Page 190 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
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“Madonna Francesca“
This story has a beautiful widow named Madonna Francesca to Rinuccio’s house and has her say that if he’ll go to
as its heroine. She has two banished Florentine gentlemen Scannadio’s tomb and carry his body to Francesca’s house,
vying for her love. One is called Rinuccio and the other he’ll have what he wants from her. Otherwise, he can leave
Alessandro. They’re really annoying in their attentions, and her alone forever, too. On his way to the tomb, Alessandro
Francesca desperately wants to get rid of them. So she has doubts (i.e. why do Francesca and her kinsmen want
gives them a task that she’s pretty sure they won’t be able the body of Scannadio?) but his lust overcomes his better
to do, and then she can ignore them forever. It has the judgment. As usual. Rinuccio’s also worrying. He thinks he
additional charm of being frightening and humiliating for might get caught with a corpse by the night watch and be
the gentlemen as well. Here’s the set-up: A disgusting man charged as a sorcerer. But if he gets his way with Francesca,
called Scannadio has died. He was reprehensible total creep well, he’ll deal. Rinuccio almost makes it to Francesca’s, but
and hideously deformed. People who saw him were scared he stumbles onto a sting operation in the neighborhood.
silly. Francesca sends her maidservant to Alessandro to The night watch stops him. He dumps Alessandro to the
say that for some reason, Scannadio has to be exhumed ground and runs for his life. Alessandro recovers and
and brought to her home, but that she doesn’t want his also flees. Francesca’s watching the whole thing from
decomposing body in her house. If Alessandro wants favors her window and nearly dies of laughter. The two men are
from Francesca, he’ll go to Scannadio’s tomb, put on his heartbroken and try to push their luck with Francesca, but
clothes and pretend to be the dead man. He’ll have to lie she rejects them outright. As for Scannadio...his corpse
there until her family comes to get him, and Francesca will was never found because Alessandro had pushed it out of
receive him with open arms. If he refuses to do this, she’ll sight in the tomb. Some townsfolk believed that the demons
never see him again. Then Francesca sends the maidservant dragged him off for his wickedness.
“Madonna Francesca” retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
190 <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/ninth-day-first-story>
