Sokół

by Giovanni Boccaccio

Sokół to jedna z najbardziej znanych nowel na świecie! Napisany w okresie włoskiego Renesansu utwór zapisał się na stałe w historii literatury. Wchodzący w skład sławnego cyklu nowel Dekameron Giovanniego Boccaccia, opowiada historię wielkiej miłości szlachcica Federiga do pięknej damy, Monny Giovanny. Mimo przeciwności losu Federigo został ostatecznie nagrodzony za swoją wytrwałość i stałość w uczuciach. A jaką rolę odegrał w tym jego wierny towarzysz - sokół?

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, School

21 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1895

About the author

Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian author and poet, a friend and correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist in his own right and author of a number of notable works including the Decameron, On Famous Women, and his poetry in the Italian vernacular. Boccaccio is particularly notable for his dialogue, of which it has been said that it surpasses in verisimilitude that of just about all of his contemporaries, since they were medieval writers and often followed formulaic models for character and plot.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ironic little tale that is most surprising because it is part of the Decameron and thus written in 1353. It does not read like it was written that long ago. I am anxious to get to the full 100 stories after loving this one.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The strange ways I come across great literature! Federigo and Monna was mentioned in a Scandi noir TV show I was watching on Netflix last night. I googled and found the story, it’s from the Decameron
and what a brilliant twist, made me gasp! Such an affecting story, a quick read and written in 1353.
Federigo loves Monna from afar and wastes all his wealth to prove it while she remains unmoved. He retreats to the country and lives off his farm with his falcon , the only thing of value remaining to him.

[julia]

sokół mniam

[Karolina Kłosowska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nawet nie usnęłam przy tym wiec jest dobrze

[Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

krótka, jednak z przesłaniem

[Florek wikierek · Rating 2 out of 5]

głupi wszyscy

[żwirownia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utozsamiam sie z tym synem szlacheckim co wzial i umarl bo nie dostal prezentu

[Wiktoria Sobiegraj · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.75 biedny sokół

[Oliwia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mniam potrawka z sokoła 😋

[Łucja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Śmiech przez łzy

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75
mądre ale za proste i za krotkie

[Martyna Grabowska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fajne fajne

[Kasiczka:) · Rating 4 out of 5]

głupiutkie i jeszcze sokoła żal...

[Martyna Viltis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ew ja bym nie zjadła sokoła, już bym wolała od razu go poślubić póki jeszcze kasę miał

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Było dziwne, niezrozumiałe(dopiero na lekcji część kwestii się wyjadniła), jednak niezwykłe i szybko się czytało. I oczywiście zdecydowanie nie dobrane do wieku uczniów.

[julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

wszystko spoko ale czemu zabil sokola dla jakiejs glupiej laski

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastically complex tale from Renaissance Italy showcasing a moral dilemma that had me clenching my fists, “Federigo’s Falcon” is a cautionary tale, an ironic masterpiece, and a bittersweet love story, all wrapped in the chivalric values of its time period. I was not previously familiar with The Decameron and had only a casual knowledge of Giovanni Boccaccio, but if the rest of the anthology is like “Federigo’s Falcon,” I’ll gladly put it on my to-read list.

Federigo degli Alberighi, a wealthy young man living in 14th century Florence, heedlessly spends his entire fortune attempting to win the love of the beautiful but uninterested Monna Giovanna, who marries another wealthy man and has a son by him while Federigo falls into ruin and poverty. After the death of her husband, Monna and her son move to Campi, next to Federigo, and Monna’s son becomes fascinated with the one joy Federigo has left: a fine falcon. When the little boy falls ill and asks his mother to bring him the falcon, Monna must swallow her pride and beg the still-in-love Federigo to give her his falcon; her hopes are dashed, however, when she learns that Federigo has just killed and cooked his falcon in order to give her a proper meal in his home. Their devastation is furthered upon the death of Monna’s son, but she finds a second chance at happiness when she marries Federigo, having realized that neither his wealth nor poverty has ever been a reflection of the true strength of his character.

