Who Is Giovanni? What Is His Role In The Story "The Rappaccini's Daughter"?

Giovanni was a student of medicine at the university of Padua in Italy. He was young, smart and handsome and had an engaging way of talking. He was living in a rented room above Rappaccin's garden. His character is quite simple and understandable, and whatever complexity it possesses it is due to his involvement in the love affair with Beatrice.

Firstly Giovanni felt lonely and sad in his room as he was away from his family and had no friends. As a passionate man he felt the need to have a beloved. Naturally when he saw Beatrice walking in the garden under his window, he liked her. He saw an animal dying near her drops of water fell upon it from some flowers. Then he saw an insect dying with her poisonous breath.

Secondly, Giovanni was foolish and thoughtless in his behavior towards Beatrice. He was lucky to have his father's old friend, Professor Baglioni, who advised him strongly against meeting Beatrice. Baglioni described him the dangerous activities of her father and her own role. He knew that whatever Baglioni was telling him was correct. Yet he went on falling deeper in love. As a result he ruined his career as a student and lost all peace of mind.
Thirdly Giovenni was a young man of fixed habits. Once he was in a fixed situation he could not plan and act well to get out of it. He did not ever think of changing his room for a better one in the city though he was not satisfied with its facilities.

Giovanni's intention to his studies for studies for which he had come to Pauda could be another main reason for his destruction. We do not find him even once thinking of missing his classes at his college or of not learning his lessons at home.