Page 78 - SUMMARIES OF GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO’S DECAMEON : A Visionary Journey In 100 Stories And 100 Etchings By Petru Russu

Ferondo and the Abbot

This novella from The Decameron is a sharp and humorous tale of
deception, gullibility, and abuse of authority. Themes of arrogance,
manipulation, and human folly are vividly explored.

Ferondo, a wealthy yet foolish man, is married to a beautiful and
virtuous woman. Though he loves her, he treats her with disdain and
arrogance, driven by his self-centered nature. His wife, frustrated but
dutiful, endures his antics with grace.

The cunning abbot of a local monastery, secretly enamored with
Ferondo’s wife, sees an opportunity to exploit Ferondo’s foolishness.
He gives Ferondo a powder that induces a death-like state, leading to

his burial. Meanwhile, the abbot disinters him in secret and convinces
Ferondo that he is in purgatory, placing him in a hidden cell within the
monastery.

While Ferondo believes he is atoning for his sins, the abbot enjoys the
company of Ferondo’s wife, who, seeking solace from her neglectful
husband, succumbs to the abbot’s advances. During this time, the
abbot fathers a child, whom Ferondo will eventually raise as his own.

After months of imprisonment and manipulation, the abbot “resurrects”
BURSTING WITH ECCLESIASTICAL Ferondo, releasing him to his wife and restoring his former life.
GEOMETRY AND PRANKISH
Convinced of his time in purgatory, Ferondo becomes more humble
DISTORTION, THE ARTWORK
and devout, oblivious to the events that unfolded during his absence.
CONJURES A PURGATORIAL
PAGEANT, WHERE SANCTITY
DISGUISES SEDUCTION, AND This satirical tale critiques the abuses of religious authority and the
SPIRITUAL ILLUSION BLOOMS
follies of blind trust and arrogance. Ferondo’s misplaced faith in the
FROM THE FOLLY OF UNCHECKED
VANITY. abbot and his own inflated ego serve as a humorous cautionary lesson.
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