Marchioness of Montferrat Character Analysis in The Decameron

The Marchioness of Montferrat appears in Fiammetta’s first tale (I, 5) as a portrait of the idealized medieval woman. Because she is beautiful, she attracts the love of King Philip II; because she is virtuous, clever, and tactful, she cools his passions without sacrificing either her honor or her safety.

Marchioness of Montferrat Quotes in The Decameron

The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Marchioness of Montferrat or refer to Marchioness of Montferrat. 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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Being an intelligent and judicious woman, she sent back a message to say that she was glad to have been singled out for this uniquely great favor, and that the king would be very welcome. She then began to wonder why such a great king should be calling upon her in her husband’s absence. Nor was she wrong in the conclusion that she reached, namely, that he was being drawn thither by the fame of her beauty. Nevertheless, with her habitual nobility of spirit she made ready to entertain him[.]

Related Characters: Fiammetta (speaker), Marchioness of Montferrat, King Philip II

Page Number and Citation: 49-50

Explanation and Analysis:

Marchioness of Montferrat Character Timeline in The Decameron

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

The Marchioness of Montferrat is outstandingly beautiful, virtuous, and wise. While her husband is away on the... (full context)

The Marchioness comes up with a clever plan. She gathers as many hens as she can find... (full context)

The Marchioness answers that there aren’t any roosters and that the women of her country are exactly... (full context)