Filocolo: The “pains of love” of two young lovers

“Filocolo”, according to Boccaccio’s para-etymology would, due to an uncertain knowledge of ancient Greek, mean “pains of love”. This is the emblematic title chosen by Boccaccio for the lengthy work I prose composed of five books and dedicated to the story of Florio and Biancifiore.

The adventurous story of the two youths had met with considerable favour on the part of the public, so much so that the French poem Conte de Floire et Blancheflor, which Boccaccio had probably come across, would seem to also be the source of the anonymous song in the vernacular, of which the first manuscript dates back to 1343. Certainly Boccaccio’s “gracious labour” (Filocolo: V, 97, 1[1]) that, as he says himself, took him several years to write, can be dated earlier to 1336- 1338.

The genesis of the work would seem to have been inspired by his beloved, Fiammetta, who in book I prays the author to “comporre un picciolo libretto volgarmente parlando, nel quale il nascimento, lo 'nnamoramento e gli accidenti de' detti due infino alla loro fine interamente si contenga”. This token of love asked for also has the function of nobilitating the story, divorcing it from the “fabulosi parlari degli ingnoranti”, conferring it literary dignity.

The plot follows the French version quite closely. Florio, son of the King of Spain, and Biancifiore, an orphan of noble Roman origin, grow up together at the court of Spain and fall in love. There sentiment is opposed by the Spanish royals who have her sent away, selling her to some merchants. Disguised as Filocolo, Florio goes off to look for her. After many adventures he reaches Alexandria, where Biancifiore is held prisoner in a tower by the admiral. Florio manages to reach his beloved, but, discovered, he is condemned to be burned at the stake together with her. However, when he discovers who Florio is, the admiral frees the lovers, who head back to Spain, where Florio is crowned king.

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[1]Filocolo, ed. A.E. Quaglio, in Tutte le opere di Giovanni Boccaccio. Ed. V. Branca, vol. 1, Milan 1967, pp. 673-675.