Sabrina LeMond

English 111

Literary Analysis

Federigo’s Falcon

Love is evil and causes one to act on emotion, leaving behind logic and calm. In

Federigo’s Falcon, Giovanni Boccaccio writes about wealthy man, Federigo, who tries

to impress a woman, Monna Giovanna, by participating in jousts and spending every

last penny to his name to buy grand gifts for her. Boccaccio grew up in medieval Italy

with a love for literacy, yet his father had different plans for his future. His fatherly love

for his son’s success forced his son to pursue everything but the career that his son

wanted. After failed attempts at business and religious law, Boccaccio decided to follow

his own love for writing, though his work did not gain much popularity or bring profit to

his name until after his death. Bocaccio’s love for his son drove his son to be unhappy,

and Giovanni’s love for writing had caused irrationality and unrealistic ambitions which

had made him poor. Just like how his own love for writing was overpowering, Bacassio

wrote about Federigo's love for a Monna, who was also willing to risk it all until he had

achieved his goal of acquiring her hand in marriage.

The story of Federigo starts off in Florence where he enters tournaments,

participates in jousts, and spends far beyond his means in order to impress a

noblewoman Monna. She did not care for his gifts, nor for Federigo and his efforts.

Because he was now reduced to a small farm and a falcon, he moved to the country

where he lived meagerly. Around the same time, Monna’s husband had become ill and

passed, leaving Monna and their only son. Monna and her son would make yearly trips
to the countryside, coincidentally in close proximity to Federigo’s farm. During their

summer vacation, Monna’s son had become ill and had asked for Federigo’s fine falcon

in order to heal. After hesitation, but consumed with the thought of her ill son, Monna

headed to the small farm where she met with Federigo and asked him to host a lunch

for them. Federigo did not have accommodation for the lady, so he turned to his last

possession, the falcon, and cooked it, without knowing of Monna’s intentions. After

breaking the news of the cooked falcon, Monna was appalled that he was intending to

serve a lady a poor meal, and for murdering the only possible hope of her son’s healing.

After she had returned to Florence, her brothers had pressured her for marriage, and

chose Federigo as her husband.

The plot of the short story is extremely ironic. Federigo had given Monna

everything that he had owned, yet Monna did not care for any of them. When Monna did

find something of Federigo’s that she wanted, he had given it to her, but prepared in a

way that she did not want. The clear pattern of Federgio’s failed attempts at impressing

the lady is shown from the beginning to the end of the story. Monna did not take to heart

his sacrifices and had only concern for her own self, illustrating how love creates

blindness and foolishness if it is not reciprocated.

The two main characters are not alike by any means. Federigo is willing to risk

everything and anything he has to gain Monna’s attention. Monna, however, does not

appreciate the efforts of Federigo. When she ventured over to Federigo’s farm to ask for

his falcon, she had rudely asked him to prepare dinner for the both of them. When she

found out that he had sacrificed his last grand possession, the falcon, she was focused

on the disgust of a man feeding a lady such a meal, more than being grateful for his
giving nature. After her son’s death, Monna only remarried due to pressure placed on by

her brothers. She did not even want to marry Federigo, but chose him out of

desperation.