Romola · Chapter
XVI: A Florentine Joke explained
Tito Melema, having sold Baldassarre's ring, returns through Florence feeling the weight of his deeds.
What happens
Tito Melema, having sold Baldassarre's ring, returns through Florence feeling the weight of his deeds. He is stopped by Niccolò Machiavelli, who invites him to the Rucellai Gardens. At Nello's barber shop, a crowd gathers, and Nello plays a practical joke on the quack doctor Maestro Tacco, while Tito overhears news about Monna Ghita's death, which stirs his thoughts about Tessa.
Themes in this chapter
Betrayal and Deception
Tito's internal conflict over selling the ring and his deception are central to his state of mind.
Political and Religious Corruption
The conversation at the barber shop touches on political intrigue, including Piero de' Medici's interference and the Soderini affair.
Characters to notice
- Tito Melema
Feels the first heavy consequences of his actions after selling the ring; is uneasy and avoids Tessa, but is stirred by news of Monna Ghita's death.
- Niccolò Machiavelli
Meets Tito and invites him to the Rucellai Gardens; comments on Piero de' Medici and the political situation.
- Nello
The barber, who orchestrates a Florentine joke against Maestro Tacco and discusses the latest gossip.
- Maestro Tacco
The quack doctor who is the butt of Nello's joke; complains about his horse and the heat.
- Tessa
Though not present, Tito's thoughts turn to her after hearing of Monna Ghita's death, as it might make it easier to see her again.
Key passages
“But our deeds are like children that are born to us; they live and act apart from our own will. Nay, children may be strangled, but deeds never: they have an indestructible life both in and out of our consciousness; and that dreadful vitality of deeds was pressing hard on Tito for the first time.”
Our actions, once done, have a life of their own and cannot be undone, a weight that Tito is beginning to feel.
Highlights the theme of the inescapable consequences of one's actions.
“It is not a sublime attitude for a man, to sit with lathered chin thrown backward, and have his nose made a handle of; but to be shaved was a fashion of Florentine respectability, and it is astonishing how gravely men look at each other when they are all in the fashion.”
Though being shaved is an undignified posture, it is a respectable Florentine custom that men follow seriously.
A satirical observation on social conformity.