Page 120 - Petru Russo | The 100 Days of Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio

Nastagio degli Oneste
This novella masterfully blends love, supernatural elements, and
moral lessons to tell the story of Nastagio degli Onesti. Themes of
unrequited love, justice, and transformation shape this dramatic
narrative.
Nastagio degli Onesti, a nobleman of Ravenna, spends his fortune
trying to win the love of a lady from the Traversari family. Despite
his efforts, she rejects him, leaving Nastagio disheartened. At
the urging of his family, he withdraws to Chiassi to reflect on his
misfortunes.
One day, walking through a wooded area, he witnesses a chilling
supernatural spectacle: a knight relentlessly pursuing a weeping
woman with his hounds. When the knight catches her, he kills her
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and orders his dogs to devour her. The knight explains to Nastagio
that both he and the woman are cursed to reenact this gruesome
scene every week as punishment for their cruelty in life—she for
rejecting his love and he for taking his own life in despair.
Struck by the horror and its implications, Nastagio devises a
plan. He arranges a grand banquet in the woods and invites the
Traversari family, including the lady he loves. During the meal, the
ghostly reenactment unfolds before their eyes. Terrified by the
punishment she might face for her own rejection of Nastagio, the
lady reconsiders and agrees to marry him.
This tale concludes with their union, bringing love and prosperity
to Nastagio, while serving as a cautionary lesson on the
consequences of cruelty and disdain.
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