Page 102 - Petru Russo | The 100 Days of Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
P. 102
Mazzeo the Doctor: The Hidden Lover’s Dilemma
This novella tells an entertaining and dramatic story of love, Mazzeo awakens in the chest and is caught by the usurers, who
mischief, and clever escapes. Themes of wit, romance, and justice mistake him for a thief. The misunderstanding escalates, and
frame the tale. Mazzeo faces execution. However, Lisetta’s quick-thinking maid
intervenes, explaining to the authorities that Mazzeo had been
Lisetta, the wife of a physician, is secretly in love with Mazzeo, her hidden in the chest by Lisetta before it was stolen. Her testimony
charming and daring lover. During one of their clandestine meetings, clears Mazzeo of theft, and he escapes the gallows. The usurers,
Mazzeo accidentally takes an opiate and falls unconscious. Believing however, are fined for their crime of stealing the chest.
him to be dead, Lisetta panics and hides him in a chest. By a twist
of fate, the chest is stolen by two usurers, who unknowingly carry This tale concludes with Mazzeo’s narrow escape and Lisetta’s relief,
Mazzeo to their house. leaving readers amused by the twists and turns of their predicament.
DECAMERON 102 103
