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Literary Analysis Essay

Nicholas Johnson

English 111

16 December 2021

Literary Analysis Essay Rough Draft

Love is reserved within different factions and each requires different means of

uncontrollable sacrifice. In Giovanni Boccaccio’s “Frederigo’s Falcon,” these sacrifices can be

seen quite clearly. This story is within another story as it emerged from European nobility

passing time during the bubonic plague. On this ninth story of the fifth day of isolation, factions

of love are presented and form the story of renunciation and love-lust. The teller’s perspectives

of love formed within the story can be seen by foolish means of loss made because of the love

for a woman and the love for a child.

Loving another is dangerous as one’s senses are altered and clouded by the overwhelming

sensations of warmth and desire for a person. This sensory derangement is exhibited by

Frederigo as he longs for Monna Giovanna. This nobleman is blessed with wealth and influence

and he causes his own demise by spending it on lavish parties in hopes to host Giovanna who has

no interest in partaking in his exhibit of wealth. Though Giavanna “cared little for these things he

did on her behalf, nor did she care for the one who did them.” As time goes on the foolishness

overtakes Fredergio to the point of loss as he runs out of money causing him to have to move out

to his farm side estate with little possessions including his coveted falcon. This love cost a deficit

that diminished the estate dignity of Frederigo and for no return as Giovanna was yet to return

any amount of love to him; this as well as she then married another man.
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While some loving actions can be unjustly taken too far, some are justified as worthy of

great sacrifice such as the love for a child. This faction of love is seen later within the story

through Giovanna’s love for her son. He grows to be ill and she stayed by his side asking him

what his wishes were. The falcon he saw over the land was his request and she was sure to attain

it for him. As she went about this endeavor, she came to find out that the falcon was that of

Frederigo and that in getting it, she would need to meet at his estate. When she arrived hesitance

was observed in her pursuit of the falcon as to not face denial. A fine dinner was had as prepared

by the means of Fredergio to his guests and the faction of romantic love for Giovanna was to be

her downfall as to provide for her an appropriate dinner, Frederigo wrung the neck of his prized

falcon and served it to his guests without a second thought. As Giovanna begins to plead her

request to him by saying “ I cannot escape the laws common to all mothers; the force of such

laws compels me to follow them.” This statement shows the extent to which she loves her son

most clearly as she plainly explains her position to him.

The death of Giovanna’s son left her alone and to be pushed by her brothers to remarry.

The sense of urgency brings her mind only to Fredergio; and though her brothers urge her to

deny him as he has little behind his name at this time, she silences their pleas in her phrase of

justification thus scripted “I would much rather have a man who lacks money than money that

lacks a man.” Both factions of foolishness were relinquished as Fredergio finally obtained the

marriage he had desired for years and Giovanna pushed past her laws of motherhood and gave

into a love that had always been there for her. The story ends in utter depression as Giovanna

faced the loss of a child and gave into a love she never wanted yet pushed herself to have.

Fredergio gave up all for Giovanna and she only went to him when she unwillingly gave up all
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she had; neither creating a beneficial outcome for the one it imposed as traditionally anticipated

as a product of love.

Bibliography

Boccaccio, Giovanni. “Frederigo’s Falcon.” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing

Company. Literature. (pg. 206-215). 2013. 16 December 2021.