Page 20 - SUMMARIES OF GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO’S DECAMEON : A Visionary Journey In 100 Stories And 100 Etchings By Petru Russu

The Confession of Ser Ciappelletto: A Saint Born of Sin

As the opening tale of The Decameron, Boccaccio sets the stage with a
sharp and sardonic account of religious perception, reputation, and moral
disguise. The story of Ser Ciappelletto, also known as Cepparello, is not

one of virtue, but of cunning so profound it masquerades as holiness.

Cepparello, a notary by profession and a scoundrel by nature, leads
a life riddled with vice. He forges documents, lies with ease, cheats
innocents, and indulges in every earthly pleasure, yet somehow

maintains a veneer of charm. When he falls ill while staying in Burgundy,
the two Florentine merchants housing him become concerned, not
about his soul, but about their own reputation, fearing backlash if his

sins are revealed upon death.

To secure a respectable burial, Cepparello agrees to confess, though he
has no remorse. Before a pious friar, he spins a saintly fiction: claiming
a life of chastity, humility, and sacrifice. The monk, deeply moved by this

apparent display of virtue, pronounces him holy. The townsfolk adopt
him as a model of piety, bury him honorably, and eventually venerate
him as “Saint Ciappelletto.”

Boccaccio masterfully uses this tale to explore the slippery nature
of truth and the fragility of moral judgement. Ciappelletto’s false
confession, while deeply deceptive, ironically produces public good,
ROOTED IN NEO-EXPRESSIONISM
inspiring religious fervor and admiration. The story raises provocative
AND INFUSED WITH DARKLY
THEATRICAL CHIAROSCURO, questions: Is virtue what we live, what we claim, or what others believe?
THE ETCHING CAPTURES THE
MORAL TENSION OF THE TALE
Boccaccio neither condemns nor glorifies Ciappelletto outright. Instead,
THROUGH EXAGGERATED
GESTURE, BAROQUE DENSITY, AND he invites readers to reflect: on the power of narrative, the hunger for
PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMBOLISM meaning, and the ever-blurred line between goodness and appearance.
DECAMERON 18 19