RENDERING OF
PIETRO DI VINCIOLO IS CHAOS Rather than punishment, the moment ends in quiet understanding. The
CONTROLLED, A PALETTE OF lovers are not cast out, nor is the marriage dissolved. Instead, the tale
TANGLED LIMBS, DEFIANT
HUMOR, AND INCANDESCENT closes with a wink to the audience: in a world full of folly, sometimes the
ABSURDITY. best response is laughter and a touch of grace.
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