Giovanni Boccaccio 1313-1375

Italian poet and painter

Born in Tuscany Loved poetry from an early age Dad sent him to Naples to apprentice as a banker Talked his dad into letting him study law Never really successful

Naples in the 1330s During this time period, he followed his true calling: poetry Fell in love with the married daughter of the king of Naples (Robert the Wise) She is “Fiammetta” in many of his stories, including the narrator in “Federigo’s Falcon.”

His stories became famous/even Chaucer used some of his stories as a basis for his “Tales,” including “The Knight’s Tale.”

1349-1352 Worked on The Decameron Became famous for this work

Later Years Always wrote/began working on a book that contained 106 biographies of famous women Involved in politics/possibly a coup attempt An emissary for the church at Rome Active until his death of heart disease at age 63

The Decameron a collection of tales within a frame story 10 characters fleeing to the country to escape the plague in Florence

Each day, they picked a different person to be the “king” or “queen” and preside over that day’s story-telling.

10 days 10 travelers 1 story each day 100 stories = hence, the name, “decameron”--100

"Federigo's Falcon" is one of those tales A tale of courtly love Federigo is devoted to Monna Giovanna, a married woman, and will do anything to gain her love