Messages In Federigo's Falcon

The Things We do for Love

(A Discussion on the Messages in Falcon)

Giovanni Boccaccio was a writer during the 1300’s. His literary works influenced another important writer Chaucer. “Boccaccio's literary production is characterized by an unusual versatility; his work, both in prose and verse, contains a variety of genres, many of which were pioneer ventures, destined to exercise a powerful influence on succeeding generations”(Bergin). Boccaccio works with human universal themes of love, loss, deception, fate, and honor. In his literary work Federigo’s Falcon, Boccaccio describes some of these human universal themes.

Boccaccio’s first message throughout the story of Federigo’s Falcon is the idea of giving up your freedom for love.

In the beginning of the story Federigo starts out as a wealthy man, but in the process of trying to win over Monna’s heart, loses all his money. Monna in the story is a noble lady, with much wealth throughout the whole story. Monna’s brothers at the end of story want Monna to marry once again after the death of her husband and her son. Her brothers wanted her to marry someone as the same social class as her, someone with money. She thought otherwise. “they became so insistent that she remembered the merits of Federigo and his last act of generosity—that is, to have killed such a falcon to do her honor”(Musa). Monna would rather marry a gentlemen with no money, than a man with no manners and an abundant amount of money. “Seeing that her mind was made up, and knowing Federigo to be a gentleman and a great merit even though he was poor”(165). This story defeats social classes by Monna marrying a man that is less wealthy than her. Her brothers even eventually accept the idea of her marrying a poor man. Social classes can never overcome the power of

Monna is a mother of a little boy, as a single mother. Her little boy falls ill, and Monna asks her little boy what will make him better. "During this time, it happened the young boy took ill, and his mother was much grieved, for he was her only child and she loved him dearly; she would spend the day by his side, never ceasing to comfort him”(Bondanello). Monna was heartbroken by her deathly ill son, and was willing to offer him anything to get the boy back to his health. After asking the boy what she could do he replied with one simple request. “Mother, if you could arrange for to have Federigo’s falcon, I believe I should soon get better”(161). As the little boy is the star in the sky for Monna, She decides that she will go to Federigo and ask for his Falcon, even though it is his last, prized possession, to give to her son. Monna was super nervous to ask a man she ignored for many years, for his last one thing he cared about in life. Even though, Federigo failed to be able to give Monna the falcon for her son, her effort in attempting to get the falcon for her son was