In Emilia’s second tale (II, 6), Spina is Currado Malespina’s daughter (II, 6). She falls in love with Guisfredi (Giannotto), to whom she is married after his identity is revealed. Initially, she serves as a reminder of the importance of control over female sexuality (and female vulnerability) in medieval culture, since her father wants to kill her after catching them in the act. However, her love for Guisfredi also contributes to The Decameron’s argument that nobility of character supersedes the accidents of fortune, such as wealth and status.
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Spina Character Timeline in The Decameron
The timeline below shows where the character Spina appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Day 2: Sixth Tale
While Guisfredi (Giannotto) serves Currado, he falls in love with Currado’s daughter Spina. The intensity of their love overpowers caution, and one day her parents catch them making...
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...the source of his information. Currado then realizes that he can salvage his honor (and Spina’s) by marrying her to her lover.
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Currado visits Guisfredi (Giannotto) to complain about his dishonorable actions with Spina. But since he has learned that Guisfredi (Giannotto) is a “man of gentle birth,” he...
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...sets the stage for reunion. He asks Cavriuola (Beritola) if she’d like Guisfredi back and Spina as a daughter-in-law. Then he asks his wife if she’d like Guisfredi as a son-in-law....
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After the wedding, Beritola, Guisfredi, Spina, The Outcast, his wife, and the nurse sail back to Sicily under favorable winds, where...
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