The Tunisian Princess of Elissa’s fourth tale (IV, 4) is one of the day’s unlucky lovers. Her reputation causes Gerbino to fall in love with her from afar, and she falls in love with his reputation as well. When her father, the King of Tunis, arranges for her to marry another man, Gerbino tries to kidnap her, but her father’s guards murder her rather than hand her over. Her death comes from her father’s control over her sexuality (choosing her husband) and demonstrates female vulnerability.
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Tunisian Princess Character Timeline in The Decameron
The timeline below shows where the character Tunisian Princess appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Day 4: Fourth Tale
Because her father is a tributary of his grandfather, the Tunisian Princess hears about Gerbino and falls in love with him. Likewise, when tales of her beauty...
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While they wait, the Tunisian Princess ’s father plans to marry her to the King of Grenada, greatly distressing the lovers....
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Gerbino outfits two ships to intercept the Tunisian Princess ’s ship, promising all the plunder to his crew. When he announces himself, the officers...
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...and his pirates clamber aboard for plunder, but their victory is unrewarding. Gerbino retrieves the Tunisian Princess ’s body from the sea and buries it in Sicily. When her father hears what...
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Day 4: Fifth Tale
Filomena, sighing over the fate of Gerbino and the Tunisian Princess , begins the story of Lisabetta next. Because Lisabetta’s Brothers inexplicably failed to arrange a...
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