Page 82 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 82

“Fra Alberto and Lisetta“


              Pampinea begins with Berto della Massa, a rogue who                         when they first meet. Lisetta isn’t the brightest bulb in the

              moves to Venice so that he can prey on fresh victims.                       pack. After this goes on for a while, she gossips about her
              Berto becomes a Franciscan friar to put a good face on                      experience with the Angel to a neighbor. Eventually, the
              his wicked deeds. (It also helps cover his tracks from                      news of Lisetta’s heavenly lover gets the attention of her
              his former identity.) He calls himself Friar Alberto and                    brothers-in-law. Alberto knows he’s in trouble, but he goes

              eventually becomes a priest, celebrating masses and                         to Lisetta again anyway so that he can scold her while
              showing great dedication to the suffering of Christ. The                    they’re in bed together. The family posse shows up looking
             Venetians believe this show and think Alberto’s trustworthy.                 for Alberto’s blood. He does some quick thinking and jumps
             They make him trustees of their wills and give him money                     out the window and into the Grand Canal. He’s totally

              for safekeeping. Then Alberto meets Monna Lisetta, a                        naked. Alberto swims across to the house of a neighbor,
              woman so conceited about her looks that she swears to                       who kindly lets him in to save his life. The kind man locks
              him that the angels in heaven would praise her beauty.                      Alberto in and goes into the city to do some errands. While
             Alberto can see that she’s a woman of little brain and                       there, he hears the story of Alberto’s less-than-angelic

              knows that she’s ripe for the picking. He admonishes her                    behavior and immediately identifies his mysterious guest.
              vanity and leaves her in a huff. When he visits her again,                  When he returns, he tells Alberto that he has an escape
             Alberto tells her that he’s had a heavenly vision concerning                 plan, but that Alberto has to play along. In the city square,
              her. In it, the Angel Gabriel appeared and physically beat                  there’s to be a mock hunt to celebrate some feast day or

             Alberto for insulting the beautiful Lisetta. Gilberto tells                  other. Alberto will go along with the man as a masked and
              her that it seems Gabriel’s fallen in love with her. Lisetta’s              shackled wild man, and during the festivities can escape
              thrilled and gloats over her conquest. Alberto tells her                    out of the city.Alberto lets the guy smear him with wild
              that the Angel would like to “visit” with her, but to do so                 honey and put a chain around his neck. But of course it’s

              he’d have to take on a human form. He’d like to know from                   a double-cross: the man sends an accomplice to town
              Lisetta which man would most please her. Lisetta doesn’t                    to announce that the Angel Gabriel is coming to the city
              care whose body the Angel possesses, as long as he                          square. Crowds gather to see him. Meanwhile, Alberto
              doesn’t two-time her with the Virgin Mary. Now sly Alberto                  is being eaten alive by insects because of his honey-

              goes to work. Would she accept his body as a vessel for                     coat. The man ties him up as a captive in the square and
              Gabriel?  Alberto explains that while the Angel inhabits his                then announces to everyone exactly who it is under the
              body to hook up with Lisetta, his soul will be transported                  costume. The crowd heckles and threatens him and Alberto
              to heaven. It really would be a great favor to Alberto if                   only escapes with the help of his ecclesiastical brethren.

              she’d agree. And of course, Lisetta falls for it. Alberto                  They take him along to their monastery and lock him away,
              dresses up as an angel and they have a heavenly time                        where he spends the rest of his miserable days.
     DECAMERON      82                                                                                     <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/fourth-day-second-story>
                                                                                                                              “Fra Alberto and Lisetta” Retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
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