What are you willing to do for the ones you love, whether they love you back or not? Throughout the course of history, many stories have been told of bold men reaching out to the ends of the Earth to prove their worth against far less cordial men that stand no chance at ever being with the woman they love and desire. Wealth does not define the character of men and women and who they should love, but it this time period, your class does define who you are and what you will amount to in life. In “Federigo’s Falcon” and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer, love is portrayed as a one of nature’s strongest forces as it destroys lives, improves lives, and creates new life.
In “Federigo’s Falcon”,…show more content… After Monna’s child passes away and her brothers urge her to remarry, she remembers all of the righteous acts Federigo performed seeking to gain her love and tells her brothers that she would “sooner have a gentleman without riches, than riches without a gentleman” (165). Though Federgio was not in search of riches, but rather a woman rich in love, the hand life dealt him had other plans in mind, almost seemingly rewarding his chivalrous actions by marrying a wealthy, illustrious woman. Federigo’s actions proved pivotal in Monna’s decision to marry him which, greatly enhanced the quality of life he was living. “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is parallel to that of “Federigo’s Falcon” in the sense that both men, Federigo and the Knight, search a very long time for the love they aspired to have. After being stripped of his dignity, the Knight takes “a year and a day find [the woman he loves]” (140) without fully knowing so at the time. Just as the search for want women desire most was a process, finding his what woman he desired most was also a process and an application of what he learned earlier in the story. After giving the old hag “power” in the relationship, she transforms into a beautiful, young girl who the Knight falls deeply in love with. Both of these stories show how through patience and persistence, love has the…show more content… Monna’s claimed “that [she] shall never marry any other man except Federigo degli Alberighi” (165) because she wasn’t concerned with her image as much as the man she will likely spend the rest of her life with. Through their marriage, Monna an Federigo created a new life together and in many ways it greatly benefitted them in ways that can be described and also in ways that can’t. Federgio and Monna were both devoid a true companion after Federigo’s falcon was fried and Monna’s only son died. After Monna an Federigo were left with next to nothing, as cliche as it may sound, they had each other to love which turned out to be plenty for both of them. In “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, the Knight was given the choice between life and death, and rightfully so, chose to live. In choosing to live and eventually marrying the old hag he unconsciously made a new life, which proved to be a double-edged sword when “the Knight had looked to see… she was young and lovely, rich in charms” (150). By deciding to live, the Knight gave his consent to marry the old hag, which was the start of a new life, between him and the hag. Later in the story, as the Knight applies what he learned from the old hag previously, she changed into a fine, young woman which started another new life which was full of love.
