The Decameron · Character
Ghino di Tacco
A gentleman turned highway robber whose courteous captivity of an abbot turns robbery into a lesson in generosity and reputation.
major
Also known as Ghino
First appearance: The Second Story
As a major figure in The Decameron, Ghino di Tacco is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
A highway-robber who captures the Abbot of Cluny, cures his stomach ailment, and later becomes a prior.
Ghino is the Decameron's great paradox: an outlaw whose manners shame the men who condemn him. When he seizes the Abbot of Cluny, he does not strip him but treats his gout and his dignity, refusing ransom until the abbot himself asks. The episode matters because it dramatizes Boccaccio's recurring claim that true nobility shows in conduct, not station, and it makes Ghino one of the collection's most quoted figures.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
Character Web
11 connectionsA slice of how Ghino di Tacco sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Generosity and Envy
- Marital Deception
- Moral and Romantic Adventures
- Love and Deception
+6 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this story, the emotional and psychological peak occurs when Lisa, a lowborn apothecary’s daughter, is cons…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingIn the story
Ghino di Tacco appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Ghino di Tacco unlock in the free preview.
See Ghino di Tacco in The Second Story