A Knight's Journey - Quenton Mosel

True love is allowing both sides of the marriage to have sovereignty, which is the theme of The Wife of Bath’s Tale. In the story, the knight is on a quest to search for the answer to the question “What is the thing that women most desire?” It takes the knight the entirety of his allotted time to complete his quest (a year and a day), to which he is forced marry the old lady who saved his life. The old lady offers to either be young and unfaithful or old and devout, to which she is granted the power of choosing and becomes both and they live happily ever after. This tale along with the drawing by William B. O’Neal go hand in hand for the knight “learns” his lesson and becomes a faithful man, whereas the drawing is of a knight very much in love with his maiden. The knight in the drawing has his armor on, so he may have just gotten back from some form of battle and is now happily relaxing at the base of a tree. The drawing could be a possible look at the knight from the story’s married life if the story were to continue on from it’s ending.

O’Neal, William B. A Maiden Embraced By a Knight in Armor. 1838. pen and brown ink with brown wash, heightened with white, on brown wove paper. National Gallery of Art. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.

A Man's Redemption by Dominick Meyer

Stories can be told by art or by written word but it matters not which is chosen because both can portray even the most amazing of events. The piece I choose is a drawing that I feel embodies the motif of loss and redemption in Fedrigo's Falcon because Fedrigo squanders his wealth in the pursuit of a woman, he sacrifices his most prized possession in the pursuit of honor, but in the end he becomes a man of a finer cloth and wins the woman of his dreams.

Infatuation is a pursuit that will bring nothing but hardship and cold stares if the love is not shared. Fedrigo experiences loss first when he spends a great deal of his money to impress Monna Giovanna but loses track of his funds and finds himself with only a small farm left to work. One example of this is when the story told that “in order to win her“ love, he participated in jousts and tournaments, organized and gave feasts. and spent his money without restraint; but she. no less virtuous than beautiful, cared little for these things done on her behalf, nor did she care for him who did them. Now, as Fedrigo was spending Far beyond his means and was talking nothing in, as easily happens he lost his wealth and became poor, with nothing but his little farm to his name (from Whose revenues he lived very meagerly) and one falcon which was among the best in the world.” Fedrigo was so madly in love he refused to accept she didn’t love him and his wasting of money was really a waste of time. His first loss would however would not discourage his affections toward Monna in any sense. Fedrigo experiences his second lose when he killed his most prized falcon in the pursuit of honor to Monna so they could have a meal worthy of her. The hour was late and his desire to honor the gracious lady was great, but not wishing to turn for help to others (not even to his own workman), he set his eyes upon his good falcon, perched in a small room; and since he had nowhere else to turn, he took the bird, finding it plump, he decided that it would be a worthy food for such a lady. So, Without further thought, he Wrung its neck. In his pursuit to honor Monna he found that his most prized possession meant nothing to him opposed to his desire to please her. Honor is a tool that is necessary for life but can be lost when a man's moral fiber can’t stand against life's challenges. At the end of his descent from a wealthy noble to a poor farm owner Fedrigo still managed to show that he has a heart of gold not the Midas touch. Like when Monna’s brothers said to her “You foolish Woman, what are you saying? How can you Want him; he hasn’t a penny to his name. To this she replied: “My brothers, I am Well aware of what you say, but I would rather have a man who needs money than money that needs a man?” When Monna speaks to her brothers about remarrying she speaks of the selflessness of Fedrigo and how he was a man not rich fool who only thinks with his money and not his heart. Discovery of an old ideal can lead to the creation of a new prospect for all to know.

Fedrigo was a man who thought not of himself but of another no matter how much it cost him, an individual who gave what he prized in the quest for redemption, and one who shows that a mans worth is not in gold but in his actions. No matter how you slice it a picture is worth a thousand words but drawing works just as well.

source: Bruegel the Elder, Pieter. Peasants and Cattle near a Farmhouse. 1553/1554. Pen and brown ink on laid paper. National Art Gallery. Web. 11 Feb. 2014

Sovereign Chances- Llanira Castillo

 

The connection between the painting and the theme chosen for "The Wife Of Bath" tales is showing that women should have the same power as the men and should be treated the same and that they should have control. The theme of The Wife Of Bath tales is Sovereignty for women. Women want to be considered equal to their husband or brother and father and be in control and be the masters. In the Middle Ages women were forced to have arranged marriages and they had to obey any husband, brother uncle, etc. It's important to treat women equal and have the same control. They should not be treated for like they are worth less. And that one does not dominate in the other. I think this painting fits well with my theme because it is showing a man crowning the woman. I interpret this as giving the power to her. Men were usually seen as the higher power but the fact the he is kneeling in front of her and placing the crown on her head it shows that women are just the same as men and that women should have the same power as the men. Women should have a chance to have the same rank as men do. That is why this painting fits well with the theme because the its the coronation of a women becoming queen by the king so its giving her power, the same as the guy.

