Bartolomea is Ricciardo di Chinzica’s dissatisfied wife in Dioneo’s second tale (II, 10). Her marriage is so boring that she’s happy to be captured by the pirate Paganino, and she demonstrates both female sexuality and also spunk and autonomy when she refuses to recognize Riccardo or return home with him.
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Bartolomea Character Timeline in The Decameron
The timeline below shows where the character Bartolomea appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Day 2: Tenth Tale
...di Chinzica wants a young, beautiful wife, even though he’s brainy, not brawny. His wife, Bartolomea, is pretty and charming—at least by Pisan standards. But just consummating the marriage nearly kills...
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One hot day, Ricciardo takes Bartolomea and some of her lady-friends on a fishing expedition. They are surprised by Paganino de...
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Paganino, unable to comfort Bartolomea with words, eventually turns to comforting her with deeds—since he’s not the kind of man...
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...agree that if Paganino’s lover recognizes Ricciardo, Paganino will hand her over. Ricciardo, confident that Bartolomea will of course recognize her beloved husband, is surprised when she ignores him completely. Assuming...
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Thinking Bartolomea may be afraid of Paganino, Ricciardo asks to speak to her alone. Bartolomea finally admits...
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Ricciardo can’t understand why Bartolomea would rather live as Paganino’s whore than as his wife, casting away her honor and...
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...wanders the streets saying, “there’s no rest for the bar.” After his death, Paganino and Bartolomea marry and labor daily, regardless of holidays. Based on this example, Dioneo concludes, Bernabò’s faith...
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