# Messer Ruggieri de' Figiovanni — The Decameron character guide

> Messer Ruggieri de' Figiovanni in The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Messer Ruggieri, Ruggieri

**First appearance:** 0079-the-fourth-story

## Snapshot

A nobleman whose reputation and composure are tested when a jealous husband's trickery drags him into a scandalous, humiliating trap.

## Who they are

Messer Ruggieri moves through Florentine society as a man of standing whose dignity is his chief possession. When a jealous husband's scheming places him in a compromising position, his honor—not his desire—becomes the battleground, and the story turns on whether wit can rescue reputation. His predicament matters because it dramatizes the Decameron's fascination with how easily a gentleman's name can be made or unmade by another man's malice.

## In the story

### [The First Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_decameron_se/chapters/the-first-story)

A wealthy and valiant Florentine knight who seeks service with King Alfonso of Spain, feels slighted by the king's gifts to unworthy men, and ultimately receives a symbolic coffer of earth as a testament to his merit.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_decameron_se/characters/messer_ruggieri
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_decameron_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_decameron_se/characters