In Neifile’s fifth tale (V, 5), Agnesa was rescued from her home by Guidotto da Cremona at the age of two, during a period of civil disorder. He raised her as his own, giving her into the care of Giacomino da Pavia on his death. Many years later, she is reunited with her family (her mother, father Bernabuccio, and brother Giannole di Severino) when she is identified by a singular scar. Her parents lost her when they fled the civil strife and subsequently believed her to be dead. Before her identity is revealed, however, Giannole and Minghino di Mingole fight ferociously over her. Thus, although she is counted among Day V’s happy lovers when she eventually marries Minghino, she also demonstrates the objectification and vulnerability of women in a patriarchal culture, since her feelings about her admirers are never expressed.
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Agnesa Character Timeline in The Decameron
The timeline below shows where the character Agnesa appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Day 5: Fifth Tale
...a generous dowry for the girl’s eventual marriage) and his adopted daughter (later identified as Agnesa) to his friend Giacomino da Pavia. Giacomino takes Agnesa to Faenza. He lived there until...
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Agnesa attracts the romantic attention of two young men, Giannole di Severino and Minghino di Mingole....
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Crivello lets Giannole di Severino in first and he immediately seizes Agnesa. But when she struggles and screams, Minghino di Mingole hears the commotion from the street...
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...that they haven’t wronged him, but rather one of their own, since his friend rescued Agnesa from Faenza. When the worthy men ask how Agnesa came to be in his care,...
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...a cross-shaped scar above her left ear. Giacomino da Pavia gives him permission to examine Agnesa for this scar, which he finds. He tenderly embraces the surprised girl and then reveals...
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