Page 156 - SUMMARIES OF GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO’S DECAMEON : A Visionary Journey In 100 Stories And 100 Etchings By Petru Russu

Friar Rinaldo and Madonna Agnesa

Friar Rinaldo, once a handsome young man of Siena, finds himself
hopelessly enamored with his neighbor’s wife, Madonna Agnesa, a
woman of grace, intelligence, and quiet allure. Though she is married to a
respected man and expecting a child, Rinaldo sees an opportunity to draw

closer by offering to become the child’s godfather. The gesture, cloaked in
spiritual duty, grants him access to her home and her confidence.

Time passes, and Rinaldo trades his worldly garments for the robes of

a friar. Yet the habit does little to temper his desires. Like many of his
brethren, he indulges in fine clothes, rich food, and flirtations disguised as
pastoral care. His affection for Agnesa simmers beneath the surface, and
eventually, he resumes his pursuit with renewed charm and cunning.

Agnesa, though initially hesitant, is not immune to his attentions. Their shared
role as godparents becomes a veil for increasingly intimate encounters. One
afternoon, as they converse in her chamber, the door swings open, her

husband has returned unexpectedly. The moment teeters on disaster.

But Agnesa, quick-witted and composed, transforms the scene with breathtaking
finesse. She declares that Friar Rinaldo is there to perform a sacred healing ritual for

their godson, who suffers from a dangerous infestation of worms. The friar, catching
LAYERED WITH EXPRESSIVE her cue, launches into a theatrical performance worthy of the pulpit and the stage.
DISTORTION AND RHYTHMIC He chants, gestures, and invokes divine intervention with such conviction that the
SATIRE, THE ETCHING husband, overwhelmed by gratitude and awe, believes every word.
ANIMATES THE WITTY
CHOREOGRAPHY OF FRIAR
RINALDO AND MADONNA The lovers, now cloaked in sanctity, continue their affair under the guise of
AGNESA, TRANSFORMING spiritual duty. The husband, convinced of Rinaldo’s holiness and Agnesa’s virtue,
A NEAR-DISASTER INTO A even commissions a wax offering to a local saint in thanks for the miraculous cure.
VISUAL MASQUERADE OF
IMPROVISATION AND CHARM. Friar Rinaldo? He is the embodiment of ecclesiastical mischief and wielding robes.
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