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
     DECAMERON      54                                                                                      <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/second-day-tenth-story>
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