In Dioneo’s ninth tale (IX, 10), Gemmata is the very young and very beautiful wife of Neighbor Pietro. She wants Father Gianni to teach them magic so they can increase their wealth; her desire for money rather than sex differentiates her from the typical fabliaux wife, even though the “spell” is an excuse for Father Gianni to have sex with her.
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Gemmata Character Timeline in The Decameron
The timeline below shows where the character Gemmata appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Day 9: Tenth Tale
...either man is in the other’s town, they stay together. But Pietro and his wife Gemmata have one little bed, so in Barletta, Gianni must sleep on a heap of straw...
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When Father Gianni visits, Gemmata offers to stay with a friend so that he can share the bed with Neighbor...
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Just before dawn, Neighbor Pietro and Gemmata summon Father Gianni—still in his nightshirt—to teach them. Extracting a promise that they will follow...
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...have known how to do it as well as he himself did. At this point, Gemmata interrupts, angry with her husband for ruining the spell and their chances of making more...
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