Page 220 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 220
“Madonna Dianora and Messer Ansaldo“
Madonna Dianora, who’s old and unattractive…Psych! once he gets over his anger, he gives her permission to do
Just wanted to see if you were paying attention. Madonna something unusual. She should go to Ansaldo and see if
Dianora, who’s young and beautiful, is married to a man he’ll let Dianora out of her promise. If he won’t, then she
named Gilberto. She’s attracted the attention of Messer may, just this, oncegive her body to him. But don’t fall in
Ansaldo. Dianora’s pretty happy with her husband’s love, warns Gilberto. Dianora doesn’t like this answer one
immense wealth and good nature, so she has to find a way bit. But she heads over to Ansaldo’s house to do as she’s
to get rid of Ansaldo. She hits upon a surefire way of losing told. Husband knows best. Ansaldo’s overjoyed to see her,
him: ask him to prove his love by completing an impossible but asks what she’s doing there anyway. And Dianora tells
task. Dianora tells the servant woman sent by Ansaldo him it’s not her choice: her husband is making her fulfill her
that although it’s almost January, she would like a garden promise. She tells Ansaldo that she doesn’t love him and
flowering like springtime planted near their town. If he doesn’t want to do anything with him, but a deal’s a deal.
can’t do this, says Dianora, he can take his love and split. Ansaldo’s so impressed by Gilberto’s generosity that he
She’ll also turn her husband and kinfolk loose on Ansaldo releases Dianora of her promise to him. When she returns
if he won’t go away. Ansaldo sees what she’s trying to to her husband and tells him what happened, Gilberto’s
do, but he’s a stubborn man. Instead of giving up, he hires pretty impressed himself and becomes fast friends with
a magician to help him complete his task. So of course, Ansaldo. And when the magician hears how generous both
Ansaldo’s able to pull off a blossoming garden in the middle men were to each other, he tears up the bill for his grand
of January. When Dianora learns that Ansaldo fulfilled her optical illusion. No one is impressed with Dianora. Emilia
“impossible” task, she’s dismayed. What’s she supposed to ends the story with a question: who among these fine
do now? She tells Gilberto of her bargain with Ansaldo and people was the most generous?
“Messer Carisendi” retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
<https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/tenth-day-fifth-story>
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