Page 92 - Petru Russo | The 100 Days of Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio

Lisabetta and Her Brothers
This novella recounts a haunting tale of love, loss, and enduring
grief, with themes of devotion, betrayal, and the fragility of life.
Lisabetta, a young woman in Messina, falls in love with a man of
humble means. Her three brothers, driven by pride and a desire
to protect their family’s honor, discover the affair and, deeming
it improper, murder her lover in secret. They bury his body in a
remote location, concealing their crime.
This tale concludes as a profound meditation on the consequences
Overcome with sorrow, Lisabetta is visited by her lover in a
dream, where he reveals the location of his burial. Heartbroken
but resolute, she secretly exhumes his head, placing it in a pot of
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basil, which she tends to with unwavering devotion. The basil plant,
nurtured by her tears, grows lush and fragrant.
Suspicious of her behavior, Lisabetta’s brothers take the pot from
her, discovering its grim contents. Bereft of her sole source of
solace, Lisabetta succumbs to grief and dies shortly after, leaving a
tragic legacy of love lost to cruelty and misunderstanding.
of unchecked authority and the enduring power of love, even in the
face of despair.
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