Page 174 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 174
“The Provost and the Widow“
A young and beautiful widow of Fiesole attracts the everything in the dark and be absolutely silent. Now the
attention of the provost of her church. But he’s old and widow has a maidservant named Ciutazza. Let’s just say
pompous and boring. And oh yeah, he’s a priest. The that she’s not the best looking woman around. The widow
widow’s in a tricky situation. She can’t afford to make this makes a deal with Ciutazza: sleep with the provost, and I’ll
priest angry, since he’s in a position of power and she has buy you a new smock. Ciutazza agrees to the arrangement
to see him all the time. So she diplomatically tells him in and takes the provost to bed in place of her lady.
no uncertain terms that a) he’s a priest; b) he’s getting too Meanwhile, the two brothers, who are in on the joke, go to
old for these shenanigans; and c) she’s a widow and can’t town to fetch the bishop. They bring him back to the house
be acting like a young woman having a fling. Of course, the and entertain him for a while. Then they have something to
Provost won’t take no for an answer and pretty soon our show him. When the provost is found in bed with Ciutazza,
widow’s at the end of her rope. She comes up with a plan the bishop loses his mind. He’s so angry with him that he
to teach this priest a lesson and gets the go-ahead from forces him to see who he’s really been sleeping with and
her brothers to put it into action. Next time she sees the sends the provost on a “walk of shame” back to the church.
provost, he corners her in the church and hits on her as The provost is then sentenced to 40 days penance for his
usual. The widow pretends that she can no longer refuse deeds, but that’s the least of his troubles. Now when he
him and makes a date with him that night at her house. walks through town, the little boys point him out as the
But there’s one condition: since her younger brothers still lover of ugly Ciutazza. Ciutazza, on the other hand, comes
live at home and the walls are paper thin, they must do out of the whole affair with a nice new smock.
“The Provost and the Widow” retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
DECAMERON 174 <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/eighth-day-fourth-story>
