Decameron Sixth Day, Seventh Story Summary

Madonna Filippa

Storyteller: Filostrato
True to his nature, Filostrato's going to top all the stories on this day by adding a life-or-death element to his. It's good to say the right thing at the right time, he says, but saying it when your life's on the line is even better.

There was a law in Prato that sentenced any woman caught in the act of adultery to be burned alive.
Unfortunately for the beautiful and intelligent Madonna Filippa, she's caught in the act by her husband, Rinaldo. He immediately denounces her to the authorities.
Though her friends and family beg her to lie about the affair, Filippa won't do it. She's ennobled by love and stuff.
So she goes before the chief magistrate and tells him straight up that she was indeed caught by her husband.
But she insists the law's invalid. Men and women are supposed to be equal before the law and this particular law only applies to women. You go, girl.
She then asks a favor of the magistrate: ask my husband if I've ever denied my body to him.
Rinaldo readily admits that he gets his fill.
Filippa takes the opening. What's she to do, then, with all the surplus? Is she supposed to waste it?
The court erupts into laughter and agrees with Filippa's arguments.
Not only does Filippa beat the charge and the punishment, but the law's amended to apply only to unfaithful wives who take money for their services.