Adalieta Character Analysis in The Decameron

In Panfilo’s tenth tale (X, 9), Adalieta is the faithful and “princely” wife of Torello. She is a paragon of feminine fidelity, loving and honoring her husband’s wishes even after he appears to have died. And she’s a paragon of aristocratic generosity when she helps Torello entertain Saladin when he comes to Italy disguised as a merchant.

Adalieta Character Timeline in The Decameron

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

...and deserve a better feast. He sends a message to his wife (later identified as Adalieta), asking her to invite the Pavian nobles to a great banquet the following morning. With... (full context)

After breakfast, Torello introduces Saladin to his greatest treasures: Adalieta and their two angelically beautiful children. Adalieta gives Saladin fur-lined silk robes and silk jackets... (full context)

As the Crusade begins, Torello, moved but undeterred by Adalieta’s tears and entreaties, prepares to leave. His only request is that, if he dies, she... (full context)

Meanwhile, Adalieta believes that Torello has died, because on the day he was captured, another knight named... (full context)

...peacefully in a bed, back to Pavia. Although he understands Torello’s desire to return to Adalieta, Saladin mourns the loss of a friend with whom he would have shared his very... (full context)

...where he finds his living nephew. He tells Torello that, since everyone believes he’s dead, Adalieta’s wedding is happening this very day. (full context)

...to take him to the wedding feast as a guest so that he can observe Adalieta’s feelings. There, disguised in his eastern clothing, Torello sits across from her and observes her... (full context)

Adalieta stands up so quickly she overturns the table, runs across the room pell-mell, flings herself... (full context)

Dioneo, noting that Adalieta’s almost-second husband wouldn’t agree with the company’s praise of Torello, prepares to finish the day’s... (full context)