Page 166 - SUMMARIES OF GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO’S DECAMEON : A Visionary Journey In 100 Stories And 100 Etchings By Petru Russu

Arriguccio Berlinghieri and Sismonda

Sismonda, charming, strategic, and tireless, proves once again that
Boccaccio’s women don’t wilt in adversity. They scheme. Arriguccio
Berlinghieri, a merchant swollen with wealth and delusions of gentility, weds
the noble but unsuited Monna Sismonda. Their mismatch is swift and sour:

Arriguccio, prizing possession over partnership, becomes obsessively jealous,
giving up his travels to guard his wife like a watchdog in brocade. His paranoia
suffocates her, and yet, ironically, breathes new life into her love affair with
the dashing Ruberto.

Sismonda’s ingenuity comes to life in string and silence. With Ruberto
lingering near her bedroom window at midnight, she devises a system: a
pack-thread attached to her toe, snaking from bed to street. A jerk of the

string means Ruberto has arrived; her reaction determines the night’s fate,
either a secret rendezvous or cautious stillness.

But Arriguccio, desperate to expose her, discovers the trick and sets off on a

misguided pursuit. Sismonda, unfazed, orchestrates a fast switch, replacing
herself in bed with her maid, who slumbers innocently. Upon returning,
Arriguccio finds the form, erupts in fury, and subjects the woman to violence,
beating her and chopping her hair, believing he’s caught his wife.

INFUSED WITH DISTINCTIVE The next morning, Sismonda appears untouched, composed, and almost
ETCHING STYLE, CHAOTIC bemused. Her brothers arrive expecting scandal and find instead a
ELEGANCE, FRACTAL TENSION,
husband humiliated by his own assumptions. Their verdict? Arriguccio
AND VIVID THEATRICALITY, THE
is reprimanded for his cruelty and foolishness, while Sismonda’s honor,
RENDERING OF “ARRIGUCCIO
BERLINGHIERI AND SISMONDA” artfully protected by sleight of body and mind, remains intact.
TRANSFORMS DECEPTION
INTO A JAGGED BALLET OF
This isn’t just a tale of infidelity, it’s a ballet of deception, where strings
SHADOWS, SUBSTITUTION, AND
IRONIC JUSTICE. are pulled, masks are worn, and justice is dealt with a wink.
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