Page 54 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 54
“Paganino and Ricciardo“
In Pisa, there’s a feeble old judge called Ricciardo who But Bartolomea acts as though she’s never seen Ricciardo
insanely decides to marry a young and beautiful woman before. Ricciardo asks to speak to her in private (just in
named Bartolomea. On their wedding night, he can barely case she’s being strong-armed by Paganino). Once they’re
consummate the marriage. In the morning, he has to alone, Bartolomea acknowledges that he’s her husband.
rely on the medieval equivalent of a 5-Hour Energy Drink She asks him why he chose to marry since he had no
to get himself together. Ricciardo has also convinced intention of “tilling her little field.” She wants to work it
her that almost every day of the week is some religious while she’s young, she says, and therefore she’s staying
holiday or other, and that they should abstain from sex with Paganino. Ricciardo begs her to consider her honor
as a sign of devotion. And so things might have stood, and promises to make a greater effort in a certain area.
if Ricciardo hadn’t taken a little fishing boat out to sea This is where Bartolomea loses her temper. She schools
on vacay. While they’re drifting farther and farther from him on what honorable behavior really is. And then she
the shore, Paganino the pirate arrives and pursues insults him for trying to hang on to a fresh, young wife
them. Paganino is charmed by Bartolomea’s beauty and happy with his decrepit old body. She tells him to leave
snatches her up. For some reason, Bartolomea’s upset. immediately or she’ll scream and tell Paganino that
Paganino comforts her; he doesn’t worry about holy Ricciardo tried to molest her. So Ricciardo goes back to
days. They flee to Monaco and live a very happy life until Pisa without his wife, becomes insane, and dies. Back
Ricciardo discovers them. He offers a ransom to Paganino in Monaco, word reaches Paganino that Bartolomea’s
to get his wife back. Paganino counters: if she is, in fact, a now a widow. He then takes the opportunity to make
his wife and she want to go with him, then so be it. Bartolomea his proper wife.
“Paganino and Ricciardo” Retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
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