Decameron IV.5: Lisabetta and the Pot of Basil

• The story has faced diverse critical analyses encompassing structuralist, formalist, sociological, and psychological perspectives.
• The tale is claimed to have initiated the motif of a dismembered head in a vase.
• Over time, it has inspired literary, visual, and cinematic adaptations.
• Poets, artists and directors have reinterpreted in various media.

Status in the Decameron

• The story has been thoroughly studied and interpreted, achieving a prominent standing alongside other tales like Alatiel (II.7) and Griselda (X.10) within the Decameron.
• The story reflects the fate of hybrids on thematic and formalist levels, such as the basil plant and the head.
• It also explores the love affair between a Pisan and a Messinese.
• The integrity of the generic hybrid between the novella and the canzone endures, as seen in the positive response of the brigata in IV.6.
• The story underscores the ruthless logic of the merchant class and symbolizes the physical structures of the merchant world, particularly the merchant colonies called fondaci.
• The head is seen as a saintly remain, and the novella is interpreted as a tale of relics, contrasting Lorenzo's unsettled head with the false relics of San Lorenzo in IV.10.
• Lisabetta is portrayed as a hybrid literary figure, embodying qualities of both the restricted women of the Proem and an authorial persona.

Structure and Origins

• The analysis starts at the ending, where folklore is evoked.
• Boccaccio links the tragic love story to a Sicilian folksong, cited only in its first two verses.
• This is meant to be the reader's conclusion when reading the reaction of the brigata at the start of IV.6.
• The tale's existence is attributed to the brigata's reaction, solving a mystery of the Sicilian song, popular in Tuscany during Boccaccio's time.
• The tale raises questions about Boccaccio's meditation on literary origins.
• The tale's function is a "solution" to the riddle of the canzone gestures to stories.
• The relationship between Filomena's tale and the folksong is not a neat correspondence.

Filomena's Influence

• Filomena's tale dominates the pages of the Decameron.
• Filomena's tale resolves the canzone for the brigata and decapitates the canzone.
• The robust basil plant takes root in Lorenzo's dead head, adding fogli (pages) replacing foglie (leaves).
• The analogies of testo/testa suggest that hybridity can be poetically conceived.

Brothers Intervene

• Lisabetta's brothers empty the vase of its contents and replant, rending the connection between source and product and the assertion that the Decameron proposes the story is the historical antecedent to the canzone.
• As Marcus argues, for the reader, the complex relationship casts IV.5 as a tale about "problematic filiation."
• The novella highlights the distance that is geographical and textual regarding origins and their products.
• The novella features first generation merchant family that uproots itself from Messina at the end.

Importance of Geography

• Geographic origins are important in in this novella.
• Salerno basil is identified, but not necessarily in the canzone.
• Antonio Mazzarino found that this type of basil is in the shape of a skull, of Arabic origin.
• Explanations for the basil involved involve geographic designation; Arabic presence in Messina, Salerno, or herb of a mountain.
• Concern with origins and geographic distance lies in the origins of Lisabetta's family, there is ambiguity around if they were from Messina.
• Picone believes most likely raised in Sicily.

Social Commentary

• It emphasizes a precarious connection to the surroundings and the behaviour of Lisabetta's neighbours, who never intervene directly but tell the brothers.
• Lisabetta's estrangement from family and neighbours reaches its climax when vase taken away.
• The most important is Filomena's modification of Lisabetta's name: "da Messina."
• It draws attention the location of the tale.
• Is is a story of the "infelice fine", and mentions Messina four times.
• Messina is referenced when returns from assassinating Lorenzo.

Boccaccio's History

• Messina replaces Naples, the city where Boccaccio lived and spent time in a fondaco.
• Messina creates first association avarice between merchants.
• In IV.4 inspired Filomena, Gerbino departs, and passionate messinesi accompany Gerbino motivated by plunder.
• Readers associate Messina's people instead with greed.

Female Empowerment

• Filomena narrates tales of actions by strong females
• Brothers are instruments of revenge, yet their actions are ineffective as Sherberg argues.
• Unlike Ghismonda, Lisabetta lacks support to fend off the violence of her brothers.

Treatment of Women

• Lisabetta is at the mercy of her brothers.
• The women are forced to follow the whims, fancies and dictates of their male counterparts.
• This pattern, paterfamilias relations is a discourse.
• Timocracy occurs here where brother's all equally deliberate based in property, according to aristotle.
• Aristotle states that brothers are equals, and Sherberg believes the shame comes from not securing her marriage.
• Serpieri argues that the brothers fail to see her as a sexual partner and therefore reject her.
• Lisabetta and Lorenzo become the property of the brothers and a objectification transition occurs.
• The love ends with Lisabetta and Lorenzo equally being in love with each other.
• The text imposes order within patriarchal structure and merchant logic.
• Lisabetta as a pawn where dominace shown as subject and Lisabetta as vicitms

Other Novellas

• The Decameron has subjective shifting.
• Listabetta and Guiiglielmo had different closing verbs to signify a death.
• The brutality in IV.5 is the "ragion de mercat-ura."
• The geography is more precise.

The Fondaco

• The world of the fondaci were only to avenge, exploit, or spite love itself.
• Venetian merchants and Zinevera in disguise converse at one stall.
• Swearing revenge, she tries to dupe.
• Brothers are smart in a hypocritical manner.
• Dissimilation is the chief instrument, calculating situations.
• Constable states in the century Tuscan sense more verisimilitude.

Story Arcs and Endings

• Other stories include to extinguishing his love for Salvestra,
• Discussion leads to a warehouse, Christian appropriation.
• False love in the dogana and women who are skilled.
• Only men give the orders and dominate.
• The text doesn't contain the restrictions of the women described.
• It's a history so unique of merchants the tradition has failed to understand.
• Boccaccio was in Naples and Florence in the local city.
• San Lorenzo's name is eerily named Lorenzo.
• Sacred and Merchant worlds seem to large as mentioned by Getto.

Symbolism

• Lorenzo and his death is Allegorical.
• Saint must become killed for it to become his martyrdom Marcus says.
• Lorenzo complains of constant weeping.
• Rejection of prayer and divine wish.
• This becomes Lissabettas project.
• It pulls attention to emptiness by these worlds.
• Ciolla is a corrup instrument.

Conclusion

• Terzoli states there is a clear life to saint
• Momlgiano states this is grief
• Simone Marchesi says is elaborate is Dido
• Scholar says the calculations aren't of the nature.
• If Liabetta lives int deeds of silence
• Testto cannot be used, and used by two ghost writers
• This person is described only one.