Allusions in Art

We see this novella in the works of various artists. Bernardino Mei, for example, made a painting of Ghismunda holding the golden cup with the poison in one hand and the heart of Guiscardo in the other. William Hogarth chose to depict a tragic moment as well, as can be deduced from the title Sigismunda mourning over the heart of Guiscardo.

Painters are not the only ones to have been inspired by this novella. Film directors Paolo and Vittorio Taviani included it in their selection of stories from the Decameron in their film Maraviglioso Boccaccio. In general the film is true to the novella, but there is one key element which is particularly present in the film: the cup is not made of gold, instead it is worthfully because the cup is handmade by Guiscardo himself, so it is of special value to Ghismunda. At the same time, it serves as a premonition, because at a certain moment in the film she wants to drink from it, when she notices a moth at the bottom. This might indicate that this cup will play a part in the death of Ghismunda, containing the poison that will kill her.

There is still another adaptation of the novella, this time regarding an Elizabethan theater play by the gentlemen of the Inner Temple, called The Tragedy of Tancred and Gismund or Gismond of Salerne, and published at the end of the 16th century by Robert Wilmot. “Tancred and Gismund, The tragedy of or Gismond of Salerne” in The Oxford Companion to English Literature, edited by Dinah Birch (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009). Although the plot is relatively similar to the original story, some subtle and some more significant changes can be observed. In this case, Tancred is not only the prince of Salerno, but also king of Naples. This can be thought of as irrelevant, but in fact it is of great interest, because in the end Tancred takes his own life – the major difference with respect to Boccaccio’s version – and by doing so, his kingly line ceases to exist. More characters have also been added, probably because of the nature of the text (it being a play), such as one of Tancred’s sisters and a Lord Chamberlain and, more importantly, Cupid, which underlines the importance of love. The long dialogue between Ghismunda and her father that so characterizes the novella, has been left intact. The gentlemen of the Inner Temple. The Tragedie of Tancred and Gismund. London: R. Robinson, 1591,

Leaving the arts and focusing our attention on the universe, we can find that there is an asteroid named after the famous protagonist of this novella: 492 Gismonda!See the Minor Planet