Nicostratos Character Analysis in The Decameron

In Panfilo’s seventh tale (VII, 9), Nicostratos is a noble lord of ancient Greece who marries Lydia in his old age. He thus exemplifies the senex amans (old lover), along with Ricciardo de Chinzica (II, 10), Friar Puccio (III, 4), and Mazzeo della Montagna (IV, 10). He is the victim of a particularly cruel series of tricks in which Lydia kills his favorite falcon, pulls out his hair and teeth, and has sex with his servant Pyrrhus in front of him.

Nicostratos Character Timeline in The Decameron

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

...aid of fortune. In Argos, the most ancient city in Greece, an old nobleman named Nicostratos lives with his much younger wife, Lydia. Nicostratos is fond of hunting and owns many... (full context)

But Pyrrhus suspects that Lydia is testing his loyalty. Swearing that he’d never dishonor Nicostratos, he sends Lusca back to her mistress. His repudiation makes Lydia want to die, but... (full context)

...not testing him. He wants her to prove her motives by completing three tasks: kill Nicostratos’s favorite bird before his eyes, send him a tuft of Nicostratos’s beard, and then give... (full context)

A few days later, while Nicostratos is hosting a dinner party, Lydia dresses up, saunters into the hall, and smashes his... (full context)

One day, when Lydia and Nicostratos are together, she starts to caress and tease him. When he gently pulls her hair,... (full context)

...won’t be content until she’s fulfilled her own condition. Pretending to be ill, she asks Nicostratos and Pyrrhus to take her to the garden, where she sits at the foot of... (full context)

As soon as Nicostratos is in the tree, Pyrrhus and Lydia start to make love, but as soon as... (full context)

Lydia interrupts Pyrrhus to express her annoyance that Nicostratos would really believe she’d cheat on him in this way. Nicostratos, still amazed, can only... (full context)