The Decameron

The Decameron

by

Giovanni Boccaccio

Tuscan Abbot Character Analysis

The Tuscan Abbot appears in Dioneo’s first tale (I, 4), where he oversees the monastery where the Young Monk lives. He is an example of clerical hypocrisy around sex, since he gives in to the same urges as the Young Monk and has sex with the Country Girl. But, in his ongoing series of poor decisions (not to confront the Young Monk immediately, not to publicly confront the Girl), he also represents the self-delusion that characterizes many of the religious figures in The Decameron.

Tuscan Abbot Quotes in The Decameron

The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Tuscan Abbot or refer to Tuscan Abbot. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Love and Sex Theme Icon
).
Day 1: Fourth Tale Quotes

One day, about noon, when all the other monks were asleep, he chanced to be taking a solitary stroll round the walls of the monastery, which lay in a very lonely spot, when his eyes came to rest on a strikingly beautiful girl, perhaps some local farmhand’s daughter, who was going about the fields collecting wild herbs. No sooner did he see her than he was fiercely assaulted by carnal desire.

Related Characters: Dioneo (speaker), Young Monk, Tuscan Abbot, The Country Girl
Page Number: 45
Explanation and Analysis:

The girl, who was not exactly made of iron or of flint, fell in very readily with the Abbot’s wishes. He took her in his arms and kissed her a few times, then lowered himself on to the monk’s little bed. But out of regard, perhaps, for the weight of his reverend person and the tender age of the girl, and not wishing to do her any injury, he settled down beneath her instead of lying on top, and in this way he sported with her at considerable length.

Related Characters: Dioneo (speaker), Young Monk, Tuscan Abbot, The Country Girl
Page Number: 45
Explanation and Analysis:
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Tuscan Abbot Quotes in The Decameron

The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Tuscan Abbot or refer to Tuscan Abbot. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Love and Sex Theme Icon
).
Day 1: Fourth Tale Quotes

One day, about noon, when all the other monks were asleep, he chanced to be taking a solitary stroll round the walls of the monastery, which lay in a very lonely spot, when his eyes came to rest on a strikingly beautiful girl, perhaps some local farmhand’s daughter, who was going about the fields collecting wild herbs. No sooner did he see her than he was fiercely assaulted by carnal desire.

Related Characters: Dioneo (speaker), Young Monk, Tuscan Abbot, The Country Girl
Page Number: 45
Explanation and Analysis:

The girl, who was not exactly made of iron or of flint, fell in very readily with the Abbot’s wishes. He took her in his arms and kissed her a few times, then lowered himself on to the monk’s little bed. But out of regard, perhaps, for the weight of his reverend person and the tender age of the girl, and not wishing to do her any injury, he settled down beneath her instead of lying on top, and in this way he sported with her at considerable length.

Related Characters: Dioneo (speaker), Young Monk, Tuscan Abbot, The Country Girl
Page Number: 45
Explanation and Analysis: