Dissertation on Birds of Prey and the Sport - the Falconry Heritage ...
Dissertation on Birds of Prey and the Sport - the Falconry Heritage ...
Dissertation on Birds of Prey and the Sport - the Falconry Heritage ...
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"'tua figliuola B stata si vaga dell'usignuolo, che ella l'ha preso e tienlosi in man^."'^^<br />
After a proper wedding, <strong>the</strong> audience is told, Ricciardo has a fulfilling life with Caterina:<br />
"c<strong>on</strong> lei lungamente in pace e in c<strong>on</strong>solazi<strong>on</strong>e uccello agli usignuoli e di di e di notte<br />
quanto gli piacque."<br />
Hawks <strong>and</strong> falc<strong>on</strong>s, too, play roles in <strong>the</strong> Decamer<strong>on</strong>. They appear in various<br />
novelle, not always love stories- for example, IX, 2, in which Messer Torello's skill in<br />
falc<strong>on</strong>ry is <strong>on</strong>e aspect <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> gentilezza he displays to Saladin, his incognito guest.<br />
Messer Torello's expertise in this area allows him to be recognized by Saladin <strong>and</strong><br />
assisted in returning home after having been captured <strong>on</strong> crusade.<br />
However, in Boccaccio's ninth story <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fifth day, <strong>the</strong> noble <strong>and</strong> love<br />
c<strong>on</strong>notati<strong>on</strong>s <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> falc<strong>on</strong> unite in a story that explores what happens when a gentleman<br />
tries to live <strong>and</strong> woo his beloved by <strong>the</strong> rules <strong>of</strong> courtly love in a m<strong>on</strong>ey-based society.<br />
The story <strong>of</strong> Federigo degli Alberighi <strong>and</strong> his falc<strong>on</strong> is told by <strong>the</strong> queen <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> day,<br />
Fiammetta. It is truly appropriate that Fiammetta is <strong>the</strong> narrator <strong>of</strong> this story, as her<br />
namesake underst<strong>and</strong>s well <strong>the</strong> pitfalls <strong>of</strong> courtly love, as <strong>the</strong> tragic heroine <strong>of</strong> <strong>on</strong>e <strong>of</strong><br />
Boccaccio's earlier works, <strong>the</strong> Elegia di Mad<strong>on</strong>na Fiammetta, in which she takes part in<br />
courtly society <strong>and</strong> suffers from her lover's betrayal <strong>of</strong> her. Moreover, Fiammetta, <strong>the</strong><br />
character in <strong>the</strong> Decamer<strong>on</strong>, also has an affinity with falc<strong>on</strong>s. In <strong>the</strong> c<strong>on</strong>clusi<strong>on</strong> to day<br />
four, when Fiammetta is awarded <strong>the</strong> crown for <strong>the</strong> next day, Boccaccio, in his<br />
descripti<strong>on</strong> <strong>of</strong> her, pays her eyes a typical courtly compliment: "due occhi in testa che<br />
parean d'un falc<strong>on</strong> pellegrino." She tells Federigo's story in very courtly language,<br />
beginning right away with her advice to <strong>the</strong> ladies in her audience to eschew practical<br />
c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong>s when choosing a lover. She says she is going to tell a love story "n<strong>on</strong><br />
24 The sources for <strong>the</strong> Decamer<strong>on</strong> are from <strong>the</strong> editi<strong>on</strong> by Cesare Segre (Milano: Mursia, 1966).