The Decameron

The Decameron

by

Giovanni Boccaccio

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Decameron makes teaching easy.

Jealous Merchant Character Analysis

In Fiammetta’s seventh tale (VII, 5), the Jealous Merchant is an example of immoderation. He protects the Jealous Merchant’s Wife so fiercely that he won’t even let her go near the windows, and when she asks to go to confession, he impersonates a priest to spy on her. However, his intelligence doesn’t match his jealousy, and not only is his wife able to see through his disguise, but she turns his ploy into an opportunity to carry on an affair with their neighbor, Filippo.

Jealous Merchant Quotes in The Decameron

The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Jealous Merchant or refer to Jealous Merchant. 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:
Love and Sex Theme Icon
).
Day 7: Fifth Tale Quotes

And so it was that the jealous wretch, having thought himself very clever in ferreting out his wife’s secret, saw that he had made an ass of himself. Without saying anything by way of reply, he began to look on his wife as a model of intelligence and virtue. And just as he had worn the mantle of the jealous husband when it was unnecessary, he cast it off completely now that his need for it was paramount. So his clever little wife, having, as it were, acquired a license to enjoy herself, no longer admitted her lover by way of the roof as though he were some kind of cat, but showed him in at the front door. And from that day forth, by proceeding with caution, she spent many an entertaining and delightful hour in his arms.

Related Characters: Fiammetta (speaker), Jealous Merchant, Jealous Merchant’s Wife
Page Number: 513
Explanation and Analysis:
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Jealous Merchant Quotes in The Decameron

The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Jealous Merchant or refer to Jealous Merchant. 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:
Love and Sex Theme Icon
).
Day 7: Fifth Tale Quotes

And so it was that the jealous wretch, having thought himself very clever in ferreting out his wife’s secret, saw that he had made an ass of himself. Without saying anything by way of reply, he began to look on his wife as a model of intelligence and virtue. And just as he had worn the mantle of the jealous husband when it was unnecessary, he cast it off completely now that his need for it was paramount. So his clever little wife, having, as it were, acquired a license to enjoy herself, no longer admitted her lover by way of the roof as though he were some kind of cat, but showed him in at the front door. And from that day forth, by proceeding with caution, she spent many an entertaining and delightful hour in his arms.

Related Characters: Fiammetta (speaker), Jealous Merchant, Jealous Merchant’s Wife
Page Number: 513
Explanation and Analysis: