Ginevra the Fair

Ginevra the Fair is the daughter of Messer Neri and the twin sister of Isotta the Blonde. Her beauty and composed manner attract Charles the Old, but the story’s decisive turn is not a love affair: the king recognizes the danger of his desire, overcomes it, and arranges Ginevra’s marriage to Messer Maffeo da Palizzi. Her part in the episode is vivid in its presentation yet limited in its access to her own thoughts; the narrative centers on the king’s gaze and his choice to relinquish what he wants.

Identity and Introduction

Ginevra is introduced alongside Isotta as one of Messer Neri’s twin daughters. The sisters are about fifteen, so alike that Charles cannot tell which pleases him more. Their first appearance is carefully staged: one carries hand-nets and a long pole, the other a frying-pan, firewood, a trivet, oil, and a lighted torch. They wade into the fishpond to catch fish, which are cooked and served at the king’s table.

The scene presents the sisters through their work as well as their appearance. Their thin white garments cling to them as they emerge from the water, and the king watches them intently. Later they return in fine gowns, bearing platters of fruit, and sing together before respectfully asking leave to depart. Their beauty, manners, and song make an impression on the entire company, but especially on Charles.

The King’s Desire

After learning their names, Charles urges their father to marry them, then begins visiting the garden more often under other pretexts. He cannot forget Ginevra; because she and Isotta resemble one another so closely, his desire extends to her sister too. He confides to Guy de Montfort that he is considering taking both young women from their father.

Guy challenges him by pointing out how extraordinary this passion is in a king nearing old age, and reminds him of the conduct expected of him. Charles acknowledges the force of his appetites and the difficulty of mastering them, but resolves to prove that he can conquer himself as well as others. The episode thus turns on a change in his intended course: attraction first draws him toward possession, while Guy’s rebuke prompts him to consider the dishonor that could follow.

Marriage and Narrative Significance

When Charles returns to Naples, he chooses to remove the occasion for wrongdoing and to repay the hospitality he has received. With their father’s agreement, he provides generous dowries and arranges for Ginevra to marry Messer Maffeo da Palizzi and Isotta to marry Messer Guglielmo della Magna. He then leaves for Apulia, where he disciplines his desire until, the story says, he is free of that passion for the rest of his life.

Ginevra’s marriage is therefore also the consequence of the king’s restraint. The account praises Charles for honoring the sisters and rewarding their father without taking any share of the love he coveted. It does not describe Ginevra’s response to the match or give her a decision in the arrangement: her father consents, and the king provides the dowry and chooses the husbands. The story’s moral emphasis falls on the ruler’s self-command, while Ginevra’s beauty and likeness to her sister help set that test in motion.