Page 162 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 162
“Lydia and Pyrrhus“
First, a shout-out: this story is an antecedent for Chaucer’s make Nicostratus believe he has a rotten tooth that needs
“Merchant’s Tale.” Nicostratus lives in Greece with his extracting. Moreover, she convinces him that she should
beautiful wife Lydia. Do they make any other kind of wife in take the tooth out, because she loves him so much and
Boccaccio’s world? Nicostratus is wealthy, old, and loves she’ll be gentler than a surgeon. Now that she’s fulfilled
to hunt. He also has a beautiful young retainer named Pyrrhus’ requests, she just has to figure out how to make
Pyrrhus, whom he loves and trusts. Lydia, of course, falls good on her promise. So she fakes illness and asks the two
in love with Pyrrhus. But Pyrrhus is clueless. When Lydia men to lead her into the garden for some fresh air. Perhaps
sends a note to him by way of her maid Lusca, Pyrrhus is a pear would make her feel better? Pyrrhus, who’s in on
shocked and refuses her offers. Lydia swears she’ll die if the scheme, offers to fetch one from the tree. When he
she can’t have Pyrrhus. She sends Lusca to do her worst. gets there, he begins to yell at Nicostratus in disgust: Get a
Lusca bribes Pyrrhus with presents and tells him that he’s room! He pretends that he sees Nicostratus and Lydia doing
an idiot if he doesn’t take Lydia as a lover. Pyrrhus has the wild thing right before his eyes. Nicostratus is appalled
already secretly decided to do Lydia’s bidding, but he has to and thinks that Pyrrhus has lost his mind. Pyrrhus convinces
know if she’s really serious and worth the risk. So he asks Nicostratus that the tree has some pervy power to make
her for three tokens: 1) Lydia must kill Nicostratus’ favorite anyone in it think he sees people making love. Nicostratus
sparrowhawk right in front of him; 2) She has to pull out has to try it out for himself. Pyrrhus denies any wrongdoing
a tuft of his beard and send it to Pyrrhus; 3) Lydia has to and the lovers separate before the old man can climb down.
pull out one of Nicostratus’ best teeth. Lydia isn’t sure how Pyrrhus convinces Nicostratus that he and Lydia are too
she’ll do all this, but her hormones are raging. She’ll think virtuous for such hanky-panky. Lydia acts offended at the
of something. She also decides to up the ante. She tells suggestion that she could do such a thing. Lydia demands
Pyrrhus that they’ll make love right in front of Nicostratus. that Pyrrhus chop down the offending tree (it also helps to
Sure enough, Lydia knocks the brains out of Nicostratus’ keep Nico from finding out their prank). Nicostratus is on
favorite hunting bird. Her excuse? He spends more time his knees begging Lydia for forgiveness. Fine, she says, just
with the “bird” than he does with her. Then she corners don’t ever go thinking I’m a slut again. And so the lovers
her husband in the bedroom. He tugs playfully on her hair; set themselves up pretty well to continue their love affair in
she rips out his beard. Finally, Lydia devises a scheme to total safety, without any interference from Nicostratus.
“Lydia and Pyrrhus” retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
DECAMERON 162 <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/seventh-day-ninth-story>
