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Miss Bowers
Signor Richetti is a slightly overweight, middle-aged Italian archaeologist that Poirot meets on an excursion near the hotel (which Ferguson also came on). He gets extremely angry at Linnet when she opens a telegram addressed to him by mistake (since she accidentally read “Richetti” as “Ridgeway”). Simon later reveals that the telegram mostly sounded like nonsense to him, that it was all about vegetables. Colonel Race, however, immediately recognizes this language as code and realizes that Richetti must be the political agitator that he’s been on the Karnak searching for. The novels portrayal of Richetti as a “hotheaded” Italian can be criticized as an example of its use of stereotypes in drawing its characters.
Signor Richetti Quotes in Death on the Nile
The Death on the Nile quotes below are all either spoken by Signor Richetti or refer to Signor Richetti. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter Eleven Quotes
“A telegram for me.”
She snatched it off the board and tore it open.
“Why—I don’t understand—potatoes, beetroots—what does it mean, Simon?"
Simon was just coming to look over her shoulder when a furious voice said: “Excuse me, that telegram is for me,” and Signor Richetti snatched it rudely from her hand, fixing her with a furious glare as he did so.
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Chapter Nineteen Quotes
“People think I’m awful. Stuck-up and cross and bad-tempered. I can’t help it. I’ve forgotten how to be-to be nice.”
“That is what I said to you; you have carried your burden by yourself too long.”
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Signor Richetti Character Timeline in Death on the Nile
The timeline below shows where the character Signor Richetti appears in Death on the Nile. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter Seven
...fight, with clothes that look out of place in Egypt. The other is a pudgy, middle-aged man , with a slight accent, and he immediately starts talking to Poirot, taking particular interest...
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...reaches the island of Elephantine, the middle-aged man introduces himself to Poirot as Signor Guido Richetti, an archeologist. He walks with Poirot to a museum, speaking first in Italian, then in...
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Later, Poirot and Signor Richetti see the dark-haired young man again near some ruins on the island. Poirot is distracted,...
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...Poirot go back to the boat, where they see the dark-haired young man and Signor Richetti. Poirot makes a friendly comment to the dark-haired young man about all the great wonders...
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...but the young man insists he’d prefer a well-fed worker over any supposed art. Signor Richetti, the archeologist, overhears and gives a passionate but incomprehensible speech in opposition to the young...
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The boat finally arrives back at the hotel, and Mrs. Allerton, Poirot, Signor Richetti, and the dark-haired young man all disembark. In the hall of the hotel, Poirot meets...
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Chapter Eight
...as the dark-haired young man who she describes as “our anti-capitalist friend.” Finally, she identifies Richetti as “our Italian archaeological friend” and Miss Van Schuyler as “the very ugly old American...
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Chapter Ten
The tour group stops by the four rock-hewn statues of Ramses. Signor Richetti ignores the tour guide’s focus on the big statues and looks instead at reliefs of...
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Chapter Eleven
...next morning, the group goes on an expedition to ascend the Second Cataract (except Signor Richetti, who insists on making a different, undisclosed trip). All take donkeys except Poirot and Mrs....
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...surprised to find a telegram for her and immediately rips it open. An angry Signor Richetti snatches the telegram away from her, and she realizes she grabbed the wrong telegram, thinking...
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Chapter Fifteen
Race then brings up Ferguson as a suspect. He also brings up “my fellow”—the agitator and murderer that Race has been looking for on the boat. They both admit that...
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Chapter Seventeen
Next up in the smoking room with Poirot and Race is Signor Richetti. He answers quickly that he was asleep some time before 11 p.m. and that he...
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...Ferguson first. After Ferguson leaves, Poirot and Race agree that it’s unlikely Ferguson is the agitator Race has been looking for because he doesn’t seem serious. They decide to bring in...
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Chapter Twenty-Two
...search of the cabins for the real pearls. They go through the rooms of Signor Richetti, Ferguson, Fanthorp, Louise, and Tim, finding no incriminating correspondence or handkerchiefs. They search especially carefully...
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...and stewardess also come and announce that the search in the saloon was fruitless. Signor Richetti caused some trouble and had a gun on him (but not the kind that killed...
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Chapter Twenty-Four
...Simon if he can tell them some more about the time when Linnet opened Signor Richetti’s telegram by accident and it caused him to get unreasonably angry. Simon recounts that Linnet...
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Chapter Twenty-Eight
...Race says if Simon’s feeling well, they should find him and finish their conversation about Richetti’s telegram. Dr. Bessner says that Simon told him about the telegram: that it was funny...
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Chapter Thirty-One
At dawn, the Karnak pulls into Shellal. Race says he’s made arrangements to have Richetti, the agitator, taken ashore first. Race goes on to mention that they’ll need a stretcher...
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The passengers are asked to wait before departing the boat. First, a sullen-looking Richetti is escorted off the boat. Soon after is brought a defeated-looking Simon on a stretcher....
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