Isabella and the Pot of Basil

Isabella and the Pot of Basil, 1897 by John Alexander
Originally uploaded by allpen

"My deere love Isabella, thou dost nothing but torment thy selfe, with calling on me, accusing me for overlong tarrying from thee: I am come therefore to let thee know, that thou canst not enjoy my company any more, because the very same day when last thou sawest me, thy brethren most bloodily murthered me."

Bocaccio's Decameron, Day 4, Story 5





"Isabella and the Pot of Basil" is a story originally found in Bocaccio's Decameron. Isabella was to be married to a rich man, but instead she fell in love with one of her brother's employees. He was murdered by her family and when her lover's ghost returned to tell her this, Isabella (with the help of her nurse) went to his body, cut off his head, and buried it in a pot beneath a basil plant. Isabella tended the basil plant faithfully, pining away for the beloved who was taken from her. Unaware of what was in the basil pot, Isabella's family saw he wasting away over the basil pot and stole the pot away from her. When they discovered what was in the pot, they secretly buried the head again and fled from the city. Isabella died days later, still pleading to have her lover's head returned to her.

Further Reading:

Decameron, Day 4, Story 5

"Isabella; or, The Pot of Basil", by John Keats