                    The Coronation of the Virgin, c. 1475-1504 Painting, National Gallery of Art, Lippi, Filippino,

Slave of Love-Tyler Gillen

Slave of Love

In the face of true love, a human being becoming a slave is the theme that Giovanni Boccaccio clearly leaves for the reader to pick up. Fortunes, prized possessions, virtues, and opinions are all things that love forces humans to change. In Boccaccio’s tale “Federigo’s Falcon”, Federigo threw away his entire fortune for the woman he had fallen madly in love with. After years in solitude Federigo realized what a mistake he had made doing so. When the same woman was at his doorstep and into his life once more, Federigo killed his prized possession, the falcon, and served it to honor her. These actions show how under the shackles of love one thinks highly on actions they normally would not even dream of following through with. Without love Federigo would have been a wealthy man with a hobby of falconing he would have regularly spent doing.  In this picture, like Federigo, this man has been chained and slaved to love. The shackles on this man are used to show that love has made him a slave under its rule. The disappointment on this man’s face shows how his actions for the one he loved left him with little in life to treasure. Like Federigo he  became a changed man because of actions he thought were necessary at the time. If love had not struck these two men they would have become the men they were destined to be with the values and riches of their previous lives they had found so dear.

Giotto. Slave Bound. 13290-1330. Tempera on panel. National Gallery of Art. Web. 13 Feb

Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness - Laura

In Frederigo’s Falcon, Frederigo spent most of his life trying to impress Monna Glovanna, the love of his life.  He competed in jousts and many tournaments trying to win her over, but he never succeeded.  He then moved to the outskirts of town with nothing by his falcon to keep him company.  Monna on the other hand was also quite depressed.  She lost her husband to sickness and she knew her beloved son was next.  After a long talk, her son told her that he wanted nothing other than Frederigo’s falcon.  Nothing would make him quite as happy, and as a mother, she wanted nothing less than to see her son smile again and fight for his life.  The next morning, Monna Glovanna showed up on Frederigo’s front step in hope to bring home his falcon.  During dinner, Monna enjoyed the meal prepared for her without knowledge of what she was eating.  After Frederigo admitted to preparing his falcon for dinner, Monna went home empty handed and her son died a few days later.  Not long after, Monna and Frederigo, both still depressed, agreed to wed and spent their lives together.  After all this, Frederigo came to realize that money won’t buy happiness, no matter how much one spends.  In the picture The Mourning Madonna, she’s sad and upset, just as Frederigo was most of his life.  The colors in this painting portray sadness and doom similar to the way Frederigo was portrayed in the story.  The Madonna is looking down with sorrowful eyes and has nothing surrounding her indicating possible destitution and loss of worldly possessions.  Happiness can not be achieved with wealth and worldly possessions; however it is based on a state of mind and actions taken to improve the situation.

Crucifixes, Franciscan. The Mourning Madonna. 1272. Tempera on panel. National Gallery of Art. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.

Sacrifice And Love - Seth Liveringhouse

Cite:  Four Scenes from the First Book of Samuel

late 11th century

1975

National Gallery of Art. Medieval and Renaissance Miniatures from the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1975.

1997

Richler, Martha. National Gallery of Art, Washington: A World of Art. London, 1997: 8

The story Federigo’s Falcon, is about the nature of giving and sacrificing for love.  The picture above represents the theme in the story because, the picture represents love, begging, and sacrifice.  Just like what the story represents.  In the picture above, the man with the in the middle row on the far right represents Federigo.  Federigo was a kind, but poor man who only wanted the love of his life to love him back.  He wanted his wish so much he actually gave up his beloved falcon, so he could feed the woman he loved.  This image fits the theme of the story because it shows begging,   The lady begging in the top left of the picture, and the same women in the middle row, represents Monna Giovanna in the story.  Monna is a young woman who is asked by her dying son to retrieve Federigo’s falcon for him.  Monna is a very kind, widowed mother who would do anything to save her son, like most mothers would.  Monna, taking advantage of Federigo’s love for her she goes to his home to ask for the falcon.  After not getting the falcon for her dying son she realizes she actually does love Federigo.  The young child in the picture, in the middle row represents Monna’s son. Monna’s son, in the story, is dying of some illness and thinks that if he had Federigo’s falcon, that he would get better.  Monna’s son eventually dies, never retrieving the falcon because Federigo cooked the falcon to feed to Monna.  This action by Federigo was a very great and risky action.  Federigo sacrificed his one love in his world for the woman he loved.  This is why this story teaches you that sometimes you must give or sacrifice something for someone else you love.  

Greed=Death Stephen Wright

Greed Ends with Death

In The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, the theme of the “Pardoner’s Tale” is that greed leads to Death. The artist, Nicolaes Maes, drew the Death and the Miser. It is a drawing that has a Miser counting his money and Death standing next to him. The drawing and the Pardoner’s Tale have the same theme. In the “Pardoner’s Tale”, the theme is explained by three men at a tavern that get drunk then go out to find Death. They find a pot of gold under a tree and in the end Death takes them because of greed. They were greedy and they each other in order to get a bigger cut of the money. In the drawing, Death is standing near to the Miser, who is counting his money. The definition of a miser is someone who hoards money and lives under their own means in order to keep their money. The Miser is showing greed and Death is near to take him. The drawing is also showing that greed terrible and Death awaits to who has this characteristic. The Pardoner’s Tale and Death and the Miser both show that greed is a terrible thing and only leads to death.

Maes, Nicolaes. Death and the Miser. 1650/1655. Ink on laid paper. National Gallery of Art. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.