Page 94 - SUMMARIES OF GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO’S DECAMEON : A Visionary Journey In 100 Stories And 100 Etchings By Petru Russu

Lisabetta and Her Brothers : A Pot of Grief

IIn the Sicilian port of Messina, Lisabetta lives under the strict rule of her three

merchant brothers, men consumed by status, trade, and control. Though they
surround her with luxury, they deny her the one thing she longs for: the freedom
to love on her own terms. In quiet moments between their dealings, Lisabetta’s
heart finds refuge in Lorenzo, a modest and kind young man employed by her

brothers. Their love grows in secrecy, through stolen glances and whispered vows.

But secrecy is fragile. One fateful visit to Lorenzo’s chamber exposes their affair.
Her brothers, outraged by the perceived dishonor, care more for reputation than

justice. In cold calculation, they lure Lorenzo into the countryside and kill him.
His body is buried in obscurity, and Lisabetta is told he simply disappeared.

Grief consumes her. She wanders her chambers, hollow-eyed and

sleepless. Then, one night, Lorenzo appears in a dream, revealing the
location of his grave, beneath a twisted tree beyond the city walls.

Driven by love and sorrow, Lisabetta ventures out with her maid under cover of

darkness. She finds the grave, exhumes Lorenzo’s severed head, and places it in a
pot of soil, planting basil above it. The herb thrives, nourished by her tears and the
remnants of love and death. It becomes her shrine, her mourning, her defiance.

Her brothers, disturbed by her obsession with the basil, steal the pot.
Upon discovering the hidden head, they are horrified but unrepentant.
ROOTED IN CONTEMPORARY They discard it again, severing Lisabetta’s last connection to Lorenzo.
NEO-SYMBOLIST EXPRESSIONISM,

THE ETCHING FUSES ALLEGORICAL
FIGURATION WITH SURREAL Deprived of her grief, Lisabetta fades. No justice is pursued. No
BOTANICAL MOTIFS TO CHANNEL accusations are made. Her sorrow remains silent, her rebellion unspoken.
LISABETTA’S GRIEF INTO A
In time, she dies, quietly, tragically, beautifully. Her story ends not in
TRANSCENDENT, DREAM-SOAKED
vengeance, but in the soft echo of memory.
RITUAL TABLEAU.
DECAMERON 92 93