In "Federigo's Falcon," the female protagonist Monna Giovanna was widowed by her husband who suddenly fell ill and passed away. Her husband was a very wealthy man, and together they had a son who become the sole beneficiary of his father's estate. From the beginning of the story, female's roles in the Middle Ages become apparent. The story writes, "...he made his son, who was growing up, his heir, and, since he had loved Monna Giovanna very much, he made his/her heir should his son die without a legitimate heir..." Instead of the wife and mother becoming the beneficiary of her husband's finances, it is the male son, who is still not old enough to take care of himself yet, that inherits all of his father's fortune. The wife inherits the money only if the son dies before she does. This notion however, is very reflective of the given time...
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