Answer:
Federigo’s Falcon – Characters
Explanation:
Federigo Alberighi
Federigo is the son of Signor Fillippo Alberighi (Fillippo Alberighi does not appear in the story. He is mentioned only to draw attention to the prestigious reputation of the Alberighi family.) Federigo falls in love with the lady Giovanna. Despite Giovanna’s continued ambivalence toward Federigo’s advances, Federigo continues to spend his fortune extravagantly. In Giovanna’s honor, Federigo hosts banquets, feasts, jousting tournaments, and other grand events. He sends her all manner of gifts, sparing no expense in the process. Eventually, he has spent everything he has and is forced to live on a small farm in the country, with only one reminder of his former wealth—his rare and prized falcon. The narrator observes that Federigo bears Giovanna no ill will for being the cause of his poverty; rather, his love for her grows more intense. When Giovanna visits Federigo at his home, he receives her like a gentleman, exchanging polite greetings and refusing to admit—despite Giovanna’s offer to make amends for her past behavior—that she has ever caused him any harm. Upon hearing that Giovanna has offered to grace him with her company for dinner, Federigo behaves in his usual fashion and is prepared to give up all he has for his love. Clearly in a state of panic, Federigo is described as running around the house (after he has conducted Giovanna, and the gentlewoman accompanying her, into the garden), desperate to find something to prepare for dinner. Spying his falcon and realizing he has nothing else, Federigo admits that his noble bird will make an appropriate meal for a noble lady. After dinner, upon hearing that Giovanna wanted the bird for her ill son, Federigo feels intense grief and comments on how cruel Fortune has been to him. He explains his actions and receives Giovanna’s reprimand. When Giovanna and Federigo are finally wed, the narrator observes that having loved Giovanna for so long, and having given everything to her, enables Federigo to be a better husband than he would otherwise have been.
