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
