Andreuola and Gabriotto
Intro
- Storyteller: Panfilo
- The dream in the previous story by Filomena inspires Panfilo to tell another story about the significance of dreams.
- Dreams, he says, often feel real while we're sleeping but turn out to be nothing but fantasies. Others, however, can come true.
- So some people either believe in dreams wholeheartedly OR they have to see them come to life before they believe.
- Panfilo equivocates about the power of dreams. Filomena's story proves that not all dreams are false. His story's going to support this idea.
Story
- First, a shout-out. You might recognize this story as the basis for Chaucer's Nun's Priest's Tale about Chanteclere and Pertelote. Now go impress your teacher.
- This story takes place in Brescia and involves another beautiful young couple.
- Andreuola falls in love with her neighbor Gabriotto. This is all well and good, except that Gabriotto comes from a lower social class than Andreuola.
- But Andreuola and Gabriotto work it out, at least in secrecy. With the help of her maidservant, the two meet in secret in her garden.
- They become married in the most basic sense. In other words, they have sex and Gabriotto gives her a ring.
- One night, Andreuola has a bad dream. She sees herself in the garden with Gabriotto when something "dark" and "terrible" comes from his body.
- She can't stop the thing from dragging him underground.
- Andreuola's terrified by this dream and tries to keep Gabriotto out of the garden.
- But of course she can't resist him, so they meet there again. She tells him about her dream
- And he laughs at her. If he really believed in dreams, he says, he'd be in trouble.
- Just the other night, he'd dreamed that he was out hunting and captured a beautiful white doe.
- It followed him around and he put a golden chain around it. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
- But while the doe is resting its cheek on his chest, a black greyhound appears and sinks its teeth into his left side.
- The devil dog then carries Gabriotto's heart off between his teeth.
- Gabriotto laughs at his own terror on waking from the dream. So stupid! What could it mean, anyway?
- Andreuola is completely freaked out. And here's where it gets creepy.
- All of a sudden, Gabriotto heaves a huge sigh and says that he's dying.
- Andreuola holds him in her arms as he dies and then realizes her predicament.
- What's she going to do about his body? Remember, this was a secret affair.
- She wants to kill herself so that she can be with Gabriotto, but her maidservant reminds her that suicides go to Hell, not heaven (medieval religious opinion, not Shmoop's).
- So they decide to wrap Gabriotto in silk and deposit him on the doorstep of his house.
- Which sounds like a good idea, until they're caught by the night watchman.
- Andreuola's brought before the chief magistrate, who turns out to be a sleaze. He tries to convince her that he'll drop all charges if she sleeps with him.
- When she refuses, he tries to force her. Andreuola fights him off and curses him out.
- As it turns out, Gabriotto died because of a cyst that burst near his heart. Andreuola's off the hook.
- Soon, Andreuola's father finds out what's going on and goes to the magistrate. He's steamed that she's been taken away.
- The magistrate pretends like he was testing Andreuola by coming on to her and found that she was a modest woman. So can he marry her, please?
- Andreuola asks for her father's forgiveness and as he's a good dad, he gives it to her. He also honors Gabriotto as his son-in-law and gives him a big funeral.
- The pervy magistrate still tries to marry Andreuola, but her dad allows her and her maidservant to enter a convent and become nuns.