Beritola Caracciolo (Cavriuola) Character Analysis in The Decameron

Beritola Caracciolo appears in Emilia’s second tale (II, 6). She is Arrighetto Capece’s wife and mother of Guisfredi and The Outcast. Like her husband and sons, she is an illustration of fortune’s turns: she flees political imprisonment in Sicily but is castaway on an island and loses her children to pirates. She becomes attached to two fawns in their place and, when she’s rescued by Currado Malespina and brings them along, she earns the nickname “Cavriuola” which means “doe.” After many years, she is happily reunited with her children and husband.

Beritola Caracciolo (Cavriuola) Character Timeline in The Decameron

The timeline below shows where the character Beritola Caracciolo (Cavriuola) appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...an esteemed courtier of the Sicilian King Manfred. He has a lovely and aristocratic wife, Beritola Caracciolo, and a son named Guisfredi. When Manfred dies in battle with King Charles, Arrighetto... (full context)

Extreme winds force the ship to shelter behind an island for several days. Beritola finds an isolated cave where she can privately grieve her ill fortune each day. While... (full context)

...island. When Currado’s dogs catch the young bucks’ scent and chase them to their cave, Beritola chases them away with a stick. Finding a noblewoman on the island greatly surprises Currado... (full context)

In the meantime, Beritola’s sons and their nurse are handed over to a Genoese merchant-pirate named Guasparrino d’Oria, who... (full context)

...has been ousted. A guard carries this information to Currado, who confirms the story with Beritola—without revealing the source of his information. Currado then realizes that he can salvage his honor... (full context)

Currado sets the stage for reunion. He asks Cavriuola (Beritola) if she’d like Guisfredi back and Spina as a daughter-in-law. Then he asks his wife... (full context)

After the wedding, Beritola, Guisfredi, Spina, The Outcast, his wife, and the nurse sail back to Sicily under favorable... (full context)