The Jealous Wife Character Analysis

The jealous wife is first introduced as an eccentric wealthy woman who wants to have sex with Lucius while he’s still a donkey. Later, more of her story is revealed, and it turns out that the jealous wife has been condemned to be mauled to death by wild animals because of crimes she committed. In her story, it’s revealed that she kills her husband’s secret illegitimate sister, believing the sister is actually his mistress. She then procures poison and proceeds to kill her husband, as well as accidentally killing the doctor who obtained the poison in the process. As part of the jealous wife’s sentence, Lucius is supposed to have sex with her in public before she is executed. Lucius, however, doesn’t want to do this (in part because he’s afraid the wild animals will attack him too), and so he runs away before the ceremony can begin. The jealous wife symbolizes how passion and lust can drive a person to act irrationally.