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Dom Felice
Francesco Vergellesi appears in Elissa’s third tale (III, 5). This character is based on an early contemporary of Giovanni Boccaccio who did become podesta (leader) of Lombardy in the early 14th century. In The Decameron, he is wealthy and judicious, but also very arrogant and mean. He tries to manipulate Zima’s affection for Francesco’s Wife to get a fine horse from him for free, for instance. But his obstinacy allows Zima to demonstrate the day’s theme of perseverance, and doesn’t prevent his cuckolding in the end.
Francesco Vergellesi Quotes in The Decameron
The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Francesco Vergellesi or refer to Francesco Vergellesi. 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: Fifth Tale Quotes
Dearest beloved, since I am yours and you alone have the power to fortify my soul with some vestige of hope as I languish in the fiery flames of love, I beseech you, as your most humble servant, to show me some mercy and mitigate the harshness you have been wont to display towards me in the past. Your compassion will console me, enabling me to claim that it is to your beauty that I owe, not only my love, but also my very life, which will assuredly fail unless your proud spirit yields to my entreaties, and then indeed people will be able to say that you have killed me. Now, leaving aside the fact that my death would not enhance your reputation, I believe, also, that your conscience would occasionally trouble you and you would be sorry for having been the cause of it.
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Zima is madly in love with the exceptionally beautiful and faithful wife of Francesco Vergellesi, yet she doesn’t return his affection. When Francesco wants to acquire Zima’s fine horse, he thinks he can do so by manipulating the young man’s feelings, and Zima offers to trade the steed for a chance to have a private conversation with Francesco’s wife. This passage is part of that conversation in which Zima declares his love. Although Zima is wealthy, he isn’t a noble, unlike Francesco and his wife. In the classic medieval conception of fin’amors (refined loving), the kind of love that Zima 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 tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Volup
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Francesco Vergellesi Character Timeline in The Decameron
The timeline below shows where the character Francesco Vergellesi appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Day 3: Fifth Tale
Francesco Vergellesi is wealthy, shrewd, and arrogant. When he is appointed Governor of Milan, he finds...
(full context)
In exchange for the horse, Zima asks Francesco for permission to speak a few words in private to his wife. Francesco readily agrees...
(full context)
Previously, Francesco’s Wife has never appreciated Zima’s advances, but in listening to his speech, she is moved...
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After Zima leaves Francesco’s Wife, he complains to Francesco that he may as well have been talking to a...
(full context)
