Page 170 - SUMMARIES OF GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO’S DECAMEON : A Visionary Journey In 100 Stories And 100 Etchings By Petru Russu

Tingoccio Mini and Meuccio di Tura

Tingoccio Mini and Meuccio di Tura are two inseparable young men from Siena,
friends so devoted they make a solemn pact: whichever dies first must return to
report on the afterlife.

Before death calls on either of them, their lives become entangled with
Monna Mita, a beautiful and flirtatious woman who happens to be married
to Ambruogio Anselmini. Tingoccio, in his role as the godfather to her child,
gains access to her home and her affections. Meuccio also harbors feelings

for her, but stays silent, fearing his friend’s jealousy. Their hidden rivalry never
quite erupts; instead, it simmers beneath layers of restraint and etiquette.

Then fate strikes, Tingoccio dies. Meuccio, haunted by grief and curiosity, waits

for the promised visitation. And one night, true to their oath, Tingoccio returns.
His ghostly presence doesn’t bring torment or theological dread. Quite the
opposite, he’s relaxed. He shares that minor sins, like adultery, are viewed with
surprising leniency in the next world, especially when committed in passion

and without malice. Meuccio listens, stunned not just by the appearance of his
friend, but by the startlingly low-stakes nature of divine judgment.

This revelation reframes their earthly guilt and heightens the humor,

Boccaccio gently mocks the fire-and-brimstone sermons the friends once
THE VIBRANT FRAGMENTATION,
OF “TINGOCCIO MINI heard, replacing them with celestial casualness. Tingoccio’s ghost almost
AND MEUCCIO DI TURA” shrugs as he recounts his fate, and Meuccio’s fears melt into philosophical
TRANSFORMS METAPHYSICAL
curiosity. Their bond, if anything, deepens, stitched together by the absurdity
WHIMSY INTO A TAPESTRY
of love and the mystery of what lies beyond the grave.
OF SPECTRAL CAMARADERIE,
WHERE SIN, SPIRIT, AND
STORYTELLING FLUTTER The tale closes with a wink rather than a warning. Death doesn’t dissolve love,
ACROSS GEOMETRY LIKE
nor does it disrupt friendship. Instead, it clarifies: life is fleeting, affection is
PLAYFUL ECHOES FROM THE
AFTERLIFE. complex, and the afterlife, it turns out, might just have a sense of humor.
DECAMERON 168 169