Amerigo Abate Character Analysis in The Decameron

In Lauretta’s fifth tale (V, 7), Amerigo Abate is a wealthy Sicilian gentleman and father of Violante. Although he’s impressed enough with the good breeding of his allegedly Turkish slave Teodoro to grant him freedom and sponsor his baptism, he’s less pleased when Teodoro gets Violante pregnant. His immoderate wrath, based on class consciousness and an understanding that his honor depends on his daughter’s chastity, makes him cruel. Not only does he prosecute Teodoro, but he orders Violante to commit suicide. However, when Teodoro’s noble identity is revealed, he repents and welcomes him into the family. His immoderate rage and thirst for vengeance aligns him with Tancredi (IV, 1), but since his tale occurs on the day of happy lovers, it has a very different ending.

Amerigo Abate Quotes in The Decameron

The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Amerigo Abate or refer to Amerigo Abate. 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:

When certain galleys arrived from the Levant belonging to Genoese pirates, who had captured a great many children along the Armenian coast, he purchased a number of them, believing them to be Turkish. For the most part, they appeared to be of rustic, shepherd stock, but there was one, Teodoro by name, who seemed gently bred and better looking than any of the others […] as he grew older, being prompted by his innate good breeding rather than by the accident of his menial status, he acquired so much poise and so agreeable a manner that Messer Amerigo granted him his freedom […] had him baptized and re-named Pietro, and placed him in charge of his business affairs, taking him deeply into his confidence.

Related Characters: Lauretta (speaker), Amerigo Abate, Teodoro (Pietro)

Page Number and Citation: 412

Explanation and Analysis:

Amerigo Abate Character Timeline in The Decameron

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

...cheerfully begins. In Sicily during the reign of King William the Second, a nobleman named Amerigo Abate lives in Trapani with his many children. (full context)

Needing servants to care for his estate and family, Amerigo Abate buys some children, “believing them to be Turkish,” who were captured by Genoese pirates along... (full context)

Teodoro (Pietro) and Violante (one of Amerigo Abate ’s daughters) fall in love. Given his menial status, they cannot express their feelings publicly.... (full context)

...that she will be forgiven but that he will be executed for taking advantage of Amerigo Abate ’s daughter. Violante convinces him to stay by promising to keep his name out of... (full context)

Amerigo Abate has Teodoro (Pietro) arrested, and the local magistrate, Messer Currado, sentences him to be publicly... (full context)

...by marrying her. Cursing the waywardness of fortune, Currado stays the execution and calls for Amerigo Abate who, having stopped Violante’s forced suicide (which was held up by her indecision between the... (full context)