Boccaccio defined the ironic twist with “Federigo’s Falcon.” His set-up is flawless: the story moves at a quick pace, giving us just enough information to empathize with the characters without waxing loquacious. Each character is genuinely sympathetic without being unrealistically perfect, but the flaws of both Federigo and Monna are eclipsed by their authentic desire to do the right thing and be sensitive to one another. Federigo is sincere in his love for Monna, but that love proves self-destructive as he unwisely spends his entire fortune in a way that never had a chance of catching her attention. Monna, on the other hand, saw Federigo as a spendthrift and a showoff, marrying a different wealthy man who is specifically described as having loved her very much. As Monna does what she feels is right, Federigo accepts this defeat with humility and begins living humbly in the country, still in love but willing to accept reality.

Then comes the twist. Reading this for the first time, I was as aghast as I was the first time I read Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace” and O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi.” Both our protagonists are swindled by Fortune, only because they each wished to do the right thing. Monna, to save her beloved son, behaves with absolute respect for Federigo’s dignity and appeals to him not on the manipulative basis of love, but on the basis of his good nature and compassion. Federigo, who of course would have done anything to give Monna what she wanted, is devastated to learn that, in his earnestness and eagerness to welcome her appropriately, he has killed the very object of her desire. Federigo acknowledges this cruel irony as well: that Monna would never have deigned to visit his home when he had plenty of wealth to entertain her, but now that she has finally swallowed her pride and come to beg him of the one thing he has left to give her, he cannot even supply that.

Still, Boccaccio chooses not to let “Federigo’s Falcon” devolve into utter tragedy. Yes, Monna has lost her son, and, yes, Federigo has lost his chance to win Monna’s heart, but something truly wonderful happens when Monna begins reconsidering her life choices. Though she has no desire to remarry (especially after her son’s death), she responds to her brothers’ compulsion by recognizing Federigo’s true character and giving him what he has so longed for all those years: not the wealth she inherited, but her hand in marriage. Boccaccio tells us that Federigo is, of course, thrilled and that he manages his financial affairs much more wisely, but he never mentions whether Monna is truly happy or not. It’s easy to imagine that her remarriage to Federigo is bittersweet, as she never really loved him, but that she is always able to admire him for his generosity, kindness, and sincerity… and maybe even learn to love him one day.

“Federigo’s Falcon” is framed as a cautionary tale in The Decameron: one that warns young men to be careful how they spend their wealth, and young women to be mindful of the disaster their withholding of favors can bring. Boccaccio highlights the fickleness of fate and the themes of sacrifice, honor, and patience, while also hinting at the more medieval concepts of chivalric romance and class separation. The falcon itself symbolizes faithfulness, while Boccaccio uses that same faithfulness to create a number of moral dilemmas and cruel ironies. “Federigo’s Falcon” is a timeless story that feels like it could have been written in the last century rather than being nearly 700 years old. I suppose it’s the timeless message that makes this story feel so relevant: that a person’s worth can never be determined by their wealth.

[Auryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this as an example of irony and foreshadowing for class. Although a short story, it created an emotional impact due to the dramatic irony and foreshadowing throughout the story. By the end, I still had to process the feelings that it brought up in me. A quick, but excellent, read.

[czyta_natka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bardzo fajna nowelka 😊

[maja · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 ⭐

[Szymon Stadnik · Rating 1 out of 5]

1,5

[Klaudia]

wtf

[nikola :] · Rating 5 out of 5]

xd dawno zadna ksiazka mnie tak nie zaskoczyla, giga plot twist

[marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[lauragrafinska · Rating 3 out of 5]

bawiłam się lepiej niż na większości przeczytanych ostatnio książek

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ta lektura przypadła mi do gustu i punkt kulminacyjny mocny!!

[Wiktoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ale plot twist

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

bardzo szokująca i interesująca książka! ta lektura strasznie przypadła mi do gustu, plot twist był mocny🫢🫢 w pełni zrozumiała, krótka, super przyjemnie się czytało!!

[Aryanna Tunstall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I need to read the story more carefully but I felt that the first couple of paragraphs were confusing and didn’t accurately portray relations of the characters.

[Julian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pojebane