Page 224 - SUMMARIES OF GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO’S DECAMEON : A Visionary Journey In 100 Stories And 100 Etchings By Petru Russu

Messer Gentile Carisendi : A Triumph of Love and Magnanimity

In the Decameron’s Tenth Day, Fourth Novell, Giovanni Boccaccio crafts a
tale that celebrates the nobility of selfless love and the redemptive power
of virtue. Set in Bologna, the story follows Messer Gentile Carisendi, a
nobleman of high birth and quiet dignity, who harbors a deep, unspoken

affection for Madonna Catalina, the wife of Niccoluccio Caccianimico.
Though his love remains unrequited, Gentile never allows his feelings to
compromise his honor.

While serving as Podestà in Modena, Gentile receives news that Catalina
has died suddenly from a mysterious illness while staying at a country
house outside Bologna. Her family, believing her beyond saving and
unaware of her pregnancy, buries her hastily in a nearby church. Upon

Gentile’s return, grief-stricken and moved by love, he resolves to pay his
final respects in secret. But when he opens her tomb, he discovers that
Catalina is still alive, weak, but breathing, and on the verge of giving birth.

Rather than exploit the situation or claim her for himself, Gentile acts
with extraordinary compassion. He brings Catalina to his home, nurses
her back to health, and ensures the safe delivery of her child. His care is
discreet and tender, driven not by desire but by a profound sense of duty

and reverence.

Once Catalina has recovered, Gentile orchestrates a public gathering and
SWIRLING SHAPES AND VIVID reveals the astonishing truth: that he has saved the life of a woman he
HUES EVOKE THE TALE’S
EMOTIONAL DEPTH, ILLUSTRATING loved, protected her honor, and now returns her, along with her newborn
THE TENSION BETWEEN LOVE, son, to her rightful husband. The gesture stuns the crowd and deeply
VIRTUE, AND SACRIFICE. THE moves Niccoluccio, who responds not with jealousy, but with gratitude
INTERCONNECTED FORMS
and admiration. He offers Gentile his friendship for life, recognizing the
REINFORCE THEMES OF
rare nobility of a man who placed virtue above passion.
COMPASSION AND INTEGRITY.
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