King Charles Character Analysis in The Decameron

Based on the historical, 13th-century king of Naples and Sicily, in Fiammetta’s tenth tale (X, 6), King Charles visits Neri degli Uberti to see his beautiful garden, where he becomes enamored of Neri’s daughters, Ginevra and Isotta. When his counselor Guy de Montfort counsels him against abducting either one, he demonstrates royal generosity in providing dowries for their marriages instead and in his willingness to endure the pain of love until its hold over him is broken, rather than selfishly claiming the young women for himself.

King Charles Character Timeline in The Decameron

The timeline below shows where the character King Charles appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...have been engaging in, Fiammetta abandons her initial story for a less ambiguous one. After King Charles has defeated King Manfred and his allies (including the Ghibelline political faction), one of the... (full context)

The lovely garden attracts King Charles ’s attention when he vacations in Castellammare. He decides to visit informally because he and... (full context)

After King Charles has eaten the fish, Ginevra and Isotta exit the pool, their wet dresses revealing their... (full context)

After leaving Neri degli Uberti’s garden, King Charles can think of almost nothing except Ginevra and her sister. He becomes so enflamed by... (full context)

Chastened by Guy de Montfort’s words, King Charles resolves to conquer his own desires in a soldierly manner, despite the pain and effort... (full context)

Everyone—except one Ghibelline lady—commends King Charles ’s generosity; to balance the political scales, Pampinea offers a tale about a king on... (full context)