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Agilulf is the wise king of the Lombards in Pampinea’s third tale (III, 2). He is married to the beautiful and wise Theodelinda. When he finds himself cuckolded by a Groom, he displays tact by keeping the knowledge of his dishonor secret, rather than airing it publicly (like Amerigo Abate in V, 7 or Arriguccio Berlinghieri in VII, 8). Instead, he plays a wily cat-and-mouse game trying to identify the groom, and even when he fails, he weighs the possibility of his public dishonor against his desire for revenge.
Agilulf Quotes in The Decameron
The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Agilulf or refer to Agilulf. 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:
).
Day 3: Second Tale Quotes
On hearing these words, the King immediately came to the conclusion that the Queen had been taken in by an outward resemblance to his own physique and manner. But he was a wise man, and since neither the Queen nor anybody else appeared to have noticed the deception, he had no hesitation in deciding to keep his own counsel. Many a stupid man would have reacted differently, and exclaimed “It was not I. Who was the man who was here? What happened? Who was it who came?” But this would only have led to complications, upsetting the lady when she was blameless and sowing the seeds of a desire, on her part, to repeat the experience. And besides, by holding his tongue his honor remained unimpaired, whereas if he were to talk he would make himself look ridiculous.
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In Pampinea’s third tale, a lowly groom (a servant who takes care of horses), in love with King Agilulf’s wife Theodelinda, spies on the couple until he can impersonate the king well enough to have sex with the queen. When King Agilulf comes to Theodelinda right after the groom and she expresses surprise that he’s back for more so soon, he immediately realizes that he’s been cuckolded. Pampinea’s tale is notable for its celebration of cleverness—both that of the groom and of the king. Thus, the tale contributes to The Decameron’s celebration of humanism, a philosophy that focuses on and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempor
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Agilulf Character Timeline in The Decameron
The timeline below shows where the character Agilulf appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Day 3: Second Tale
...and laugh at Filostrato’s tale, and Pampinea is still laughing when she begins her tale. Agilulf, king of Lombardy, is married to the beautiful and virtuous Theodelinda. A certain Groom, who...
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...bed Theodelinda would be to deceive her, the Groom looks for a way to impersonate Agilulf. He hides in the palace, where he witnesses Agilulf—wrapped in a cloak and carrying a...
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...he makes love to her repeatedly. No sooner has the Groom torn himself away than Agilulf himself appears. When Theodelinda expresses surprise that he’s come back for more already, the savvy...
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Agilulf goes to the servants’ dormitory, realizing that the adulterous servant’s heart would still be racing...
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The next morning, Agilulf calls all his servants together, but when he begins to inspect them, he realizes they...
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