The tale of Arriguccio and Sismonda (VII.8)

This study aims to analyse the tale of Arriguccio and monna Sismonda (Decameron VII 8), investigating both the particular setting that characterises it and the rhetorical and literary dimension that informs it. The opening paragraphs are dedicated to the reconstruction of the historical context forming the backdrop of the conjugal mockery, i.e. the marriages between enriched merchants and women belonging to the decadent magnate families of the city (also known as 'ingentilire per moglie') that characterise 14th-century Florentine social 'mobility'. The core of the article deals with the narrative mechanisms of the mockery and the models that may have inspired Boccaccio, in an attempt to trace the possible connections between the novella and the fabliolistic tradition, as well as to investigate the intratextual relations with other tales in the Decameron (in particular III 3, VII 8). Finally, the analysis focuses on the complex symbolism of the thread and the veil, deeply connected to the female dimension (with a comparison with III 2).