The story of Nastagio degli Onesti and Guido degli Anastagi: a terrifying tale of what happens when you reject a guy. Even 21st century girls will understand.

Imagine yourself walking through the forest one day, your spirits low because the woman you love not only doesn’t love you but takes pleasure in mocking your devotion. The only options your desperate mind can find to relieve the pain swelling in your lovesick heart are suicide or banishment from the beautiful land you call home. It is in this state that you wander forlorn into a beautiful grassy glen. Suddenly shrieks of pain fill the air as a very beautiful and very naked young woman runs into view in a wild attempt to flee a pack of ravenous dogs that bite and tear at her exposed flesh. You rush to help the woman when the pounding of hooves on earth roar up behind you and a knight on horseback, sword drawn, barrels towards the girl with fiery hatred in his eyes.

Be honest, did the yous in your imaginations just soil themselves? Because I’m fairly certain that the real you would. I know that at the very least I’d drop into the fetal position, eyes closed and yell at myself to “Wake up! It’s just a dream! It’s not real!” while trying to distinguish the vibrations of the horses’ canter from my own trembling. What sounds like the opening to a supernatural thriller that would ultimately end with the protagonist giving some dusty corpse a sanctified burial is actually the narrative behind this first of four painted panels by Botticelli telling “The Story of Nastagio degli Onesti.”

Nastagio is the guy walking through the forest and his violent story is being told by the fictional plague refugee Filomena from the 1353 Italian masterwork by Boccaccio, The Decameron. Filomena’s is the eighth tale from the fifth day of stories, the theme of which is lover’s who go through hardships before meeting happiness in love. Uhuh. Where exactly is the happy ending for the naked girl being eaten alive by dogs? This tale is just a bit problematic for a written work that supposedly aims to elevate the position of women in Italian society. As you can guess by what you know so far it’s often cited as an example of spousal abuse and violence towards women in Italian literature. To think, we haven’t even gotten to the most messed up parts of the story!

Go to panel two to learn why this woman deserves to be hunted by vicious beasts. Spoiler: she doesn’t.