Based on a historical Catalan nobleman and near contemporary of Giovanni Boccaccio, in Lauretta’s sixth tale (VI, 3) Dego della Ratta appears as a known womanizer, who buys the sexual favors of Antonio d’Orso’s relative from her husband, then adds to her humiliation by cheating on the payment. He is stung by Nonna de’ Pulci’s quick retort to Antonio’s suggestion that she’s less than virtuous.
Get the entire The Decameron LitChart as a printable PDF.
Dego della Ratta Character Timeline in The Decameron
The timeline below shows where the character Dego della Ratta appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Day 6: Third Tale
When Antonio d’Orso is bishop of Florence, a Catalan nobleman named Dego della Ratta visits the city. A ladies’ man, he desires a woman who is related to Antonio....
(full context)
Later, when Antonio d’Orso and Dego della Ratta ride through the streets during St. John’s festival, Antonio points out Nonna de’ Pulci, a...
(full context)
...d’Orso’s public words, swiftly retorts: “In the unlikely event” that she would, she would want Dego della Ratta to pay her “in good coin.” Her reply stings Dego for its indictment of his...
(full context)
