In Pampinea’s fifth tale (V, 6), Restituta is the beautiful daughter of nobleman Marin Bòlgaro. She loves a young man named Gianni but has kept him at bay because she wants to preserve her chastity. She is kidnapped by pirates who give her as a “gift” to King Frederick of Sicily. When she and Gianni are reunited, she repents her former “cruel” refusal and willingly has sex with him (also because she’s sure she’s about to become a king’s concubine). She is meant to symbolize a steadfast lover, and she and Gianni are married in the end. But she also ends up demonstrating female objectification in The Decameron when she is offered as a gift to the king and her worth is tied to her sexuality alone.
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Restituta Character Timeline in The Decameron
The timeline below shows where the character Restituta appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Day 5: Sixth Tale
...induce people to face risks and endure great hardships, begins her tale next. On Ischia, Restituta—daughter of Marin Bòlgaro—and Gianni are in love. Gianni frequently swims the channel between his island...
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One day, Restituta is surprised and kidnapped by a band of Sicilian pirates. When they argue about who...
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In Sicily, Gianni catches sight of Restituta when he’s walking past the garden one day. She shows him how he can enter...
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Speechless with horror and rage, King Frederick nearly kills Restituta and Gianni right then. But feeling that killing sleeping victims is a coward’s act, he...
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...King Frederick. Acknowledging the wrong that the King has endured, Ruggieri nevertheless urges clemency towards Restituta and Gianni, since their families are politically important to the King. Moreover, they “sinned” under...
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