Page 94 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 94

“Girolamo and Salvestra“



             A boy named Girolamo was born to a wealthy merchant, who                     in an awkward situation. How does she get rid of his body
              dies when the boy is still young. Girolamo falls in love early              without her husband finding out? The answer is: she’s not.

              with a completely unsuitable neighbor girl called Salvestra (her            Instead, she wakes her husband and asks him, hypothetically,
              dad’s a tailor, and Girolamo’s mum doesn’t approve). Mom                    what he’d do if he were in that situation. You know, just
              punishes him, lectures him, but to no effect. So she and his                hypothetically. The husband says that he’d bring the corpse
              guardians decide to pack him off to Paris. But Girolamo won’t               back to its proper house. Well, says Salvestra, you’d better

              be parted from Salvestra. Mom coaxes him by saying he only                  get your shoes on. She grabs his hand and makes him feel
              has to go for one year. Of course, he stays away for a lot                  Girolamo’s cold corpse. Her husband is a real peach. He slings
              longer. By the time he returns, Salvestra’s married. To make                the body over his shoulder and deposits it on Girolamo’s
              matters worse, Salvestra has forgotten him. Driven mad by                   doorstep. When the body’s discovered, everyone knows that

              disappointment, Girolamo decides he has to speak to her in                  Girolamo died of grief. At the church, Salvestra’s husband asks
              person. He decides to creep up on her at night while she’s                  her to go closer to the body so that she can hear if there’s
              in bed with her husband. Salvestra nearly has a heart attack.               any gossip. When she sees Girolamo, she begins to regret that
              She turns out to be very practical, telling him to get the heck             she didn’t kiss him. She’s so overwhelmed by Girolamo’s dead

              out of there. Salvestra says that she loves her husband and                 face and the memory of their love that she drops down dead
              they’re not kids anymore. Girolamo wants to die. In fact, he’s              from grief, right on top of his body. Everyone understands
              already turning cold. So he begs Salvestra to let him into                  immediately why Salvestra died. Her husband then tells the
              bed to warm up. Amazingly, she agrees. Girolamo literally                   whole story and the two lovers are buried in the same tomb.

              holds his breath until he dies. Best. Tantrum. Ever. Salvestra’s           That is one evolved husband.


























                                                                                                                               “Girolamo and Salvestra” retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
     DECAMERON      94                                                                                      <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/fourth-day-eighth-story>
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