In Filomena’s fourth tale (IV, 5), Lisabetta is the daughter of a wealthy merchant. After their father’s death, Lisabetta’s Brothers fail to find her a suitable husband—demonstrating the power men hold over female sexuality in The Decameron. She takes their employee Lorenzo as her lover; after her brothers murder him, she buries his head in a pot of basil, then dies of sadness when her brothers steal this from her and abandon her rather than have their crime come to light. Lisabetta is one of Day IV’s many unlucky lovers.
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Lisabetta Character Timeline in The Decameron
The timeline below shows where the character Lisabetta appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Day 4: Fifth Tale
Filomena, sighing over the fate of Gerbino and the Tunisian Princess, begins the story of Lisabetta next. Because Lisabetta’s Brothers inexplicably failed to arrange a proper marriage for her after their...
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Lisabetta’s Brothers invite Lorenzo on a pleasure trip to the country, then murder him and bury...
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One night after she’s cried herself to sleep, Lorenzo appears to Lisabetta in a dream. He tells her that Lisabetta’s Brothers murdered him and describes where they...
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Lisabetta lavishes care on her basil, watering it with expensive essences or her tears. Due to...
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Day 4: Sixth Tale
Panfilo, inspired by Lisabetta’s dream, prefaces his tale with a few observations about dreams. While everyone has them, people...
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