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Calandrino appears in four of The Decameron’s stories: Elissa’s eighth (VIII, 3), Filomena’s eighth (VIII, 6), Filostrato’s ninth (IX, 3), and Fiammetta’s ninth (IX, 5). “Calandrino” was the nickname of a thirteenth/fourteenth-century Florentine painter who was, like the character in The Decameron, famous for being simple-minded. He is friends with other painters, including Bruno, Buffalmacco, and Nello; is married to Tessa; and uses Simone da Villa as his physician. He is excessively gullible, tends to drink too much, and takes out his frustrations on his wife through physical and verbal abuse. In his various tales, he searches for a magic stone and beats his wife (VIII, 3); loses a pig to Bruno and Buffalmacco (VIII, 6); is convinced that he is pregnant (IX, 3); and falls in love with a prostitute, thinking that she is an aristocratic wife (IX, 5).
Calandrino Quotes in The Decameron
The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Calandrino or refer to Calandrino. 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:
).
Day 8: Sixth Tale
Quotes
Calandrino is a mean sort of fellow, who’s very fond of drinking when other people pay. So let’s go and take him to the tavern, where the priest can pretend to play the host to the rest of us and pay for all the drinks. When he sees that he has nothing to pay, Calandrino will drink himself into a stupor, and then the rest will be plain sailing because there’s no one else staying at the house.
Everything turned out as Bruno had predicted. When Calandrino saw that the priest would not allow him to pay, he began to drink like a fish, and quaffed a great deal more than he needed to make him drunk.
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
Day 9: Fifth Tale
Quotes
Hence, albeit we have referred many times to the doings of Calandrino, they are invariably so amusing, as Filostrato pointed out a little earlier, that I shall venture to add a further tale to those we have already heard about him. I could easily have told it in some other way, using fictitious names, had I wished to do; but since by departing from the truth of what actually happened, the storyteller greatly diminishes the pleasure of his listeners, I shall turn for support to my opening remarks, and tell it in its proper form.
He gave her a friendly greeting, which she acknowledged, then she began to stare at him, not because she found him the least bit attractive, but because she was fascinated by his odd appearance. Calandrino returned her gaze, and on seeing how beautiful she was, began to think of various excuses for not returning with the water to his companions. However, not knowing who she was, he was afraid to address her, and the girl, perceiving that he was still staring at her, mischievously rolled her eyes at him a couple of times, and fetched a few little sighs, so that Calandrino instantly fell in love with her and stood rooted to the spot till she was called inside by Filippo.
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Calandrino Quotes in The Decameron
The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Calandrino or refer to Calandrino. 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:
).
Day 8: Sixth Tale
Quotes
Calandrino is a mean sort of fellow, who’s very fond of drinking when other people pay. So let’s go and take him to the tavern, where the priest can pretend to play the host to the rest of us and pay for all the drinks. When he sees that he has nothing to pay, Calandrino will drink himself into a stupor, and then the rest will be plain sailing because there’s no one else staying at the house.
Everything turned out as Bruno had predicted. When Calandrino saw that the priest would not allow him to pay, he began to drink like a fish, and quaffed a great deal more than he needed to make him drunk.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Day 9: Fifth Tale
Quotes
Hence, albeit we have referred many times to the doings of Calandrino, they are invariably so amusing, as Filostrato pointed out a little earlier, that I shall venture to add a further tale to those we have already heard about him. I could easily have told it in some other way, using fictitious names, had I wished to do; but since by departing from the truth of what actually happened, the storyteller greatly diminishes the pleasure of his listeners, I shall turn for support to my opening remarks, and tell it in its proper form.
He gave her a friendly greeting, which she acknowledged, then she began to stare at him, not because she found him the least bit attractive, but because she was fascinated by his odd appearance. Calandrino returned her gaze, and on seeing how beautiful she was, began to think of various excuses for not returning with the water to his companions. However, not knowing who she was, he was afraid to address her, and the girl, perceiving that he was still staring at her, mischievously rolled her eyes at him a couple of times, and fetched a few little sighs, so that Calandrino instantly fell in love with her and stood rooted to the spot till she was called inside by Filippo.
