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.