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Abbot in White
Landolfo Rufolo appears in Lauretta’s second tale (II, 4). He is an extremely rich merchant from the Amalfi coast, who is so greedy that he tries to double his fortune. When he fails, he turns to piracy. He represents another of fortune’s victim-beneficiaries: after losing his second fortune and turning to piracy, he’s captured by pirates who are then shipwrecked. He clings to a small box until he washes ashore, only later realizing that it’s full of priceless jewels.
Landolfo Rufolo Quotes in The Decameron
The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Landolfo Rufolo or refer to Landolfo Rufolo. 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:
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Day 2: Fourth Tale
Quotes
The stones he possessed were, he discovered, so valuable and numerous that, even if he sold them at less than their market value, he would be twice as rich as when he had set out. So that, having taken steps to dispose of his gems, he sent, by way of payment for services received, a tidy sum of money to the good woman of Corfu who had fished him out of the sea. And likewise, he sent a further sum to the people at Trani who had given him the new clothes. He was no longer interested in commerce, so he kept the remainder of the money and lived in splendor for the rest of his days.
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Get the entire The Decameron LitChart as a printable PDF.
Landolfo Rufolo Character Timeline in The Decameron
The timeline below shows where the character Landolfo Rufolo appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Day 2: Fourth Tale
...such a change, its protagonist will be subject to even greater misfortunes. The incredibly wealthy Landolfo Rufolo lives on the Amalfi Coast. Not content with his wealth, he fills a ship...
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To recoup his losses, Landolfo turns to piracy, and his raids of Turkish vessels make him twice as rich as...
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While Landolfo and his mast drift through the night, a particular chest keeps floating past him. Because...
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The peasant and her daughter take Landolfo and his chest home and nurse him back to life. When he forces the chest...
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When Landolfo finally arrives at his home, he sells his gems, sends a gift to the peasant...
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Day 2: Fifth Tale
Fiammetta remarks that Landolfo’s jewels have reminded her of a tale with as much adventure as Lauretta’s—but which is...
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